by FIlmInk Staff
The Children’s International Film Festival returns to cinemas in Melbourne and Sydney from 6 June to 10 July 2026 for a curious, cute and colourful celebration of cinematic storytelling from around the world.
Screening in Melbourne at Classic Cinemas in Elsternwick, Lido Cinemas in Hawthorn and Cameo Cinemas in Belgrave, and in Sydney at Ritz Cinemas, Randwick, CHIFF’s 2026 program includes 30 films from Europe, North and South America, Asia, Africa and Australia. 28 of the films are screening in English, with two presentations of films in their original language.
“This is the only festival in Australia where the films are selected exclusively with children in mind,” says CHIFF Artistic Director Thomas Caldwell. “These internationally acclaimed films have screened at some of the most prestigious overseas festivals dedicated to young audiences, and will inspire magic, adventure and curiosity in the minds of our smallest cinephiles.”
CHIFF will host a special presentation of the acclaimed animation The Last Whale Singer, about a teenage humpback whale who embarks on a perilous mission to save the oceans and must face his fears, discovering his own song in the process.
The festival will feature a special Family Fun Day screening of Disney & Pixar’s Toy Story 5, the latest instalment of the beloved and groundbreaking film series in which Buzz, Woody, Jessie and the gang go head-to-head with Lilypad, a high-tech, frog-shaped smart tablet that poses a new threat to playtime.
Oscar-nominated Little Amélie or the Character of Rain heads up a stunning lineup of acclaimed and imaginative animated features. After premiering at the Cannes Film Festival and screening all over the world, this beautiful adaptation of Belgian writer Amélie Nothomb’s autobiographic novel about growing up in Japan screens in English for the first time in Australia.
Other animated features include the hand-drawn My Life in Versailles: The Movie, about an eight-year-old girl who goes to live with her uncle at the Palace of Versailles; My Grandfather is a Nihonjin, which blends rich cultural heritage with stunning visuals inspired by the work of Brazilian-Japanese painting; and Papaya, which uses a combination of collage and two-dimensional forms to tell the story of a tiny papaya seed in the Amazonian forest who must keep moving to avoid becoming embedded.
Live-action adventures include Bird Boy, a heartwarming, gorgeously-lensed South African feature starring Téa Leoni about a withdrawn boy whose friendship with an ostrich renews his sense of purpose, and Momo, a fantastical voyage starring Martin Freeman and adapted from the best-selling fantasy novel by Michael Ende (The Neverending Story).
For tiny tots (ages five and under), there is Pol the Pirate Mouse, a special presentation of a series for preschoolers about a mouse and her crew of forest friends, featuring six exciting new episodes. Momonsters: The Movie follows five monsters who study at the Momonsters Academy and stumble into a wild treasure hunt whilst on a camping trip. Emma & Thomas, based on the beloved, best-selling Scandinvian book series, sees four-year-old Emma making friends with her next door neighbour Thomas after her family moved house and her world is turned upside down.
The festival features a huge range of polished CGI-animated escapades, including Stitch Head, a raucous twist on the Frankenstein story featuring the voices of Asa Butterfield, Alison Steadman and Rob Brydon; Into the Wonderwoods, a combination of fantasy, science-fiction and satire reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland; and Kayara, set in the heart of the Incan Empire, about a 16-year old girl who defies societal norms to set out on a daring quest.
CHIFF celebrates the anniversaries of two beloved family classics, Carroll Ballard’s Fly Away Home (1996), featuring Academy Award-winner Anna Paquin as a girl who decides to teach a flock of orphaned goose hatchlings to fly, and Flight of the Navigator (1986), a cult ’80s sci-fi that combines two of the decade’s biggest pop culture obsessions: aliens and time travel.
Two films screen in their original languages, giving Czech and French audiences the rare opportunity to see family films in their native tongues. Tales from the Magic Garden is a gorgeously-crafted Czech stop-motion feature about four siblings who discover the wonder of storytelling in their grandparents’ back garden, adapted from tales by writer Arnost Goldflam. From France, The Songbirds’ Secret uses traditional paper-cut animation techniques to follow nine-year-old Lucie as she befriends a special pair of songbirds and discovers her family history.
With its impressive program brimming with fantasy, adventure, and heart, CHIFF 2026 promises to deliver a winter at the cinema filled with unforgettable movie magic.
Visit www.chiff.com.au to explore the full program and start planning your family’s big-screen adventure.
THE DETAILS
What: Children’s International Film Festival 2026
Where: Sydney and Melbourne
When: 6 June – 10 July Melbourne: Classic Cinemas Elsternwick, Lido Cinemas Hawthorn and Cameo Cinemas Belgrave 6 June – 5 July Sydney: Ritz Cinemas Randwick 6 June – 10 July
Tickets: Single Admission $17, Member tickets $15, Family Pass $57 (Two adults and two children or one adult and three children)
More info: www.chiff.com.au
