The Loft Cinema will take kids over the rainbow, into a giant peach, and through a happy singsong world with a famous British nanny starting Saturday. Children of all ages will get to enjoy free movies, free popcorn, and prize giveaways during The Loft Cinema’s Third Annual Tucson International Children’s Film Festival presented by the Glassman Foundation. The film fest will last from July 25 to Aug. 2 and will feature sing-a-longs, cartoons, foreign films and classic children’s films.
“”The original idea for the fest grew out of our desire here at The Loft to offer fun and affordable programming for kids during the summer. We really wanted to expose kids (and their parents) to great vintage kids’ classics, quirky contemporary kids’ films, and perhaps most importantly, childrens’ films from other countries”” said Jeff Yanc, The Loft’s program director, in an e-mail.
The movies were selected because The Loft wanted to find a happy medium between classic favorites and less mainstream films like this year’s features, “”Howl’s Moving Castle”” (Japan) and “”Azur and Asmar”” (France).
The generous sponsors and donations for the event make this free festival possible.
“”Since The Loft is a community-supported nonprofit, the Children’s Film Festival is one way that we can give something back to the community, and hopefully, in some small way, help make Tucson a more fun place for kids to be in the summer,”” said Yanc, who is most excited to see “”Gulliver’s Travels,”” being a huge fan of the book. “”I’m usually as excited as the kids are to see these movies!””
Attendance for the fest has doubled in the past year, so expect larger crowds this time around and the theatre may fill up quickly. Be sure to get there early. Don’t forget to enter the free daily raffle to win a $50 gift certificate to Mrs. Tiggy Winkle’s Toys, the host of the event, while you or your children engage in the pre-show activities. This event is guaranteed to bring about some family fun without spending a penny.
July 25 – “”The Wizard of Oz””
July 26 – “”Howl’s Moving Castle””
July 27 – “”Egon and Donci””
July 28 – “”Looney Tunes on the Big Screen””
July 30 – “”Race for your Life, Charlie Brown””
July 31 – “”Azur and Asmar””
Aug 1 – “”Gulliver’s Travels””
Aug 2 – “”Sing-A-Long Mary Poppins””
The Loft Cinema
3233 E. Speedway Blvd.
795-7777 for showtimes
www.loftcinema.com
**All shows start at 10 a.m. every morning
