Bellows Falls Animation Festival

07/29/2026

"Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" screens tonight at 7 p.m.! Join us at the Bellows Falls Opera House for the final installment of the 2026 Animation Festival.
Hayao Miyazaki wrote and directed "Nausicaa," the anime version of his popular manga of the same name, before founding Studio Ghibli. However, the movie's themes--living in harmony with nature, preventing war, and emphasizing the importance of community--land squarely within Ghibli territory, and it is therefore often included in lists of Studio Ghibli works.
"Nausicaa" is the first collaboration of Miyazaki with composer & conductor Joe Hisaishi, who has composed the scores of nearly all Studio Ghibli movies since.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. We'll see you there!

07/22/2026

"The Muppets Take Manhattan" screens tonight, July 22, at 7 p.m.! Thanks to our sponsor, Pizza Palace. As always, we'll have a raffle before the screening starts -- thank you to Cornelia Elsaesser for the gift certificate to Holistic Gateway!
"But wait... this isn't an animated film," you're probably saying under your breath. This could start the age-old debate of where exactly the Muppets fit -- are they puppets? Are they animation? What the heck is Animal, anyway?
Here at BFAF, we're going with this: The Muppets are freakin' cool. Ageless. Really loud. We can sing along with them. Or not. The Muppets don't judge.
Check out the sheer number of cameos in "The Muppets Take Manhattan." Brooke Shields. Gregory Hines. Joan Rivers. Ed Koch (then mayor of New York City). Art Carney. Liza Minnelli. Dabney Coleman. Elliot Gould. Linda Lavin. The gang from "Sesame Street" and of course, Jim Henson himself.
This is also the film where the Muppet Babies make their debut. Frank Oz reportedly didn't want to include them, but the Muppet Babies were a hit -- getting their own hugely popular animated series which ran from 1984 to 1991.

07/13/2026

Life under a theocratic state isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. In The Breadwinner, a family struggles to survive in a place where cultural norms compounded by extremist rulers make a normal life impossible.
The year is 2001, and the Taliban control Afghanistan. 11-year-old Parvana (Saara Chaudry) must find a way to earn money to feed the family after her father is wrongfully arrested. Desperate, she cuts her hair and dresses as a boy, changing her name to Artesh (Fire). In disguise, she can sell things in the marketplace, move freely in society, and even try to find her father.
Parvana uses the power of stories to keep her courage up and to comfort her family. Her tales weave a tapestry throughout the film that helps her find solutions and encourage those around her to do what is right.
The voices of The Breadwinner are Afghan: characters are voiced by people who fled Afghanistan, by immigrants, and by their children. The baby was voiced by three different child actors, all of Afghan descent.
Three international studios joined forces to bring The Breadwinner to the screen: Cartoon Saloon (Kilkenny, Ireland), Aircraft Pictures (Toronto, Canada) and Melusin Productions (Luxembourg). If you’ve seen The Secret of Kells, you’re familiar with Cartoon Saloon’s rich colors and unique animation style, which really shine through here.
So, join us this Wednesday, July 15 at 7 p.m. for The Breadwinner. It’s a film that will expand your horizons—one of the things animation excels at.

07/08/2026

07/08/2026

Ponyo starts at 7 at the Bellows Falls Opera House Be there!

07/05/2026

It’s almost time! Carley and I are so excited to once again bring the Bellows Falls Animation Festival to the Opera House. Each Wednesday night from July 8-29, join us for a classic animated movie, grab some popcorn, and get a chance to win a raffle prize.
Thanks so much to our Gold sponsor, Pizza Palace, and our Silver sponsors: Rockingham Entertainment Development (RED), Village Square Booksellers, Katrina, MazzInk Communications and Miss Carley Knits.
We’d also like to thank the businesses that have donated swag for the raffle: Sage Jewelry, Holistic Gateway, and MazzInk Communications. If you’re interested in donating an item, let us know in the comments.
Here’s the lineup for 2026:
July 8 – Ponyo
July 15 – The Breadwinner
July 22 – The Muppets Take Manhattan
July 29 – Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
We can’t wait to see all of you at the movies!

07/05/2026

Minions & Monsters for two weeks, Ponyo, sponsored by Pizza Palace, and Dark Sarcasm, a Pink Floyd tribute band in September!