Two Great Saturday Night Film Opportunities for Kids, Teens, and Families at PAIFF 2026

Young film lovers and their families will have not one, but two special Saturday night opportunities to enjoy kid and teen-friendly programming as part of this year’s Puerto Aventuras International Film Festival. From a free community warm-up screening under the stars on Saturday, March 21 to a full younger audience-focused festival lineup on Saturday, March 28 at Hoyo19, PAIFF is proud to offer meaningful, imaginative, and accessible cinema experiences for younger viewers in our community.

1) Saturday, March 21: Free Spring Equinox Festival Warm-Up Night at the Colegio Soccer Field

This just in: We are thrilled to present a free Festival Warm-Up Night with films for kids and teens at Colegio Puerto Aventuras - oficial on Saturday, March 21. This special Spring Equinox edition will take place on the Colegio Soccer Field and will include 4 short films and 1 feature presentation of Leaving Beringia, featuring the director for a brief Q&A session.

This is a very special community event and a wonderful way to kick off the spirit of the festival. We are grateful for this incredible special edition screening on the soccer field, where great films will be projected on a gigantic cinema screen to create a magical night under the stars.

Guests are invited to bring a blanket to sit on the grass or enjoy the event from the available picnic tables.

In addition, the evening will include two videos produced by Michael Madden of Nohoch, created while he was studying at Universidad Anáhuac. One of the films was shot in Puerto Aventuras and features students and a beloved school teacher as actors.

It will also be a wonderful opportunity to meet the director of the feature film Leaving Beringia and share this cinematic experience with the community. Part of the documentary was filmed near Puerto Aventuras, with local underwater archaeologists Octavio del Rio, Mayan Elder Joaquin Balam, and Mayan actor Yamile Belen Kumul.

Free Warm-Up Screening Program

7:00pm

• The Family Photo, 6 min

• Es de Amor, 10 min

• Las Flores, 5 min

• This Is How The Mexican Revolution Began, 6 min

• Leaving Beringia, 87 min

Leaving Beringia, dir. by Barbara Hager, (Canada / United States / Mexico), Doc Feature, 90 min

In a deeply personal and expansive documentary journey, Métis/Cree filmmaker Barbara Hager travels to some of the oldest archaeological sites in the Americas to explore Indigenous origin stories alongside scientific inquiry. This film offers audiences a fascinating and necessary re-examination of long-held narratives, opening space for a broader and more culturally grounded understanding of human arrival, memory, and belonging.

2) Saturday, March 28 at Hoyo19: Session 7b is specially geared toward kids, teens, and families

On Saturday night, March 28, PAIFF’s Session 7b at Hoyo19 will feature an entire lineup of films especially suited for a younger audience. This is one of the festival’s best opportunities for kids, teens, parents, and educators to experience a thoughtfully curated mix of animation, documentary, fantasy, history, and inspiring human stories.

A special note for families: minors accompanied by adults with festival passes do not need tickets for this specific event. This policy applies only to Session 7b at Hoyo19 and does not include VIP access events such as the Red Carpet Gala, the Sunday morning session, or other screenings.

Featured films in Session 7b include:

Cell Buddies, dir. by Melle Windig, Hidde Alberts, Miguel Reyes, Jurgen de Smit, Arjen van der Plas (Netherlands), Animation, 6 minIn this playful stop-motion animation, a grumpy raccoon and a sweet but dim manatee become unlikely cellmates whose chaotic jailbreak begins to turn irritation into friendship. Packed with slapstick mishaps and handmade charm, the film celebrates the messy magic of trust and the unexpected bonds that can form in the unlikeliest places.

Little Wings, dir. by Kyu Dong Min (South Korea), Animation, 7 minA young girl draws on her imagination and the legacy of her father as she pursues her dream of flying in this gentle fantasy. With its emotional warmth and sense of wonder, the film offers an uplifting experience for viewers drawn to stories about childhood dreams and enduring love.

The Magician, dir. by Mathieu Gauvreau-Québec (Canada), Short, 19 minA magician must save the struggling venue where he works. Secretly possessing real magical powers, he must choose between following his passion for sleight of hand or relying on the cheap thrills of actual magic.

The Family Photo, dir. by John Norris Ray & Maria Victoria Sanchez (United States), Animation, 9 min

This animated short imagines the far-reaching consequences of a family photo left on the moon by an Earth astronaut more than fifty years ago, turning a small gesture into a cosmic chain reaction. Blending curiosity, wonder, and speculative imagination, it offers an engaging premise for viewers drawn to thoughtful science fiction and inventive animation.

This Is How The Mexican Revolution Began, dir. by Nurh Elizabeth Trejo Aguilar (Mexico), Doc Short, 6 minProduced locally by students in Puerto Aventuras, this work examines the deep inequality and social injustice that grew during more than three decades of Porfirio Díaz’s rule, tracing how that unrest helped spark the Mexican Revolution of 1910. Grounded in history and civic reflection, it offers an accessible and engaging perspective for viewers interested in Mexico’s struggle for justice and social change.

It’s About Time, dir. by Dan Hertzog (United States), Short, 21 minMeet the Filmmaker Q&A Session

After sneaking into an abandoned mansion, nine-year-old Justine discovers a pocket watch that bends time and is pulled through a series of eerie, unpredictable worlds as she struggles to reclaim it. Blending fantasy, mystery, and coming-of-age adventure, the film offers a visually imaginative journey with emotional stakes that should appeal to viewers drawn to youthful wonder and uncanny thrills.

The Series 10K, dir. by Dan Hertzog (United States), Animation, 7 minMeet the Filmmaker Q&A Session

In the misty hills of Scotland, a courteous pie-serving machine becomes a quiet witness to the kindness and cruelty of the workers it serves, learning more than its customers realize. Blending offbeat humor with a sly edge, the film offers a memorable fable for viewers who enjoy whimsical world-building with a darker undercurrent.

Class Of Her Own, dir. by Boaz Dvir (United States), Doc Feature, 87 minClass Of Her Own tells the remarkable true story of Gloria Jean Merriex, an educator who transformed her classroom by rejecting rigid systems and creating her own bold, music-driven teaching methods. This uplifting documentary offers an energizing reminder that innovation, courage, and high expectations can radically change lives, making it especially compelling for educators, parents, and changemakers.

Other short films screening in Session 7b include:

Dayton Guitars, dir. by D. Emmet Wilson (United States), Doc Short, 17 minMeet the Filmmaker Q&A Session

Invaders Of The Valley Saloon, dir. by Dustin Tidwell (United States), Short, 12 min

Cats, dir. by Danilo Stanimirović (Serbia / Switzerland), Short, 10 min

To Fly, dir. by Mohsen Khademi (Iran), Short, 16 min

The Amazing Kitsuverse, dir. by Leo Neumann (Germany), Animation, 6 min

This special session is a wonderful chance for younger viewers to experience international storytelling in a festival setting while also enjoying select filmmaker Q&As that make the experience even more interactive and memorable.

Two Saturdays, two unique experiences

Whether families want a free outdoor community film night on March 21 or a full youth-oriented festival screening at Hoyo19 on March 28, PAIFF 2026 is proud to create welcoming spaces for younger audiences to engage with cinema. These two Saturday night opportunities reflect what makes the festival special: community, discovery, education, imagination, and the joy of experiencing films together.

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