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May 28, 2002
"We become what we think about." Earl Nightingale
Dear Friends,
Thanks to everyone who helped make our first Southern California KIDS FIRST!
Film, Video and DVD Festival a success. The venues were fabulous - from the
beautiful Edwards multiplexes in Simi Valley and Aliso Viejo, to The Zimmer
Children's Museum in the W. Wilshire area, and Disney's prestigious The El Capitan
Theatre in West Hollywood.
The programming was a huge hit! Everyone loved seeing the special 25th anniversary
screening of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Gumby on the big screen.
Animation showed up in "The New Animation Showcase from Europe and Canada"
as well as outstanding video premieres of preschool favorites such as "Dora
the Explorer," "Blues Clues," "Bear in the Big Blue House,"
"Little Bear," "Dragon Tales, " and animation produced by
kids from the Children's Media Project in Poughkeepsie, NY. Finalists from the
KIDS FIRST Best Children's Film, Video or DVD of the Year Award: "Money:
Shadow & Light" and "Kirikou and the Sorceress" were among
the favorites of school-age kids along with Reading Rainbow's "Badger's
Parting Gifts," "Legacy," and "My Little Devil" which
provided thought-provoking insight into other people's lives. Disney's "Airbud
4" won the hearts of more than a few children as did "Silly Songs"
with the preschool crowd who also giggled at Sesame Street's "Bert and
Ernie's Wordplay" and Noggin's "Oobi". I loved how the older
kids kept sneaking in to watch the preschool titles. Definitely, our Junior
Film Critics were a smashing success at the Festival. "Millionaire Dogs,"
which premiered at the Festival, was critiqued by a panel of 10 to 13-year-old
Junior Film Critics at the El Capitan along with "Monet: Shadow and Light."
"Monet" and "Badger's Parting Gifts" were also critiqued
by Sandy Brown's eight and 9-year-old Girl Scouts at Simi Valley.
It's time to send in your titles now for the fall line up of Festivals
and for our 2003 Festival. To qualify, producers need to submit
their title for evaluation by KIDS FIRST! Titles which are endorsed
by KIDS FIRST! will automatically be considered for inclusion in
the Festival. Preference will be given those titles which have not
had a major release, either in film or video. For more information,
go to http://www.kidsfirstinternet.org or more information.
Thanks to our Festival Sponsors: Edwards Theatres, LA Parent Magazine, Orange
County Parenting, Parenthood.com, Parents Guide Press, Walt Disney Home Entertainment,
PAX-30, Paramount Home Entertainment, The El Capitan Theatre, Rhino Home Video,
Artmatten Productions, Devine Entertainment, Embassy Suites, KidsEdge.com, Productions
La Fete and to supporters: Anchor Bay Enterprises, Backyard Enterprises, Big
Idea Productions, Child Magazine, Children's Media Project, Columbia Tri-Star
Home Entertainment, Noggin, Nomadic Pictures, Nickelodeon, Sesame Workshop,
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Warner Home Video.
Special Thanks to our Festival Planning Committee and Volunteers: Larry Balaban,
Howard Balaban, Mary Lou Bono, Bill Bryan, Deborah Cool, Gordon Ho, KIDS FIRST!
Junior Film Critics Club, Martha Lambert, Jere Rae-Mansfield, Lia Murphy, [email protected],
Harold Weitzberg, Julie Weitzberg, Jeff Yapp, Doug Zwick, Andrea Blain, Bruce
Apar, Suzanne and Brian Gelfound, Sandy Brown and her Girl Scouts, Dean Bender,
Shawna Lynch, Wendy Moss-Klein, Josh Sabarra, and Suzanne White.
And the biggest thanks of all to those of you who came, who watched, who enjoyed
our event. We'll see you again next year in Sunny California and in the fall
in New York and other cities. Stay tuned for more information.
Much love,
Ranny Levy
Founder, KIDS FIRST!
******ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS OF THE
KIDS FIRST Best Children's Film, Video or DVD of the Year Award
The votes are counted and the winners are clear for the KIDS FIRST!
Best Children's Film, Video, or DVD of the Year Award - given to the highest
rated children's FILM, VIDEO, or DVD in four age categories: 0-2, 2-6, 6-12,
and 12-15. And the winners are:
For ages zero to two: Baby Genius: Four Seasons (Genius Productions/Warner)
For ages two to six: Bear in the Big Blue House: Early to Bed (Jim Henson
Productions/Columbia TriStar)
For ages seven to 12: Shrek (Dreamworks)
For ages 12 to 15: Princess Diaries (Walt Disney/Buena Vista)
The winners of the KIDS FIRST Best Children's Film, Video or DVD of the Year
Award are selected by kids across the nation via online voting. KIDS FIRST!
