
My First Film Fest 2016
All kids remember the first movie they ever saw or the first time they went to a movie theater. Now, the Film Society of Lincoln Center wants them to remember their first film festival. This November, we present the inaugural edition of what will hopefully be an annual tradition: My First Film Fest aims to bring the excitement and vibrancy of the festival experience to young movie lovers.
Jim Henson
1982|
USA / UK|
93 minutes
“Another world, another time, in the age of wonder…” Jim Henson and Frank Oz’s beloved 1982 film is a transporting fantasy—trailblazing in its puppet craftsmanship, and as timeless as a Brothers Grimm fable.
Hubert Viel
2015|
France|
88 minutes|
French with English subtitles
Hubert Viel’s film about female empowerment during the medieval era is a delightfully modern and imaginative history lesson, sustained by a quirky sense of poetry and humor, as well as wonderful performances from its young cast.
Yared Zeleke
2015|
Ethiopia / France / Germany / Norway|
94 minutes|
Amharic with English subtitles
Yared Zeleke’s remarkable feature—the Ethiopian entry for the Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar—tells the story of a young boy who is sent to live among distant relatives after his mother’s death and his touching friendship with a sheep.
Claude Nuridsany
1996|
France / Switzerland / Italy|
80 minutes|
French with English subtitles
The small world of insects never looked so big as in Claude Nuridsany & Marie Pérennou’s remarkable nature documentary depicting the comings and goings of those little creatures as they play, fight, eat, work, love, and, simply, live.
Émilie Deleuze
2015|
France|
90 minutes|
French with English subtitles
Adapted from Marie Desplechin’s best-selling Le journal d’Aurore book series, Miss Impossible introduces us to a French middle-school student and her extraordinary, sometimes hilarious take on the world around her.
Charlie Chaplin
1936|
USA|
86 minutes
One of Chaplin’s greatest films, Modern Times bridges the artist’s natural gift for pantomime and his musicality and rhythm, a nearly silent film that emerged full force in the sound era.
Hayao Miyazaki
1988|
Japan|
86 minutes|
English-dubbed version
Miyazaki’s breakthrough film tells the story of two sisters who find a habitat of magical creatures called Totoros, with whom they go on extraordinary adventures.
Hayao Miyazaki
1984|
Japan|
117 minutes
Set in a postapocalyptic world where prehistoric wormlike creatures roam and a war-hungry tribe of soldiers threatens to obliterate their existence, Miyazaki’s 1984 epic masterpiece follows a gentle young girl named Nausicaä, who is the last hope for peace.
Jean-Loup Felicioli
2015|
France / Belgium|
84 minutes|
English-dubbed version
From Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol, the creators of the Oscar-nominated A Cat in Paris, Phantom Boy is about a boy with extraordinary powers who helps a policeman take down a New York City mobster.
Charles Reisner
1928|
USA|
70 minutes
Comic genius Buster Keaton turns in one of his most amazing performances as a college student who returns home to help his crusty old riverboat captain father. Featuring Keaton’s most famous stunt on camera!
Stéphane Aubier
2016|
Belgium|
64 minutes|
English-dubbed version
From the directors of Ernest & Celestine, A Town Called Panic: Double Fun is an over-the-top, visually inventive program of two stop-motion films featuring the hilarious, harebrained schemes of three characters—the clay-modeled, toy figurine-like Cowboy, Indian, and Horse.
Spike Jonze
2009|
USA|
101 minutes
Spike Jonze’s adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s 1963 illustrated classic is a touching, dreamlike movie about childhood, an imaginative blend of wonder, humor, and melancholy that expands the 338-word story into a reverent yet unique cinematic experience.
All kids remember the first movie they ever saw or the first time they went to a movie theater. Now, the Film Society of Lincoln Center wants them to remember their first film festival. This November, we present the inaugural edition of what will hopefully be an annual tradition: My First Film Fest aims to bring the excitement and vibrancy of the festival experience to young movie lovers. Showcasing titles from the U.S. and around the world appropriate for children of various ages as well as adults, this six-day event will feature a sneak preview of one of this holiday season’s most exciting films, DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls; filmmaker appearances by directors Yared Zeleke (Lamb) and Émilie Deleuze (Miss Impossible); evergreen classics from Charlie Chaplin (Modern Times), Buster Keaton (Steamboat Bill, Jr.), and the brain trust of Jim Henson and Frank Oz (The Dark Crystal); international gems from Hayao Miyazaki; Phantom Boy, the latest from the directors of A Cat in Paris; goodie bags and giveaways; and free educational screenings of films that promote cultural awareness and diversity. This six-day festival promises to be the fall’s biggest event for young filmgoers.
Organized by Florence Almozini, Rufus de Rham and Tyler Wilson.
Special thanks to UniFrance; Institut Français; the Cultural Services of the French Embassy NY.


















