Release Date: January 14, 2013

Warm Up with Free Family-Friendly Films This Winter at the National Gallery of Art

Washington, DC—The Gallery welcomes 2013 with several family-friendly films to round out the winter season of the popular Film Program for Children and Teens. In February, families may warm up inside watching Wintry Mix, a series of heart-warming shorts that celebrate the frosty fun of the winter season. In March, the Gallery presents the visually stunning Cinderella Moon, inspired by an eighth-century Chinese fable and filmed in Yunnan province, China.

The film program presents a broad range of recently produced films selected for their appeal to youth and adult audiences, and helps foster an understanding of film as an art form. Age recommendations are intended to guide parents in selecting emotionally and intellectually stimulating films for their children.

For a closer look at the Gallery's own works of art, families may explore the collection using the children's audio and video tours. Designed especially for children ages 7 to 12, the audio tour highlights 50 masterpieces on display in the West Building Main Floor galleries. The children's video tour encourages users to engage with these renowned paintings both at the museum and at home.

With a full winter schedule of free activities, as well as creative toys and gifts in the Children's Shop and casual dining in the Cascade Café, the National Gallery is a dynamic destination for families to enjoy and explore great works of art.

Film Program for Children and Teens

All film programs are shown in the East Building Auditorium. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Groups are welcome. Food and drink are not permitted. Programs are free and subject to change without notice. For up-to-date information on the current month's films, please call (202) 789-3030. Feature films are in English unless otherwise noted.

Wintry Mix
Saturday, February 2, 10:30 a.m.
Sunday, February 3, 11:30 a.m.
Ages 5 and up
This program of heart-warming animated shorts celebrates winter's frosty fun. The Gruffalo's Child (Uwe Heidschötter and Johannes Weiland, U.K./Germany, 2011), the sequel to the award-winning 2009 film The Gruffalo, turns the tables as a young Gruffalo heads into the wintry woods in search of a big, bad mouse. The Snowy Day (Weston Woods, 2005, U.S.) based on the 1963 Caldecott Medal–winning book by Ezra Jack Keats, will be shown with Carrot on the Beach (Pärtel Tall, Estonia, 2008), Spot and Splodge in a Snowstorm (Uzi and Lotta Geffenblad, Sweden, 2008), and The Girl and the Fox (Tyler J. Kupferer, U.S., 2011). Approximately 60 minutes.

Cinderella Moon
Saturday, March 16, 10:30 a.m.
Sunday, March 17, 11:30 a.m.
Ages 10 and up
Inspired by an eighth-century Chinese fable, Cinderella Moon tells the story of Mei Mei, a beautiful and talented young potter, who lives a quiet life in the mountains. Nearly 10 years after her mother died in childbirth with a younger sibling, Mei Mei suffers another tragic loss when her father is swept into a river. Eager to be rid of her, Mei Mei's stepmother engages a matchmaker to sell Mei Mei into marriage, while her own daughter, Big Sister, attends the Full Moon Dance–an important rite of passage. Meanwhile, the region's young king is on a quest to balance the sun and moon, which have become strangely out of sync. The kingdom anxiously awaits a resolution and holds onto the hope that harmony can be restored. How will Mei Mei play a role in this? Filmed primarily in Yunnan province, China, Cinderella Moon features visually stunning cinematography and costumes. (Richard Bowen, China, 2010, 96 minutes) English-language version. Shown in collaboration with the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital.

Children's Audio Tour: West Building Highlights
Acoustiguide Desk, West Building Main Floor, Rotunda
Explore 50 paintings in the West Building with an audio tour designed especially for children ages 7 to 12. To reserve audio tours for groups of 10 or more, call (202) 842-6592. Free of charge. The National Gallery of Art Children's Audio Tour is made possible through the generous support of the MSST Foundation.

Children's Video Tour: West Building Highlight
The video tour enables children to explore works of art on display in the West Building of the National Gallery of Art through an online tour featuring 50 videos.

Family Guides: Italian, Dutch, and American Art at the National Gallery of Art
Gallery Information Desks
Designed for families with children ages 6 and up, each free family booklet includes activities to guide visitors' exploration of the Gallery's Italian, Dutch, and American collections and questions to encourage group discussions. The guides are made possible through the generous support of the MSST Foundation.

NGAkids Online

An entertaining and informative introduction to art and art history, NGAkids online offers a variety of art-making tools, games, and narratives suitable for children of all ages.

The Children's Shop

The Children's Shop on the Concourse offers an array of art-inspired items for children, including books, games and puzzles, toys, artists' supplies, and DVDs. To browse a selection online, visit http://shop.nga.gov.

Cascade Café

East Building, Concourse
Monday–Saturday, 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Sunday, 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
The Cascade Café offers a selection of soups, salads, specialty entrees, wood-fired pizzas, sandwiches, and desserts. For those with limited time, prepackaged lunch boxes containing a sandwich, chips, cookie, and a beverage may be ordered in advance. For information about boxed lunches and group lunch vouchers, call (202) 712-7458.

Espresso & Gelato Bar

East Building, Concourse
Monday–Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Sunday, 11:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
In addition to tea, coffee, and specialty espresso beverages, the Espresso & Gelato Bar offers 19 flavors of house-made gelato and a selection of fresh sandwiches, salads, pastries, and desserts.