Children's Film Festival Seattle
Also known as: CFFS
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Children’s Film Festival Seattle presents international animated and live-action cinema for children, teenagers and families, with short films, features and hands-on activities. Presented by Northwest Film Forum in Seattle, the festival dates back to 2005. Its selection emphasizes stories centered on childhood, underrepresented perspectives, racial and gender equity, inclusivity and global awareness. Screenings reach both public audiences and school groups, while Best of the Fest touring programmes extend selected shorts beyond Seattle.
The festival is on hiatus in 2026. The dates for the 2027 edition are 25–28 March 2027, with Northwest Film Forum on Seattle’s Capitol Hill listed as the venue.
Country
United States (USA)
Focus
Animation, Documentary, Family, For Kids
Categories
Animation, Documentary, Feature, Short
Dates
25 March 2027 — 28 March 2027
Awards and prizes
Professional juries recognize live-action and animated short films. Audience votes determine Favorite Feature and Favorite Short Film. The Catbus Kids jury (ages 8–10) and Fantastic Foxes jury (ages 11–14) each recognize live-action, animated and youth-made short films. The Iron Giants jury (ages 15 and over) selects a feature film award.
Festival rules
Film submissions are handled through FilmFreeway. The listed submission categories include live-action short narrative, live-action short documentary, animated short narrative and animated short documentary. The organizer’s currently displayed detailed regulations are labeled 2025; eligibility requirements for the 2027 edition require confirmation with the festival.
Contacts
- nwfilmforum.org
- filmfreeway.com — Film submissions
- kendra@nwfilmforum.org — CFFS partnerships and sponsorship