Welcome to AIFF Kids! 

Celebrating its 22nd year, AIFF Kids is back with an exciting selection of films for youth ages 5-17. Formerly known as FIN Kids Festival Tour, the line-up has shifted from Fall to Spring. However, our mission for the program remains the same: to present a thoughtfully curated lineup of films that engage, entertain and inspire young Atlantic Canadians. Offering unique English and French programming for school groups across Nova Scotia, Canada, the AIFF Kids School Tour is thrilled to be presenting FREE daytime film screenings and hands-on workshops in Dartmouth, Bridgewater, and Yarmouth this season. Additionally, the 7 distinctive short film programmes (3 English language programmes, 4 French-language programmes) will all be available through AIFF Kids Online which is accessible to any school across the Maritimes for free from March 20–April 5, 2024. The short film programme showcases 27 short films from 14 countries, and highlights a wide range of animation, documentary, and live-action stories by diverse creators from Atlantic Canada and around the world. 

AIFF Kids celebrates the best in regional, national, and international films for youth, tackling topical issues including: friendship, environment, cultural identity, and Indigenous histories. Films featured in the AIFF Kids School Tour have been approved and assigned grade range recommendations through the assistance of the AIFF Kids Teachers Advisory Committee (TAC), a committee of educators who viewed preselected material for the program. We understand children and youth respond in varied ways and recognize the final choices belong to teachers, parents and guardians. Where necessary, we’ve noted content warnings for mature subject matter, coarse language, nudity and/or violence on our website and in the Program Guide. For educators participating in AIFF Kids Online, we encourage you to watch the recommended film programme yourself in advance of sharing it with your class

Through thoughtful and entertaining programming, AIFF Kids engages students on curriculum-based subjects through the critical appreciation of film. The program and integration of classroom discussion can support media literacy and arts education, hone critical thinking skills, and expose students to the diversity of Canadian and international film talent and different world perspectives. We’re sure that students will connect with a film or workshop while attending the AIFF Kids School Tour.

REGISTER for AIFF Kids Online

We encourage as many classrooms to participate and engage with the program. Educators can register for AIFF Kids Online here to enjoy the program from their classroom.

In-Classroom Screening Best Practices: 

1. Make your classroom screening feel special by dimming the lighting where possible and watching the film(s) as a class.

2. Watch the credits. Watching the credits will add to the students’ understanding of how a film is made. It is also a good time for the group to think about and process the films 

3. Follow the film screening with open-ended questions such as ‘What did you notice? What did you see? How would you describe the style of the films?’ and have students support their observations with evidence by asking, “What did you see that makes you say that?” By asking students to provide evidence for their observations and interpretations, you are helping to develop visual description and critical-thinking skills.

4. Although you all have viewed the same film, each person will have likely noticed different aspects of it. Sharing these observations as a group will allow for a richer understanding of the film and its relationship to the themes, or to other films, in the programme.

Activity Plans

Below you can find Activity Plans which are intended to be a tool to support you, the educator, in leading meaningful conversations with students, highlight the individual filmmakers and voices behind these stories, and allow opportunities for students to expand their learning while sharing their observations, ideas and experiences among one another. The resources include pre-screening and post-screening activities that complement, among others, Media Studies, Language Arts, Social Studies, Visual Arts and Cultural Industries modules.