Cinema Kids: Native Stories
Saturday September 12, 2026
11 am – 1 pm
Recommended ages: 10+
In celebration of the newly relaunched Outdoor Cinema Program at Socrates Sculpture Park we are proud to announce our partnership with Château Le Woof and the New York International Children’s Film Festival to bring the magic of movies to our younger audiences. On the mornings of our Outdoor Cinema evenings, families are invited to Château Le Woof for a special series of children’s short films, creating more opportunities for audiences of all ages to experience film together at Socrates.
Native Stories blends the past, present, and future to take a look at the varied lives of young Native and Indigenous people as they live them today.
Films in this program include:
Freddy
Canada
Animation
Directed by Brad Mestenapéo (Innu), 2023 | 3 min
no dialogue
Freddy’s exciting adventure of magic and friendship.
Pow!
United States
Animation
Directed by Joey Clift (Cowlitz), 2025 | 8 min
Language: English
A Native American kid scrambles to charge his dying video game console at a bustling intertribal powwow.
Tentsítewahkwe (We Pick It Up Again)
United States
Documentary, Live Action
Directed by Katsitsionni Fox, 2024 | 17 min
Language: Kanienkéha (Mohawk); with English subtitles
Embodying the Mohawk value of Tentsítewahkwe, Jessica Shenandoah goes on a knowledge-gathering journey across all four seasons to reinvigorate the healing, land-based practices of her ancestral grandmothers.
Tule
United States
Animation
Directed by Jocelyn Garcia (Pomo, Mexican American), 2024 | 4 min
Language: English
A modern Pomo girl reflects on the culturally vital, but now suffering tule plant at Clear Lake in Northern California.
Ni Wapiten
Canada
Documentary, Live Action
Directed by Noémie Echaquan & Julie Ottawa (Atikamekw), 2023 | 3 min
Language: Atikamekw; with English subtitles
There’s more nature than you’d think at the community garbage dump.
Evening Escapades
Canada
Animation
Directed by Darcy Tara McDiarmid & Chantal Rousseau (Hän, Northern Tutchone), 2024 | 4 min
Language: English
An adventurous rabbit encounters mischievous animals as he navigates a midnight mushroom garden.
Cleaning’s a Cakewalk
United States
Live Action
Directed by Ryan Begay (Diné), 2024 | 40 min
Language: Navajo; with English subtitles
Independent and imaginative Albert learns the value of hard work when he has to clean the Chapter House.
Legend of Fry-Roti: Rise of the Dough
United States
Live Action
Directed by Sabrina Saleha (Navajo, Bengali), 2025 | 9 min
Language: Navajo; with English subtitles
A niece must find harmony when her aunties burst into an epic showdown: frybread vs. roti.
About Chateau Le Woof
Château Le Woof was founded after its creator, Natassa Contini, recognized the need for a café where people could enjoy quality food and drinks without having to leave their best friend outside. In 2015, the idea came from a dream and from that vision, Château Le Woof was born—a full food and beverage experience designed for both people and their dogs, and the first of its kind in the United States. Today, Château Le Woof offers a safe, welcoming space where guests can work, meet friends, enjoy brunch, and socialize their dogs in a fun, climate-controlled environment. At its heart, Château Le Woof is a place built around community, connection, and the special bond between people and their best friends.
About New York International Children’s Film Festival
Established in 1997, New York International Children’s Film Festival’s mission is rooted in the belief of film as a path for young people to understand themselves and others. All programs are designed to celebrate the beauty and power of film, spark the inherent capacity of children to connect with complex, nuanced art, and encourage the creation of intelligent films that represent and celebrate unique, diverse, and historically excluded voices. NYICFF serves children, students, families, educators, filmmakers, and media arts professionals through its core activities: the annual, Oscar®-qualifying NYC film festival; national touring program; and Film-Ed, a media arts and literacy program.