Eddie Tamir is aware that kids' flicks don't always have the most sterling reputation among parents. He is hoping the Children’s International Film Festival will change that.
"What I've seen before, what I've probably done before, is you place your kids safely into a movie and go outside in the foyer and have a glass of wine," he says. "CHIFF is definitely one to take the glass of wine into the cinema and watch the film with your kids, because there's value for the parent as well. These films are very special."
Eddie Tamir has brought the Children International Film Festival to the Randwick Ritz cinema. Credit: Stephen McKenzie
The festival was launched last year in Melbourne, where the Tamir family owns and operates three independent cinemas. Now it has arrived for the first time in Sydney (weekends until June 2) in their most recent acquisition, the heritage-listed art deco gem Ritz Cinema.
"You step in there and you know you're in a special place that's had many stories experienced in its walls," says Tamir. "We love that in this 1930s cinema we're bringing the freshest films from around the world. I love that juxtaposition."
The schedule for this year spans live-action and animated feature films, with a selection of shorts also on offer. Highlights include Enid Blyton's beloved characters in the German cinematic adaptation The Famous Five and the Valley of Dinosaurs, Danish box office hit Checkered Ninja and the French dialogue-free animation hybrid Minuscule: Mandibles from Far Away.
"They are films that would not normally be seen in Australia, they wouldn't be available in cinemas and they may not even be available on streaming services," says Tamir. "It has different voices and stories that will just not be seen otherwise by kids."
10am-4pm, Ritz Cinema, 45 St Pauls Street, Randwick, $12.50 a screening, chiff.com.au