Family films are the first confirmed attractions at the debut edition of the Cincinnati International Film Festival Oct. 19-21.

        Festival organizer Terry Alvarado has chosen Babar: The Movie, an animated 1989 adventure featuring the familiar storybook elephant king, and The Wind in the Willows (1996) as interpreted by Monty Python vet Terry Jones, to be among the feature films showcased at the Cincinnati Museum Center.

        Films aimed at mature audiences, including work by regional artists, will be shown at the Esquire Theatre in Clifton, said Mr. Alvarado. Those titles are yet to be named.

        The Museum Center program also includes No More Baths (1998), Timothy J. Nelson's tale of a children's protest against racial injustice, and Ra-Tim-Bum Castle, a 1999 fantasy about a boy wizard.

        Short films also will be shown at the Museum Center, including selections from Norway, Kyrgyzstan and, from Brazil, a look at the life of soccer idol Pele.

        A separate children's program, called “Kaleidoscope,” will follow in November with 13 short films from around the world. Kaleidoscope will take place at the public library.

        It includes a three-minute rendition of the beloved bedtime book Good Night, Moon, as enacted by a young rabbit; Aunt Tiger, a Welsh-Taiwanese production about a tiger trying to turn into a human, and the Iranian folk tale Shangoul and Mangoul.

        The festival is due to open Oct. 19 at the Museum Center with a salute to Doris Day, hosted by Nick Clooney. In addition to local films, Mr. Alvarado also plans to showcase films by women.

        More information about the festival is available online at www.cincinnatifilm.com.

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