KIDS FIRST! Radio

Who needs a red carpet when you have honey? The honey-colored-carpet premiere of “Winnie the Pooh” takes fans to the Hundred Acre Wood for a Tiggeriffic good time. The beloved “bear of very little brain” and his plush pals take to the big screen for a whole new generation of moviegoers, showcasing the signature heart and humor.

KIDS FIRST! Film Critics, Raven Devanney, Anthony Aranda and Makai Weber Colvin dive behind the scenes with the talent of this whimsical film with the critics interviewing Craig Ferguson (voice of Owl), Tom Kenny (voice of Rabbit), Jim Cummings (voice of Pooh, Tigger) and Travis Oates (voice of Piglet). This is just the start of a full week of fun and excitement for 15 special kids attending the KIDS FIRST! Boot Camp. Stay tuned for more fun at the Walt Disney Studios. Check out the interviews on the KIDS FIRST! Facebook page

The KIDS FIRST! Film Critics’ reviews are now available on AOL Kids. Last month, Raven Devanney kicked off the series with her review of Disney’s Tangled. Now, 8-year-old Anthony Aranda posted his review of Rio after attending a sneak peek of the film on the FOX lot last Monday. Anthony also interviewed American Idol finalists Brooke White and Danny Gokey on the Red Carpet event featuring P&G and Walmart’s new Family Movie Night film Change of Plans.

The KIDS FIRST! Film Critics are invited to events all over the county to review films, interview celebrities and attend film festivals. You can be eligible to win prizes in the monthly KIDS FIRST! Film Critics search by reviewing and uploading your film review at the WonderWorldTV Site. Don’t miss out on the fun.

One day Full HD 3D production workshop where filmmakers get hands-on with Panasonic’s AG-3DA1 integrated twins-lens 3D camcorder presented by StudentFilmmakers.com.

StudentFilmmakers.com is presenting “Shooting in 3D Workshops” with Julian Chojnacki, taking place on Saturday, March 19, 2011 in Manhattan (NY) and Saturday, March 26, 2011 in Burbank, CA. The workshops are 9:30am to 4:30pm.

Real-life 3D images are expected to find widespread application in fields ranging from movies to TV broadcasts to industrial uses. The full day workshops discuss 3D shooting techniques and hands-on experience.

Workshops are $120 and you can register by calling 212-255-5454 or register here.

Have you seen the new KIDS FIRST! Film Festival Facebook page? This week, from October 6 – October 17. Like our page and be entered to win Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightening Thief (Blu-Ray and DVD), The Scrambled States of America or Juno Baby: Indie’s Great Teddy Bear Hunt. Find out about new releases, local events, ticket give aways and best of all, our Film Critics Search! Friend our page today to be eligible to win.

You have to enter a 3 minute film review in order to be eligible to win the KIDS FIRST! Film Critics’ Search, but what if you are new to production and video? Well, these 2 sites have some great tips for production, so check out both http://www.flipvideospotlight.com/ and www.blip.tv/learning. The Flip site gives you great examples of how to use the new Flip camera for video clips, including how to make mini movies and what software (that’s even free) you can get for better editing. The Blip.Tv site is really in depth, so be prepared to spend time, but they are the upcoming internet TV site, having just raised another $10.1 million from Canaan and Bain.

Also, follow the discussion guides for the search films and use your vocabulary! Just click on individual films and download the guides. http://www.kidsfirst.org/become-a-juror/FilmCriticsCampaign.html and http://www.kidsfirst.org/become-a-juror/FilmVocabulary.pdf 

You can upload your video clip at http://www.wonderworldtv.com/kidsfirst/ and upload early. The finalists are chosen by popular vote so give your friends and family time to make you a winner.

A new KIDS FIRST! Film “Stranger” just joined the film festival lineup. Set in a beautiful rural village in Iran, a new teacher moves to the village to educate the children. A young widow attracts the attention of the teacher, but a local, wealthy (and married) villager is in love with the widow. The villager schemes to run the teacher out of town and torches the school to force him to leave. The teacher saves a student caught in the fire, but leaves so the village can live in peace.

