movie talk

Published 1:14 pm Thursday, January 15, 2009

Movie talk

Children’s Film Festival lineup set

The fourth annual Children’s Film Festival Seattle, running Jan. 23 through Feb. 1, will showcase 86 films from 25 countries and three hands-on workshops for kids.

In addition, it features many events in conjunction with the screenings, from a CD release party to discussions with directors, to performances by competitive jump-rope teams.

Northwest Film Forum also welcomes special guest David Newell, known to many as “Mr. McFeely” of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, on Jan. 24 and 25 during screenings of the documentary “Special Delivery.”

The festival kicks off with the annual pancake breakfast at 9:30 a.m. Jan. 24 at Central Lutheran Church in Seattle. Following breakfast and a live jump-rope performance by Seattle Cirque and Acrobatics Team, attendees will follow a drummer to the cinemas, where a selection of international short films will be screened at 10:30 and 11 a.m. in both Northwest Film Forum cinemas.

The opening night film is “JUMP!” a fun and fast-paced exploration of the world of competitive jump rope. The film’s Los Angeles-based director, Helen Hood Scheer, will be on hand to answer questions, and a group of Seattle’s top jumpers from the team Hot Dog USA! will attend the opening screening and perform a demonstration.

For more details, see www.childrensfilmfestival seattle.org.