From the festival
Announcements, interviews and stories from our team and community writers.
The Skills Gap No One Talks About: Writing for a Young Audience
Writing "down" to kids is the single most common mistake in the field â and the easiest to fix.
Sep 7, 2026 · Admin
When to Say Yes to Unpaid Work in Children's Media â and When Not To
Unpaid opportunities aren't all equal. Here's a rough filter.
Sep 6, 2026 · Admin
Why School Screenings Matter More Than Festival Organizers Admit
The biggest audience most children's films will ever have isn't the festival crowd â it's a classroom.
Sep 5, 2026 · Admin
What Makes a Children's Film Actually Age-Appropriate
Age ratings are a starting point, not the whole answer.
Sep 4, 2026 · Admin
Teaching Media Literacy Through Kids' Own Films
The fastest way to teach a kid to watch critically is to have them make something first.
Sep 3, 2026 · Admin
Why Indigenous Storytelling Needs Its Own Section, Not Just a Slot
Folding Indigenous work into a general program tends to flatten exactly what makes it distinct.
Sep 3, 2026 · Admin
Land, Language and Time: What Makes Indigenous Youth Film Distinct
Three things that show up again and again in strong Indigenous youth submissions.
Sep 2, 2026 · Admin
What Makes Kids' Animation Different From Animation for Everyone Else
The technique matters less than most people assume. The timing matters more.
Sep 1, 2026 · Admin
Making a Documentary Kids Actually Want to Watch
The word "educational" has quietly become a warning label. Here's how the good ones avoid it.
Aug 31, 2026 · Admin
Making Your Film Screening-Ready for a Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing Audience
Captioning isn't a technical afterthought â it changes what the film can actually communicate.
Aug 30, 2026 · Admin
Sensory-Friendly Screenings: What They Are and Why They're Growing
Small changes to a screening room open the festival to a much wider family audience.
Aug 29, 2026 · Admin
A Realistic Way to Think About Screen Time During Festival Season
Not all screen time is the same kind of screen time.
Aug 28, 2026 · Admin