KIDS FIRST! Radio

KIDS FIRST! FILM FESTIVAL WINS “BEST NON-CREDIT PROGRAM” AWARD AT THE WESTERN ASSOCIATION OF SUMMER SESSION ADMINISTRATORS CONFERENCE During the recent annual conference of the Western Association of Summer Session Administrators (WASSA) held in November on Maui, the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa Outreach College was honored with the “Best Non-Credit Program” award for the KIDS FIRST! Film Festival.  The Western Association of Summer Session Administrators’ (WASSA)  mission is to exchange information regarding summer session programs and administrative practices, with the annual meeting as the principal forum for the exchange of ideas and information.   

The KIDS FIRST! Film Festival, a project of the Coalition for Quality Children’s Media (CQCM), is the largest traveling children’s film festival in the world, providing films that are free of racial, ethnic, gender or religious bias; inappropriate content; and condescension towards children. Local organizations and educational institutions plug into the national network to sponsor festivals and related programming tailored to their constituents and communities. The University of Hawai‘i KIDS FIRST! Film Festival made its debut during June and July of 2007, with the second Festival slated for Summer 2008.  In honor of Women’s History Month, the University of Hawai‘i KIDS FIRST! Film Festival presents the GRLS R GR8! Mini-Film-Fest, celebrating the achievements, challenges and adventures of girls.  Age-appropriate films will be screened free of charge on several Sundays at 3pm during March and April in the Art Auditorium on the UH-Manoa campus.  A complete schedule including dates and details of films will be available after the New Year at www.outreach.hawaii.edu. 

The GRLS R GR8! Mini-Film-Fest is produced by University of Hawai‘i at Manoa Outreach College, with assistance from the UHM Women’s Center, Bridge to Hope, Office of the Gender Equity Counselor, and Art Department. Partial funding for the program is provided by the Sidney Stern Memorial Trust.   

Saturday, Santa Fe, NM. Wednesday kicked off the opening night of the 8th Annual Santa Fe Film Festival. Downtown is full of filmmakers, producers, volunteers and, what makes it best, a great audience!

Last night, we went to the gala of The Walker, starring Woody Harrelson, Kristen Scott Thomas, Lauren Bacall and Lily Tomlin. Washington DC has never appeared so sinister. The five-day festival includes screenings of about 240 movies (including shorts), panel discussions on filmmaking, parties and the annual Milagro Awards Ceremony at 4 p.m. today at the Lensic Performing Arts Center. The event honors both participating filmmakers and five invited tributees: film and theater actor Alan Cumming, cinematographer John Bailey, film editor Carol Littleton, and documentary filmmakers Marina Goldovskaya and Alanis Obomsawin.
KIDS FIRST! contributed five films to the festival this year, including Relationship Theorem, Dorme, The Child King, Confessions of a Late Bloomer and Rocketboy. On Sunday, a gala performance of The Child King is at 2pm with Confessions of a Late Bloomer. This afternoon at 4, Dorme screens with filmmaker Sylvia Blinsfield in attendance. Relationship Theorem, Dorme, Confessions of a Late Bloomer and Rocketboy all won a Best in Category at the KIDS FIRST! Best Awards in Malibu in October. The KIDS FIRST! Film Festival provides programming to over 150 venues annually, including film festivals, children’s musuems and nonprofit film societies. Laurel Dagnon, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Film institute is in town to absorb ideas on expanding her film festivals. She hosted the first PA KIDS FIRST! Film Festival this last spring and wants to expand the festival to include panels and filmmakers. I hope next year that all our venue directors will join us in Santa Fe for the film festival!

Well, got to go. Dorme is up next.