Each spring, the Ann Arbor Film Festival transforms downtown Ann Arbor into a vibrant hub for bold, independent cinema—and that includes welcoming younger viewers and creative families. As one of the longest running experimental film festivals in the world, AAFF is known for avant-garde work, but its family-friendly programs proves that adventurous art can be accessible, playful and deeply engaging for almost all ages.
This year’s lineup
A cornerstone of this year’s lineup is The Joy of LOOPing with Pickle Fort Film Collective, a free all ages workshop, held on Saturday, March 29, 2026, from 11am–1:30pm in the Michigan Theater Grand Foyer.
Designed in a Montessori spirit of hands-on exploration, this interactive workshop invites participants to create their own hand-painted and hand-inked 16mm film loops on clear film leader. Guided by Sean Kenny and the Pickle Fort Film Collective—artists known for crafting handmade 16mm films with live improvised sound—families will experiment directly on celluloid, drawing, inking and scratching imagery onto transparent strips of film. The magic comes at the end: each finished loop is threaded into a projector and screened for the group on the Michigan Theater screen, transforming simple gestures into luminous moving images. The workshop demystifies the mechanics of analog filmmaking while celebrating process, play and creative risk-taking. Best of all, it’s free, making it an accessible entry point into experimental media for curious kids and grown-ups alike.
Later that day, families can continue the adventure with Films in Competition 9: Almost All Ages (6+), screening at 1:30pm in the Michigan Theater Main Auditorium ($7).
This thoughtfully curated program showcases short films that balance imagination and artistic rigor with themes and visuals suited for younger. This lineup is filled with variety and color: flower power collides with rhythmic abstraction; one film offers a loving ode to father, graphic designer and artist David Nerwen; another captures a day in the life of a small child with poetic sensitivity. Audiences will encounter playful explorations of post-petrochemical cinema, meditations on failing and shedding skin, and celebrations of intrinsic creative practices. There’s even work made from expired 16mm Ektachrome, its saturated textures becoming part of the storytelling. Stories from the village of Haiyan unfold alongside a charming tale of a missing cat, grounding experimental form in relatable emotion and narrative.
Respect for young audiences
What makes AAFF’s family programming special is its respect for young audiences. Rather than simplifying or talking down, these selections invite children to think visually, listen closely and respond intuitively.
Heidi Kumao, an Advisory Board Member of the AAFF, (providing advice from the artists perspective) as well as a Professor teaching moving image topics (ie animation, video and sound) at U of M’s Stamps School of Art & Design, commented on the family friendly aspects of the Film Festival, “My favorite Festival screenings are the family friendly segments. They are highly curated and meant for a general audience. The films are generally very visual, very accessible, often funny and beautifully animated,” adding,” The entries in this category are ‘No Fluff’; playful with a lot of care to make it accessible for the general public and for kids. You probably won’t see this kind of work anywhere else.”
The festival creates a shared space where generations can experience the tactile beauty of analog film, the thrill of projected light and the communal wonder of cinema together.
Through hands-on workshops and carefully curated screenings, the Ann Arbor Film Festival continues to nurture future filmmakers and adventurous viewers—proving that experimental film can be joyful, welcoming and fun for the whole family.
64th Ann Arbor Film Festival; March 24-29, Michigan Theater 603 E. Liberty, Ann Arbor. Tickets go on sale March 1; Visit aafilmfest.org.
