Portland, ME – Save the last weekend in March (March 24-29, 2015) for the Fourth Annual Portland Children’s Film Festival (the PCFF), a Portland Public School Initiative.

FEATURE FILMS. This year's feature films include Felix, a coming-of-age film set in Cape Town, South Africa that has been described by critics as "Billy Elliot with sax meets Buena Vista Social Club". Also showing is Patema Inverted, a Japanese perspective-twisting sci-fi adventure about two kids separated by opposite gravities and Lola on the Pea, a refreshingly honest tween comedy that also thoughtfully addresses the struggles of an undocumented Kurd family living in Germany. Soccer fans and those curious about efforts of film students in Addis Ababa will not want to miss Horizon Beautiful, a family drama set in the mountains of Ethiopia. Felix will be shown on Friday, March 27 at 7:30pm at Portland High School. Patema Inverted, Lola on the Pea and Horizon Beautiful will all be shown at SPACE Gallery at noon, 2:00p.m. and 4:00p.m., respectively.

LIVE MUSIC & INDIE TEEN FILM. Older audiences and rock band music fans will enjoy We Are the Best!-- a film that captures the struggles and triumphs of three young misfit girls growing up in the early '80s Stockholm who form an all-girl punk band. This screening will be coupled with live music by NEVERLAND an all-female rock band from Casco Bay High School. The music will start at 11:00am on Saturday, March 27 at St. Lawrence Arts, and the film screening will begin at 11:30am.

BRAZILIAN ANIMATION, FILM-INSPIRED FAMILY WORKSHOP AND MUSEUM TOUR AT PMA. Boy & the World, an all-ages animated film overflowing with eye and ear candy from Brazilian artist Alê Abreu will be shown Saturday March 28 at 11:00am at the Portland Museum of Art (PMA). At 1p.m., families will have the opportunity to participate in a film-inspired art activity with the folks from Side x Side, a growing community organization that ignites academic excellence in education through comprehensive arts integration, bringing critical thinking, creativity, and innovation into the classroom through arts-based programs. Children attending the festival will also be able to take a special tour of the PMA Youth Art Month Exhibition. The film screening is free and admission to the museum, the film-inspired workshop and the special tour of the youth art exhibit are free of charge for children under 12 and half price for families attending the festival.

I LEARN AMERICA FILMMAKER IN ATTENDANCE Thanks to USM's generous sponsorship, documentary filmmaker Jean-Michel Dissard will be in attendance at this year's festival to work with students from Portland Public Schools, appear at a Q&A and attend the screening of his film I Learn America. Dissard's film tracks five teenagers at a public high school in Brooklyn New York striving to master English, adapt to families they haven’t seen in years, and create a future of their own while coming of age in a new land. This event will take place at USM's Abromson Theater on Wednesday, March 25 from 9:45am-11:30am and is free and open to the public.

ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL. Portland's Walking School Bus Program and the Portland Public Library are joining with the PCFF this year to offer a screening of the film: On the Way to School. Viewers of this film will accompany four groups of children in four remote locations in the world -- the Kenyan wilderness, the hills of Patagonia, the Atlas Mountains and the Bay of Bengal -- as they travel impossibly long, arduous and sometimes life-threatening journeys to attend class in distant schoolhouses. This screening is free and will take place on Friday, March 27 at 3:30pm at the Library. At 3pm, the East End Community School's Walking School Bus will walk to the event from East End Community School.

ONE CITY - ONE BOOK - ONE FILM & SPECIAL ROBOTICS DEMONSTRATION The Invention of Hugo Cabret is the official selection of the 2015 PCFF's film-book-community collaboration sponsored by the Portland Public Library. Set in a busy Paris train station in the 1930's, an orphan gets wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton. To get in the spirit, the Portland High School Robotics Team will demonstrate some of their automaton creations at the Library on Tuesday, March 24 at 3-4pm (pre-festival). The screening of Hugo will take place at the Library on Saturday, March 28 at 1pm.

SHORT FILM COLLECTIONS: The Festival will feature three collections of short films from the New York City International Children's Festival: VIVA Spanish & Latin American Shorts (Friday, March 27, 6:00pm Portland High), Kids Flix for Younger Kids (Saturday, March 28, 5:30pm Portland High) and Kids Party Mix (Saturday, March 28, 7:00pm Portland High).

RED CARPET GALA All local student filmmakers who have submitted films to the PCFF will be honored at the annual Red Carpet Gala. This year's Gala will take place on Thursday, March 26 at 6pm at Portland Public High School.

STUDENT FILMS AT THE NICKELODEON: Select student films will be shown on Party at the Nickelodeon Cinemas. Check times and listings on the festival website to catch your favorite films.

ABOUT THE PORTLAND CHILDREN’S FILM FESTIVAL

The PCFF was conceived and organized by East End Community School parents and teachers who, inspired by Portland's diverse and creative community and a shared interest in film and the arts, wanted to couple an opportunity for local families to view quality independent and international films with hands-on programming designed to encourage local children to explore their own talents and interests in filmmaking. The organizers believe in the value of bringing community together to create and celebrate art.

Tickets for Most Events Are Available on Site or at Brown Paper Tickets: www.brownpapertickets.com