Family Events
Ongoing
Hands-on activities, participatory readings, performances, movie matinees, and more events designed for kids and their families.
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- Upcoming
Films - Past
Films - Past
Events
Upcoming Films
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The White Balloon
Jafar Panahi
Iran, 1995Imported Print
Recommended for ages 7 & up- Saturday, August 31 3:30 PM
A seven-year-old girl navigates the busy streets of Tehran while trying to buy a goldfish in the utterly charming debut of Jafar Panahi (3 Faces). Cowritten by Abbas Kiarostami, it’s “a reminder that the simplest forms of filmmaking can be the most satisfying” (Los Angeles Times).
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Ernest & Celestine
Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar, Benjamin Renner
France, Belgium, Luxembourg, 2012Recommended for ages 8 & up
- Saturday, September 28 3:30 PM
Nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 2012 Oscars, this magical film (inspired by the Belgian children’s books) follows Celestine the mouse, a dentist-in-training, and Ernestine the bear, a musician and poet.
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Abbas Kiarostami: Five Short Films
Digital Restorations
Recommended for ages 10 & up- Saturday, October 26 3 PM
Anyone curious about what episodes of Sesame Street would look like if they were directed by one of the world’s greatest filmmakers should catch this collection of shorts by Kiarostami, made for an Iranian children’s cultural institute.
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Free Screening: Films by Sally Cruikshank
Free Admission!
Recommended for ages 7 & up- Sunday, November 3 3 PM
Enjoy the wildly colorful, wonderfully detailed films of animator Sally Cruikshank, including the psychedelic classic Quasi at the Quackadero and her musical animations for Sesame Street.
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The Wizard of Oz
Victor Fleming
United States, 1939Recommended for ages 5 & up
- Saturday, November 30 1:30 PM
What better activity for a holiday weekend than a trip down the Yellow Brick Road with Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, and the Tin Woodsman? Experience this enduring classic the old-fashioned way, in a 35mm print.
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Upcoming Events
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Saturday, September 14, 11:30 AM–1 PM or 1–2:30 PMGallery + Studio: Say It! Spray It!
In the spirit of Carlos Amorales’s mural about protest for BAMPFA’s Art Wall, create cutouts of people holding up signs expressing something important that you want to shout out!
For ages 6 to 12 with accompanying adult(s)
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Saturday, September 14, 3 PMRoundtable Reading: Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh by Uma Krishnaswami
Join us to start reading this book about a girl struggling against discrimination in 1940s California, and pick up a copy to finish reading at home.
Recommended for ages 8 & up (younger kids welcome as listeners)
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Saturday, October 12, 11:30 AM–1 PM or 1–2:30 PMGallery + Studio: Silvery Waves Pile 1,000 Layers High
Inspired by works of Zen calligraphy in Meditation in Motion, explore ways of drawing words to visually express their meaning and create fragments of poetry in response to works of art.
For ages 6 to 12 with accompanying adult(s)
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Saturday, October 12, 3 PMRoundtable Reading: Upside-Down Magic by Sarah Mlynowski
In the Upside-Down Magic class at Dunwiddle Magic School, the spells go wonky at the worst possible moments. Join us to start reading this delightful book and pick up a copy to keep reading at home.
Recommended for ages 8 & up (younger kids welcome as listeners)
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Sunday, November 3, 11 AM–3 PMFall Free Family Day
Bring the family for a full day of art, puppetry, stories, and film—it’s free!
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Saturday, November 9, 11:30 AM–1 PM or 1–2:30 PMGallery + Studio: Exquisite Corpse Collage
Get inspired by art on view in Strange, then use found images and the Surrealist exquisite corpse technique to add fantastically strange elements to artworks of your own.
For ages 6 to 12 with accompanying adult(s)
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Saturday, November 9, 3 PM¡Roundtable Reading Bilingüe! Gaby, perdida y encontrada / Gaby, Lost and Found by Angela Cervantes
This special bilingual edition of Roundtable Reading features a story about a young girl helping shelter animals find homes—and looking for a forever home of her own.
Recommended for ages 8 & up (younger kids welcome as listeners)
Past Events
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Saturday, July 13, 11:30 AM–1 PM or 1–2:30 PMGallery + Studio: Finding Form and Space in Black Abstraction
Explore the varied perceptions of space and form on view in About Things Loved, then use paint and other materials to create a layered canvas of your own.
For ages 6 to 12 with accompanying adult(s)
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Saturday, July 13, 3 PMRoundtable Reading: Bo at Ballard Creek by Kirkpatrick Hill
Read with us about a young girl’s experiences in 1920s Alaska, and pick up a copy of the book to finish reading at home.
Recommended for ages 8 & up (younger kids welcome as listeners)
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Saturday, June 8, 11:30 AM–1 PM or 1–2:30 PMGallery + Studio: Shapes Are Facts—Looking and Making with Frederick Hammersley
Enjoy looking at the puzzling and peculiar shapes in Frederick Hammersley’s work, then make an intriguing cut-paper composition of your own.
For ages 6 to 12 with accompanying adult(s)
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Saturday, June 8, 3 PMRoundtable Reading: Dragons in a Bag by Zetta Elliott
A bag full of tiny dragons creates a big adventure in this story of mystery, magic, and mayhem in an everyday urban setting. Start reading the book with us, and pick up a copy to finish at home.
