This Friday, February 12 is Lunar New Year. The Lunar New Year is based on the Lunar (Moon) and Sun Calendar that was created by the Chinese Civilization in 14th Century BC/BCE. It is older than the Great Wall of China! Every year millions of Asians celebrate this festival and traditions are different in each culture.

Movies for Kids (G)

Over the Moon

Streaming Platform: Netflix

Fueled with determination and a passion for science, a bright young girl builds a rocket ship to the moon to prove the existence of a legendary Moon Goddess. There she ends up on an unexpected quest, and discovers a whimsical land of fantastical creatures. Directed by Oscar®-Winning Filmmaker & Animator, Glen Keane, and produced by Gennie Rim and Peilin Chou. Starring Cathy Ang, Phillipa Soo (Hamilton), Robert G. Chiu, Ken Jeong, John Cho, Ruthie Ann Miles, Margaret Cho, Kimiko Glenn, Artt Butler, Irene Tsu, Clem Cheung, Conrad Ricamora and Sandra Oh.

And for the third graders, there’s a little sub-plot about Maglev Trains!

Age Rating: 6+ Common Sense Media reviews

Movies for 3rd -5th Grade (PG)

A summer in rural O‘ahu takes an exciting turn for two Brooklyn-raised siblings when a journal pointing to long-lost treasure sets them on an epic adventure with new friends, and leads them to reconnect with their Hawaiian heritage.

Age Rating: 9+ Common Sense Media reviews

Documentary Movie for Families

Babies (2010)

Streaming : $3.99 rental on iTunes, Amazon, YouTube
Seattle Public Library

 

Filmmaker Thomas Balmès criss-crosses the globe to observe and record the first two years in the lives of four infants and their families. Ponijao is the youngest of nine children and lives in a village in Namibia. Bayarjargal’s family lives in Mongolia. Hattie is a San Francisco couple’s first child, and Mari is the first child of a couple living in Tokyo.

Age Rating: 7+ Common Sense Media

Local Short for Adults and Teens

A story of a local Seattle Vietnamese Family (Pho Bac Restaurant) tells their dramatic story of leaving Communist Vietnam. Charcoal Sky series created by Seattle Filmmaker, Zia Moharjerjasbi. Keep an eye out for his debut feature film, Know Your Place

Narrative Film for Adults

Streaming Online Limited Screening through Northwest Film Forum From February 12 – February 25

Rating PG-13

2020 US Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at  Sundance Film Festival: A Korean American family moves to an Arkansas farm in search of its own American dream. Amidst the challenges of this new life in the strange and rugged Ozarks, they discover the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.

Rating : 13+ Common Sense Media

 

Narrative Drama for Adults and Older Kids
DEI Equi-Tea Film Discussion: “What is Justice?”

Just Mercy
Streaming : Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO Max

After graduating from Harvard, Bryan Stevenson heads to Alabama to defend those wrongly condemned or those not afforded proper representation. One of his first cases is that of Walter McMillian, who is sentenced to die in 1987 for the murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite evidence proving his innocence. In the years that follow, Stevenson encounters racism and legal and political maneuverings as he tirelessly fights for McMillian’s life.

Age Rating : 13+ (violence)  Common Sense Media
Curriculum Guide from Teach With Movies