Pickford Film Center Celebrates 20th Annual Bellingham Children’s Film Festival March 28–29 with Features, Shorts, and an Ice Cream Social
Pickford Film Center is proud to present the Bellingham Children’s Film Festival, running March 28–29, 2026, at the Bay Street location (1318 Bay St.). Now in its 20th year, the festival brings together imaginative, carefully curated cinema for young audiences — all at just $5 per ticket.
“In the last five years, we have witnessed the ending of two major children’s film festivals, Children’s Film Festival Seattle and the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival. It is a privilege to continue to provide this kind of program here in Bellingham, for both the legitimately and eternally childish members of our community,” says Pickford Executive Director and festival programmer Susie Purves. “It is exciting to introduce these films to the youngest audiences, highlighting work from all around the world that connects art, humor, and whimsy to kids.”
This year’s lineup features two shorts programs and two feature films. “Eh Is For Animation” for audiences 8+ celebrates over six decades of Canadian short animation. The program was put together with assistance from the National Film Board of Canada and the Canadian-American Studies Department at Western Washington University, and covers a wide array of animation styles and techniques in films emphasizing music and humor.
“Little Kid Flicks” for audiences 3+ brings an acclaimed animated shorts program from the New York International Children’s Film Festival with films from all over the world.
Feature films include “Grow,” for audiences 6+ a British family comedy starring Nick Frost about a girl with extraordinary horticultural powers, and “Kensuke’s Kingdom,” for audiences 8+ a breathtaking, award-winning hand-drawn animation starring Cillian Murphy, Sally Hawkins, and Ken Watanabe, about a shipwrecked boy who discovers a mysterious old man on an uninhabited island.
On Saturday, March 28, festival-goers are invited to an Ice Cream Social at 12:30 — free for all ticket holders, with ice cream generously provided by Crooked Spoon.
Festival Details
Festival Name: Bellingham Children’s Film Festival
Dates: March 28–29, 2026
Location: Pickford Film Center, 1318 Bay St., Bellingham, WA
Tickets: $5 per screening
Website: pickfordfilmcenter.org/bellingham-childrens-film-festival
What’s Showing
Eh Is For Animation (shorts program — Canadian Animation)
Little Kid Flicks (shorts program)
Grow (feature film)
Kensuke’s Kingdom (feature film)
About Pickford Film Center
Pickford Film Center, a nonprofit organization, provides a forum and resource for independent cinema, strengthening community through education, dialogue, and the celebration of film. Since its founding in 1998, it has been the only independent cinema operating 365 days a year between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C.
