Like You Children’s Film Festival back with more big-screen magic

"Screen time." That phrase has become increasingly triggering for parents, who worry that their children are not only spending too many hours staring into televisions, laptops and cell phones, but are being directed by algorithms, influencers and other less than altruistic forces toward video conten

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"Screen time."

That phrase has become increasingly triggering for parents, who worry that their children are not only spending too many hours staring into televisions, laptops and cell phones, but are being directed by algorithms, influencers and other less than altruistic forces toward video content that lacks compassion, intelligence and imagination.

"It's not the screen itself that's concerning, it's what's being viewed," said Noah Glenn, 40. "And it can be an isolating experience, spending time with a screen instead of the community."

Glenn has two daughters, ages 9 and 12. But he also is a longtime award-winning filmmaker who loves movies, television programs and — yes — watching screens. So how does he reconcile his passion for the most influential

art form of the past century with his awareness of the pitfalls of passive or excessive screen-viewing?

The Like You Children's Film Festival is one response.

First organized by Glenn last year, the second Like You fest will be held Sept. 11-13 at the Pink Palace, with close to 160 short and feature films of all types unspooling in the museum's Giant Screen Theater — which boasts a 50-foot-wide screen — and in the smaller Discovery Theater. Festivalgoers can buy a weekend pass, or tickets to individual screenings and events.

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Glenn said those who attend the Like You festival can be reassured that he and the other programmers have curated a purposeful, "intentional" schedule of quality youth-focused films that will entertain adults as well as children. The lineup includes everything from wild animated space adventures (the opening-night selection, "Space Cadet," is about a little-girl astronaut and her robot guardian) to tender live-action animal tales ("Bird Boy" is about a South African orphan who raises an ostrich from an egg).

"One of my core beliefs is that a good story is for all ages," Glenn said. "'Children' is in the name of the festival, but we try to find films that are enjoyable for everyone."

Enjoyable, but also, perhaps, inspiring: To encourage creativity, several programs of shorts focus on films made by kids, from elementary school students to tweens and teens.

Meanwhile, the "My First Short Films" program gathers 14 very short shorts for "the littlest moviegoers." "It's designed to be 'my first movie experience,'" said Glenn, "so if the kids wiggle or get up and dance around, that's fine. The environment is for kids to experience the films and respond in whatever way they feel."

In addition, the festival offers workshops for kids, to give them some hands-on instruction in stop-motion animation, documentary storytelling and other forms of filmmaking.

"People talk about ‘turning off your brain’ when you watch something, but we’re flipping that around,” Glenn said. “We’re creating active engagement, in a community setting where you’re watching with friends and neighbors, and experiencing the same story, and then talking about it afterwards.”

The animated French film

The festival is the signature event of Glenn's nonprofit, the Like You Film Club, which hosts monthly kid-friendly screenings at the Pink Palace, ranging from blockbuster classics ("E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial") to independent features worthy a larger audience ("Kensuke's Kingdom," an animated film about a boy stranded on an island of orangutans). According to its mission statement, the festival seeks to uplift "the mental health and emotional intelligence of kids through entertaining and thought-provoking stories that spark wonder and foster resilience."

The festival and Club were modeled on similar efforts in other cities, which Glenn — whose Perpetual Motion company produces videos, podcasts and other forms of media content for businesses and nonprofits — encountered while screening his own work at various film festivals.

The response to the Like You events has been encouraging, which is why Glenn has expanded this year's festival to three days, and also expanded the age range of the programming. Adults wondering what films are appropriate for what age groups can consult the Like You website, which offers an in-depth guide to the content and themes of each film.

"These are stories that are entertaining but also thought-provoking, in ways that kids should embrace," Glenn said. "I think just about any film they watch, they're going to see a little bit of themselves onscreen."

John Beifuss is an entertainment writer at The Commercial Appeal. Contact him at john.beifuss@commercialappeal.com.