On-line: Athens International Children’s Film Festival

We know. Lockdown isn’t the best moment to come down hard on those mindless YouTube binges and Among Us marathons. If only there was some more thoughtful and inclusive family-friendly viewing around to nourish their young, impressionable minds. Wait, what’s that we hear? With its biggest programme to date, the Athens International Children’s Film Festival rides to the rescue with a slew of fantastic (and free) high-quality flicks aimed at everyone from the terrible twos to the teens (and parents as well). At heart, the AICFF aims to provide deeper insight into the way children live around the world and what preoccupies them. This year’s on-line festival opens on November 14 with the popular adaptation of Judith Kerr’s bestseller, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit (snooze and you’ll lose though; only 100 viewings will be made available).

Other highlights include:

• The Oscar-winning documentary short Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl), which spearheads the theme of how sport can help children deal with hardship; 
• The feature doc Microplastic Madness which seeks to inspire environmental action by setting an example for kids and adults alike;
• A thrilling new horror section, pitched at teen viewers, with movies such as The Devil’s Harmony  (UK) where the ‘’geeks’’ take revenge on their bullies in full Stanley Kubrick and Brian de Palma glory.
• Parents of infants will be happy to hear that the Baby & Me category returns with the feature-length documentary Dive: Rituals in Water, a heart-warming tale of a baby swimming teacher as he teaches infants to swim in a heated pool in Reykjavik. 
• Additionally, there are 31 short films accessible to children and adults with autism and mental disability and for the first time, the entire festival site itself will be accessible to all of the above groups through the "easy2read language" translator, provided with the assistance of TheHappyAct (non-profit organisation).

Jump into the marvellous full-programme here.