Much of the interest of this film is the view of life in rural Iran that we never see. The basic issues woman’s right in Iranian society are portrayed here with the men wearing polo shirts and the women dressed from the 14th century. The male dominated society is portrayed when the wealthy villager forces his wife to accept the possibility of the young widow living in their home and the widow’s brother threatens to beat her if she does not obey his orders. However, the widow does own a small piece of property that her recently deceased father bequeathed to her.

The film is beautifully shot and although sub-titled, easy to follow. Recommended Ages: 12-18. Runtime 90 minutes.

As always, Ann Brandman, Executive Director of the KIDS FIRST! Film Festival at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Outreach College presented a fun-filled summer of films for kids this summer. Over 1,000 kids and adults attended the Sunday series of screenings, that included Barbie in a Mermaid Tale, Plastic Perils of the Pacfiic, Duck on a Bike, Wow! Wow! Wubbzy: Wubbzy Goes for the Green and Do Unto Otters. El Salon Mexico and Alex and the Ghosts made their Hawaiian debut, as did Alba and Grandfather’s Journey.

This was the fourth summer that Brandman has presented the free film series at the University. The program is supported by KIDS FIRST! and the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

The Parent Services Center in Tyler, Texas is helping over 600 kids have a great summer and experience the fun of KIDS FIRST! films. Every week, the kids in the summer camp centers focus on one of the Weston Woods titles in the film festival, like In A Small Pond. On Monday, the kids discuss the film and its objectives. On Tuesday, the participate in the “before viewing activities” that are included in all the Weston Woods titles. Wednesday is movie day and Thursday is a “after viewing activity” day. In A Small Pond, the kids learn about frogs, tadpoles, geese and other creatures that live in the pond. The kids are having a wonderful summer and learning about environmental issues, art, film and fun. After the week of Scooby, Dooby Moo, the kids hosted a talent contest for the camp!

Thanks to Executive Director Shelly Judd and the Parent Service Center for designing such a creative program for the youth in the Tyler area. They will finish the summer with a special Film Festival day in August.

From our wonderful film partners at WorldKids in Mumbai, India come three extraordinary tales of everyday life. I am captivated by the lighthearted, yet wise young children in “How I Taught My Grandmother to Read” and “Victor and the Vanquished (Kaun Jeeta Kaun Hara).” These children share their lives with grandparents and live a less complicated live as we would see it, but in the grandmother’s words in “How I Taught My Grandmother to Read,” not knowing how to read is quite like being blind. In “Victor and the Vanquished” young Pappu is learning that arguments in a family or marriage are not about winning, but sometimes about losing gracefully.

“True Insight (Samyaktva)” recalls the magic realism of the 13th century Indian literature where miracles and symbolism explained the timeless wisdom of the sages. Samyaktva integrates subtle moral reasoning with dramatic narrative and depicts the sheer importance and power of ancient Indian wisdom as the path to peace.

From WorldKids, Mumbai. Available this summer in the KIDS FIRST! Film Festival Sections “How I Taught My Grandmother to Read” 42 minutes, English subtitles, Ages 8-12 

“Victor and the Vanquished (Kaun Jeeta Kaun Hara)” 40 minutes, English subtitles, Ages 8-12  “True Insight (Samyaktva)” 49 minutes, English subtitles, Ages 12-18 

Last week was a blast for four of the KIDS FIRST! partners, the Avalon Theater in Washington DC, the Phoenix Film Society, the Lone Star Film Society at the Movie Tavern in Ft. Worth and the Denver Film Society. Each hosted an advance screening of the new Dreamworks film, How to Train Your Dragon.

Along with a capacity theater, the Phoenix Film Society hosted a book drive for a local school as part of “Read Across America” and took in 7 big bags full of books for kids. They also invited 60 kids and their parents from the school receiving the books to the screening.  

The Lone Star Film Society hosted the screening in 3D at the new Movie Tavern in Ft. Worth. The Lone Star Film Society programs with KIDS FIRST! at all the major art museums in Ft. Worth including the Modern Museum of Art and the Amon Carter.

Film societies that go the extra mile and reach out to kids give them an opportunity to see film in on the big screen. These societies are engaging kids in media and film in a very positive way, fulfilling one of the very important mission statements of KIDS FIRST!, which is to make quality  media more available to kids.

To be sure you are on the ticket list for advance screening, sign up for the KIDS FIRST! newsletter and be the first to know where the screenings are in your area!