International Children's Film Festival Starts Today

It's not easy to find quality films for children, especially if you eschew commercialized animation and movies that feature a bit too much violence to make most parents comfortable. So, it is a particular pleasure to note that today kicks off the International Children's Film Festival, which runs through March 24th at seven Manhattan movie theaters. The festival features "100 animated, live action, and experimental shorts and feature films" from 35 countries.

Now in its 16th year, the Festival also sponsors classes for ages 6 to 16 in animation and live action filmmaking. The Spring 2013 one week classes run from March 25-29. The two week summer program runs from July 8-19. Registration for both programs is now open. 

Some of the films featured in the Festival can be seen as part of a slide show on the New York Times website. Tickets for individual films can be purchased online.