An incredible opportunity for movie lovers of all ages, the New York International Children’s Film Festival (NYICFF), is bringing its Kid Flicks events to Damariscotta’s Lincoln Theater on Saturday mornings this September. These free events, presented in partnership with  Waltz Soda Fountain, will bring 25 of the NYICFF’s incredible short films from around the world to the big screen, including a special series of Dutch animation films from the Netherlands.

The NYICFF mission - to bring thought-provoking films from around the world to family audiences - appeals to both children and adults alike, challenging audiences of all ages, and bringing different kinds of storytelling and image-making together from all around the world. Their incredible offerings have led to their approval as an Oscar qualifier by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, a rare opportunity for a Children’s Film Fest. The Kid Flicks events are made up of films promoting different ways to tackle problems, to behave, and to just be – all while entertaining the audience through animation and live action short films that are presented with creativity, energy, and laugh out loud moments.

Kid Flicks 1, which hits Lincoln Theater’s big screen on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 10 a.m. with an encore screening on Saturday, Sept. 21, is designed for children ages 3 to 7. With nine short films from all over the world, our youngest movie lovers will sympathize with the characters presented to them as they face a variety of challenges - from one girls determination to make a big splash in the South African animated film “Belly Flop,” a mouse’s attempt to continue reading past lights out in the French animated film “Small Spark”, to brushing up on penmanship in the Australian documentary “Pen License.” And, closing out the Kid Flicks 1 event is the Student Academy Award winning film “Raccoon and the Light” by Hanna Kim.

For our older movie lovers, Kid Flicks 2 shows you’re never too old to learn a few new tricks! Designed for ages 8 and up, these eight short films, playing Saturday, Sept. 14 at 10 a.m., with an encore screening on Saturday, Sept. 28 range from animation, to documentary, to live action. Beginning with some noisy neighbor mayhem in “Saturday’s Apartment”, discovering food and friendship in “Mogu and Perol,” and laugh out loud chaos through an alpine ski rescue gone awry in “Hors Piste” and more, audiences will find connections to their own lives, as well as things they’ve learned in school, places they’ve visited, and stories they’ve read in books.

And, Saturday, Oct. 5 at 10 a.m., NYICFF presents the Dutch Animation Celebration, recommended for ages 8 and up. Cinekid, the Netherland’s premiere film festival for children, has joined forces with NYICFF to create a program of the very best Dutch animation. These six shorts bring inventive design, storytelling, and themes to the big screen with hilarious romps and inventive animation, including the hilarious International Emmy-award winner “Heads Together.”

Mark your calendars and join us at Damariscotta’s Lincoln Theater for these incredible free film events from the New York International Children’s Film Festival. Information for each film is available on the Lincoln Theater website at www.lcct.org, or by calling the office at 563-3424.

As they wrote in the New York Times, “Sometimes you need to go to a children’s film festival to see something truly grown-up.”