Children’s Film Festival Seattle Brings Bold Stories to the Big Screen

If you’ve always wanted to check out the children’s film festival, but never could make the schedule work, this is your chance. Usually held in the dark days of February when the daily routine is at its grindiest, the festival has shifted to the middle of summer vacation this year. That’s just one of several major changes to the 20-year-old festival. 

Children’s Film Festival Seattle will be held July 23–27 this year at Northwest Film Forum on Seattle’s Capitol Hill. The festival, which has followed a hybrid virtual/in-person format since the pandemic, is entirely in-person this year. The festival is also significantly smaller than it has been in recent years, shrinking from more than 20 programs to only five. But this year’s festival remains true to its core purpose of celebrating high-quality films from around the world that are intended for youth audiences. And there’s still not a Disney princess in sight. 

A scaled-down festival with a mission 

According to the Northwest Film Forum, “This year’s festival will be a lot smaller as we transition into a more sustainable future in an evolving landscape, but it will continue to emphasize social justice, youth leadership, and community empowerment. With a focus on inclusivity and storytelling, the festival will provide a platform for emerging voices to share their unique perspectives.” 

The shorter festival is offering one youth filmmaking workshop focused on cyanotypes. Anyone age 18 or younger can register for the four-hour workshop on July 26, in which Tina Jacobson will teach kids to create their own 16 mm cyanotype films that will premiere for friends and family at the end of the day. 

For audiences, each of the five programs will screen twice during the five-day festival. As always, the majority of the programs comprise collections of short films grouped by a theme. Other programs combine a feature film and a smaller collection of short films separated by an intermission. 

The programs 

“Lights, Camera, Adventure!”: This program of 13 short films takes you around the world, from Korea to Croatia, and to worlds beyond our own, in a series of adventurous stories whose protagonists explore the vast and exciting unknown. About half of the films are subtitled. 1h 41m  

“What We’re Made Of”: The short films in this program explore the things that make each person unique and, maybe, help us each discover and celebrate our own individuality. Only two of the 13 short films in this program have subtitles; the rest are either in English or have no dialogue. 1h 17m

“Friends and Family”: This program celebrates all of the special someones who share our adventures, watch our backs and make our memories special. Four of the 11 short films are subtitled; the rest have no dialogue. 1h 30m 

“Learning While Living”: This program highlights the many different ways that we learn from ourselves and each other. The feature film is “Ultimate Citizens,” a documentary in English about a Seattle Public Schools counselor. Jamshid came to the U.S. as a student and had to stay because of the revolution in Iran. Now he works with the children of refugees and immigrants, helping them to thrive in their families’ new homeland. 2h 1m 

“Strength and Resilience”: This program features stories about surviving difficult moments. The feature film is “Timir,” a Russian film in Yakut with English subtitles that follows a young boy after he loses his mother. He struggles in his new life with his father until a supernatural encounter leads to change. 2h

Editor’s note: Every year, ParentMap shares details for the Children’s Film Festival Seattle. A previous version of this article covered the 2024 festival. It was updated by the writer on July 11, 2025, with details for the 2025 festival.