The 3rd annual Louisville Children's Film Festival will kick off its presentation of independent films for and by kids on February 21st through the 29th. Each year, the Louisville Children's Film Festival selects more than 20 films from 15 + countries suitable for ages 3-14, allowing children to travel the world without leaving Kentucky. Showings will be available at the Baxter Avenue Theater and the Lincoln Elementary Performing Arts School. Free screenings will also be offered at the Speed Art Museum and the Ogle Center.
Realizing their mission to support the educational development of children in Greater Louisville, the Louisville Children's Film Festival provides opportunities for children to express their creative skills; encouraging students to be curious about exploring the world through film. Throughout the festival week, children and parents alike have opportunities to view the films, meet the makers behind them, and learn about other creative resources within the film industry.
The films chosen by Louisville Children's Film Festival are selected because they speak positively to children, youth, and families of diverse ages, backgrounds, and ethnicities. The festival presents films that are entertaining and/or challenging to young minds with serious, true-to-life topics and narratives. Through the selected films the festival hopes to provoke discussions about the stories as well as provide joyous and dynamic creative programming centered on the experience of childhood.
The 8 plus films that have been selected for this year's festival explore the theme of family life across cultures and in various forms. Attendees will hear the music of different languages throughout the festival and learn of different ways of life. The films range in length and feature a wide variety of film-making techniques including hand-drawn animation, foreign films with subtitles, documentaries and live action films that you won't find elsewhere. The 8 plus films that will be screened include:
- "Supa Modo" is a 74-minute live action film directed by Likarion Wainaina. Kenya's official Oscar entry for Best Foreign Film, this uplifting short follows a nine-year-old diagnosed with a terminal illness, as her community comes together to support her belief in her superpowers.
- 'The Secret of Kells" is a 71-minute critically-acclaimed, Oscar-nominated debut feature from director Tomm Moore. Magic, fantasy and Celtic mythology come together in this film about the power of imagination and faith when it comes to carrying humanity through dark times.
- "Dilili in Paris" is a 95-minute animated short directed by Michel Ocelot. Presented in partnership with the University of Louisville French Film Festival, this film is a French, German and Belgian computer-animated period piece that tells the story of a little girl as she investigates mysterious kidnappings of girls with the help of a young deliveryman.
- "Tesoros" is a 95-minute live action directed by Maria Novaro that follows the story of 4 young siblings on their search of a long-lost pirate loot in Mexico.
- "Up In The Sky: A Spaced-Out Adventure" is an 82-minute live action Swedish film with English subtitles that tells the story of an eight-year old girl who mistakenly becomes the first child of her age to travel to space.
- "One Girl" is a 45-minute documentary directed by Rosa Russo. Following the lives of four girls from four different countries, this film offers viewers a better understanding of our world and the challenges teenage girls have to face. In Arabic, Romanian, Finnish, Juba Arabic and English with English subtitles.
- "Chieri & Cherry" is a 54-minute Japanese animated short directed by Makoto Nakamura. Chieri and her only friend Cherry - a stuffed animal - is a heartwarming story of a girl who overcomes her fear and finds the light in life.
- "My Giraffe" is a 74-minute live action Dutch short directed by Barbara Bredero following a young boy's friendship with a giraffe and his attempt to bring him to school.
- Presented in partnership with the New York International Children's Film Festival, Kid Flicks showcases short films from around the globe including Spanish-language and Latino-themes stories.
- "The Dutch Animation Celebration," presented in partnership with the New York International Children's Film Festival, features the very best of the Netherland's premiere film festival for children. 74 minutes in length, these animated shorts are full of diverse stories, hilarious romps, inventive animation, and more!
Field trip screenings are available for school groups to reserve on Thursday the 27th and Friday. Group screenings come complete with post-viewing discussions and coloring sheets for younger students as well as journal pages that kids can take back to the classroom. Field trip showings will be held at the Ogle Center at Indiana University Southeast and are offered free of charge thanks to a generous donation from the Horseshoe Foundation.
For the past three years, the Louisville Children's Film Festival has brought media arts programs to local schools, allowing kids and their families in the Greater Louisville area the chance to see innovative, inspiring and fun films from around the globe. This year, students from across JCPS including Kammerer Middle, Western Middle, De Paul, Lincoln Performing Arts and Wilkerson Elementary Schools have created their own videos for the festival filmmaking competition within the theme of "Look Within 2020." Selected entries will be screened during the Louisville Children's Film Festival and the winning filmmakers will receive first place and runner-up prizes across three categories divided by school grades. A total of six prizes will be awarded to the winners, who will receive $100 each, and the runners-up, who will receive $50 each.
The Louisville Children's Film Festival is also proud to partner with the Gheens Foundation to create a one-of-a-kind residency program in film-making at Western Middle School. Young filmmakers from Western Middle School for the Arts will present their short films and hold a Q & A before showings on the 21st and 22nd.
"We are delighted to bring these wonderful films to Louisville. The Festival is a great opportunity to be with your family and see the world," says Martha Nichols-Pecceu, Executive Director and Founder of the Festival.
