Modern Kids Summer Flicks

Modern Kids Summer Flicks

July 17 & 18, 11 am 
Free Admission

Share the art of the screen with your children this summer! Join us for Modern Kids Summer Flicks featuring the Children’s Film Festival Seattle Best of the Fest, a curated selection of award-winning and audience-favorite films for young audiences. Experience joyful, thoughtful stories that give audiences new ways to understand our world and make the global approachable.

Spend an art-filled day at the museum by visiting the galleries before or after the films to experience a variety of paintings, sculptures, and photographs, including our special exhibitions, Surrealism and Us: Caribbean and African Diasporic Artists since 1940 and Rebecca Manson: Barbecue. A kid-centric tour of the galleries is available after the films.

Admission is free and open to the public. Screenings begin at 11 am. Films are shown in the Modern’s auditorium, and seating is limited to the first 250 guests. Admission to the galleries is free for film festival guests. All ages are welcome!

Make plans to enjoy some delightful eats at Café Modern before or after the films, and shop for art-inspired merchandise and snacks at the Modern Shop. 

SCHEDULE

July 17, 11 am - Animation Showcase
This colorful collection will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy. Meet furry friends and embark on adventures fit for the whole family!
57 min | All Ages

The Sound Collector - Float Your Boat

When the Sound Collector travels in his boat on the stream, he meets a chorus of furry friends along the way. Things get a little out of hand – and so does his ukulele playing!

Chris Tichborne, United Kingdom, 2023, 5 min, in English

Battery Mommy

Battery Mommy helps to power the lives of a family. One day, she must rush to save the sleeping children from a nursery fire.

Seungbae Jeon, Republic of Korea, 2023, 9 min, in Korean with English subtitles

Kids In Winter (冬天的孩子们)

A group of rabbits weather an unexpected snowstorm with goodwill and generosity, turning their home in the trunk of a tree into a cozy safe haven for all of the forest’s inhabitants. 

Maing Caochong, China, 2022, 3 min, nonverbal

LUKi and the Lights

LUKi, a charming and upbeat robot known for living life to the fullest, confronts a life-altering ALS diagnosis. With every smile he shares and every memory he cherishes, LUKi shows us what it means to truly live, in this testament to the resilience of the human (and robotic) spirit. Content warning: Illness, death. 

Toby Cochran, USA & The Netherlands, 2022, 9 min, nonverbal

Moon Mole

A curious mole explores the world around it.

Alunos do 12º ano da Escola Secundária José Régio, Laura Gonçalves (Orientação), Alexandra Ramires (Orientação), Leonor Pacheco (Orientação) & Dimitri Mihajlovic (Orientação), Portugal, 2022, 2 min, nonverbal

I Hear You Singing

This joyful and bright music video follows two young children as they explore the various sounds the world around them has to offer.

Charlotte Sophie Blacker, United Kingdom, 2023, 2 min, in English

Town Hall Square

Bernard works behind the windows of a ticket booth at the Town Hall Square subway station. One day, an escaped tiger shows up and turns Bernard’s orderly life upside down.

Christian Kaufmann, Germany, 2023, 9 min, in English

Cowboy Kevin

Cowboy Kevin and his trusty horse have almost reached the destination of his secret admirer, and Kevin is eager to finally meet her. He’ll discover that love is not always what you expect.

Anna Lund Konnerup, Denmark, 2022, 7 min, in English

Pufferfish (Kugelfisch)

In an ocean full of big, bad fish, the pufferfish attempts to appear as big and strong as possible.

Julia Ocker, Germany, 2022, 4 min, nonverbal

Colorful 

Will, a boy who wants to become an inventor, loves to create various toys for his old dog, Norman. One day, while introducing his new toys to Norman, he discovers that dogs are color blind and decides to invent special glasses to present colors to his dog.

Jae-hyeon Cha & Byeong-hyeon Hwang, Republic of Korea, 2021, 9 min, in English

July 18, 11 am - Live-Action Showcase
In these narrative and documentary shorts, see the world through the eyes of inspiring young people who go on their own adventures and discover how to be true to themselves. 
72 min | Suggested for Ages 8+

JoJo - A Toad Musical

This film follows young JoJo Nyaribo, a creative and musical nature lover and wildlife advocate, as he explores the meaning of biodiversity and stewardship in his own backyard. The story weaves together JoJo’s love for the natural world with his journey in learning about and fighting against a specific fungus that threatens amphibians around the globe. JoJo explores his role in preventing the spread of this fungus through exploration and song! 

Chelsea J Jolly, USA, 2022, 9 min, in English

Sally Chooses Adventure

When left with no options, Sally draws the only conclusion possible: choosing her own adventure. 

Matthew B.W. Sheehan, USA, 2022, 3 min, in English

The Old Young Crow

An Iranian boy befriends an old Japanese woman at a graveyard in Tokyo.

Liam LoPinto, Japan, 2022, 12 min, in Japanese & Persian with English subtitles

The Rock Pool Waltz

During COVID lockdown, a boy’s affinity with nature eases his loneliness and leads to an incredible friendship.

Marlon Denning, Australia, 2021, 8 min, in English

Gugu naGogo

In a small Australian town, 12-year-old astronomer Gugu secretly taps the moon and posts letters to her Gogo (grandmother) who lives far away in Zimbabwe. When a lunar eclipse suddenly stops her late-night letter exchanges, the young stargazer must find a way to reconnect with her beloved grandmother.

Taku Mbudzi, Australia, 2022, 19 min, in English & Shona with English subtitles

The Qingming Kid

A Chinese-American boy wants to celebrate his birthday. Instead, to observe the Qingming Festival, he must follow tradition and pay respects at the graveyard to his grandfather, whom he’s never met.

Austin Chen, USA, 2022, 11 min, in English & Mandarin Chinese with English subtitles

Gaps

A girl from a close-knit family finds herself at a crossroads between keeping her gapped front teeth or risking it all for the seemingly “perfect” smile.

Jenn Shaw, USA, 2023, 11 min, in English

Bike Lane Ends

An anxious 8-year-old must rescue her adventurous BFF from an alternate dimension at the end of a bike lane.

Noah Glenn, USA, 2023, 8 min, in English