The New York International Children’s Film Festival (NYICFF) in partnership with independent arthouse theaters and cultural organizations nationwide, will offer virtual cinema screenings for families, launching May 8th and available through May 17th.

Aiming to serve families and kids directly while supporting theaters whose doors are currently closed, NYICFF is providing two of its celebrated Kid Flicks award-winning short film programs to view at home. The programs, previously only screened in theaters, are now available directly via virtual cinema to families across the country who are looking for engaging content and exciting family viewing events during this period of quarantines.

Says Executive Director Nina Guralnick, “We’ve been thrilled to see the ingenuity of the independent theater community who have moved quickly to serve their audiences. Kids and families deserve the same high-quality programming that’s available to adults, so we were inspired to find a way to offer our programs through a new platform. We know that families are desperate for new and exciting ways to keep their kids engaged as they struggle through the challenges of remote learning and stay-at-home orders. And now seems like an ideal time to offer our film programs, which always inspire great family discussion.”

To date, over 55 arthouse theaters and cultural organizations across the country have partnered with NYICFF to offer the programs, with more joining each day. A virtual Route 66 of cinemas and institutions, from the Eastern Seaboard states to Illinois, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, California, and many more–NYICFF’s geographically expansive community partnerships and digital delivery reflect a community model of meaningful collaboration through the arts.