Established the award in 2001 to honor media that are nonviolent and non-biased
but also engage a child's imagination; stimulate curiosity and creativity; respect
cultural diversity; and challenge kids to think, reason, and ask questions.
More than 3500 children nationwide have helped select these winners. A list
of 20 Finalists and 47 semi-finalists is available upon request on the KIDS
FIRST! website: www.kidsfirstinternet.org.
For more information about how to get the KIDS FIRST Best Children's Film,
Video or DVD of the Year Award POP materials, the KIDS FIRST! Film Festival,
or voting for the KIDS FIRST Best Children's Film, Video or DVD of the Year
Award, please visit the Coalition's website at http://www.kidsfirstinternet.org
or call 505.989.8076.
MEDIA NEWS *****************************
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PG Isn't What It Used to Be
"In ‘Spider-Man,' a goblin is impaled, a cable car full of children
hangs from a bridge, and a father and a father figure die. In ‘Star
Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones' a mother dies in her son's arms; a father
is decapitated and his boy finds the severed head in
a helmet." So begins a recent article in the L.A. Times.
What do these movies have in common? All are rated PG! How is this possible?
Because the movie industry runs its own ratings
system according to criteria which are held as a trade secret –in order
to maximize profits. Secret guidelines inevitably result in
"ratings creep" – a phenomenon whereas every movie can push the
envelope of a ratings category just a bit further. Movies which
once would have earned a PG-13 rating are now rated PG, and movies which once
would have been rated R are now rated PG-13.
This makes perfect sense for Hollywood's bottom line (lower rating means a large
audience), but it leaves parents more confused
than ever.
The Lion & Lamb Project has been calling for an independent ratings system
which would be free of industry manipulation, and
would be based on children's developmental needs. To see why we need such a
system, read the L.A. Times article at
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/printedition/calendar/la-000035938may22.story.
(It's free, but you do have to register.) If you
want to get involved in changing the current ratings system, please contact
us!
Parent and Family News *****************************
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Become a Coalition for Quality Children's Media Member ***
********************************************************************
If you've found our e-zine and web site helpful, please consider becoming a
member of KIDS FIRST! Members help underwrite the various projects of this organization
and are a critical component of our success.
The Coalition for Quality Children's Media's relies on the generous support
of its members and donors to support its programs. An individual/family membership
is only $25/year. An organizational membership is $100/year. An independent
producer membership begins at $200/year. Visit our website (http://www.kidsfirstinternet.org)
or call our office for an application form.
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Resouces ***********************
******* KIDS FIRST! Book ***
Our book, A Parent's Guide to the Best Children's Videos, DVDs, and CD-ROMs,
featuring reviews of more than 1800 KIDS FIRST! endorsed videos, DVDs, TV shows,
and CD-ROMs is available now. To order your copy, call our office, 505-989-8076
or send your request, to kfnews@http://www.kidsfirstinternet.org. You can view
sample pages of our book at http: //www.pgpress.com/Book_Excerpts/kidvid/
*** A Parent's Guide to Home schooling by Tamra Orr ***
By Parent's Guide Press - Coming this summer. "Homeschooling is a big family
decision. If you want solid support, information, and imaginative help. I suggest
that you carry Tamra Orr's book under your arm or sit with the family around
the kitchen table and simply read it out loud." -Mothering Magazine
*** Child Abuse on the Internet - Ending the Silence***
Child pornography and the sexual abuse of children through misuse of the media
and the Internet are complex yet closely related issues. Not only do they necessitate
complex solutions, they also demand a social response from all sectors of society.
Co-published by BERGHAHN BOOKS and UNESCO PUBLISHING. ISBN 92-3-103728-5 For
more information, contact Solange Belin, UNESCO Publishing [email protected]
EVENTS and NEWS ***************
***************************************
Events:
** April 5: Tune Out Violence Campaign ***
July 8th – 12th at Wheelock College. Media Education in a Violent Society:
Summer Institute for Educators, Parents, and Human Service Providers. For more
information, visit: http://www.wheelock.edu/sum/sumhome.htm or contact Natalie
Levine at [email protected]
July 27 - Aug. 2 New York City and the mountain campus in Boone, North Carolina,
will offer two sessions in Media Literacy by the graduate program at Appalachian
State University. For more information, visit http://www.ci.appstate.edu/programs/edmedia/medialit
for more details.
July 15-18, Ithaca, NY: Project Look Sharp is announcing its annual Summer
Media Literacy Institute for K-12 educators July 15-18 and August 12-15. For
information, contact Eileen Jacobs at Project Look Sharp: [email protected]
607-274-3471 http://www.ithaca.edu/looksharp
To add your event to this list, please sent a notice to [email protected]
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