Recommended for ages 8 & up (younger kids welcome as listeners)
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Sunday, May 19, 11-3 PMSpring Free Family Day
Explore BAMPFA exhibitions, make your own art, enjoy a performance by the Bug Family Band, and check out a screening of Revolting Rhymes—bring the family and make a day of it!
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Saturday, May 11, 11:30 AM–1 PM or 1–2:30 PMGallery + Studio: Mixed-Media Printmaking
Inspired by the repetition and layering in Frederick Hammersley’s work, discover your own rhythmic compositions using woven papers and stamp-based printmaking.
For ages 6 to 12 with accompanying adult(s)
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Saturday, May 11, 3 PMRoundtable Reading: Bob by Wendy Mass & Rebecca Stead
Join us to read about a girl and her promise to Bob, a mysterious creature who lives in her grandmother’s closet.
Recommended for ages 8 & up (younger kids welcome as listeners)
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Saturday, April 13, 11:30 AM–1 PM or 1–2:30 PMGallery + Studio: Worth a Thousand Words
Look at photographs in Unlimited and think about the stories they tell, then use drawing and collage to illustrate a story from your own life.
For ages 6 to 12 with accompanying adult(s)
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Saturday, April 13, 3 PM¡Roundtable Reading Bilingüe! La telaraña de Carlota / Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
Join us in reading this remarkable story of friendship, loyalty, life, and morality.
Acompañanos para leer esta extraordinaria historia de amistad, lealtad, vida, y moral.
Recommended for ages 8 & up (younger kids welcome as listeners)
Recomendado para las edades de 8 años en adelante (niños menores son bienvenidos como oyentes) -
Saturday, March 9, 11:30 AM–1 PM or 1–2:30 PMGallery + Studio: Push & Pull Compositions
Explore how Hans Hofmann used color, form, and space to create depth and feeling in his work, then make a mixed-media art piece of your own.
For ages 6 to 12 with accompanying adult(s)
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Saturday, March 9, 3 PMRoundtable Reading: The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm
Join us as we read a story that celebrates the wonder of science and explores questions about life, family, friendship, and possibility.
Recommended for ages 8 & up (younger kids welcome as listeners)
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Saturday, February 9, 11:30 AM–1 PM or 1–2:30 PMGallery + Studio: Animal Encounters in Japanese Art
Get inspired by the Japanese art in Ink, Paper, Silk and paint your own images of animals on a miniature Japanese folding screen.
For ages 6 to 12 with accompanying adult(s)
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Saturday, February 9, 3 PMRoundtable Reading: Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly
Read about a diverse group of kids whose lives weave together in unexpected ways, and pick up a copy of the book to take home.
Recommended for ages 8 & up (younger kids welcome as listeners)
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Saturday, January 12, 11:30 AM–1 PM or 1–2:30 PMGallery + Studio: Roving Wool-Roving Characters
With Masako Miki’s bright colors and squishy forms as inspiration, make your own creatures from felt, fabric, and found objects.
For ages 6–12 with accompanying adult(s)
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Saturday, January 12, 3 PMRoundtable Reading: Front Desk by Kelly Yang
Join in reading about a girl trying to pursue her dreams while living at a motel, and get a copy of the book to enjoy wherever you live.
Recommended for ages 8 & up (younger kids welcome as listeners)
Past Films
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The Black Stallion
Carroll Ballard- Saturday, July 27 3:30 PM
United States, 1979Digital Restoration
Recommended for ages 7 & upA young boy’s friendship with a wild stallion anchors this mesmerizing adaptation of the classic novel. “May be the greatest children’s movie ever made” (Pauline Kael).
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Song of the Sea
Tomm Moore- Saturday, June 22 3 PM
Ireland, Luxembourg, Belgium, France, Denmark, 2014Recommended for ages 7 & up
The director behind The Secret of Kells returns with a gorgeous animation inspired by Irish legends and Celtic folk art. This Miyazaki-like wonder is “one of the most blissfully beautiful animated films ever made” (Toronto Review).
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March of the Penguins
Luc Jacquet- Saturday, May 4 3 PM
France, 2005Recommended for ages 6 & up
Follow the exploits of emperor penguins as they migrate, search for food, raise their young, and waddle about the ice in this documentary, one of the biggest nonfiction hits of the 2000s. Presented with English narration by Morgan Freeman.
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Work and Play: Three Charlie Chaplin Shorts
- Saturday, March 16 3 PM
Recommended for ages 7 & up
Spend an old-fashioned afternoon at the movies with three shorts that find Charlie Chaplin’s character at work and at play: Sunnyside, A Day’s Pleasure, and Pay Day.
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Alamar
Pedro González-Rubio- Saturday, February 16 2:30 PM
Mexico, 2009Recommended for ages 10 & up
This effortlessly beautiful film follows a Mayan father and his young son as they spend a summer working (and playing) along the Mexican Caribbean coast.
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The Gold Rush
Charlie Chaplin- Friday, December 28 2:30 PM
- Saturday, January 19 3:30 PM
United States, 1925, reedited 1942Recommended for ages 8 & up
A hapless prospector tries his luck in the frozen north in a film that glitters with some of Charlie Chaplin’s most memorable nuggets of comedy.