Now Accepting Entries for the 2009 Festival!
 Starting now, you can download the Entry Forms and Regulations for the 2009 Chicago International Children's Film Festival. You have until May 2009 to cross the t's and dot the lower case j's.
<Read Article>'Dream Screen' Update
The Dream Screen after-school workshop continued the theme of a six-day "folktale immersion," in which a group of students read, analyzed and selected their own folktale to visualize in another medium. Their fellow students will join in on the experience when the program culminates in a school-wide screening of the folktale-based film in December.
<Read Article>Jimmy Tsai at CICFF 2008
Producer, actor and writer Jimmy Tsai, star of Ping Pong Playa, was the first to congratulate the KidsFest award winners as host of the CICFF's American Airlines Closing Night Awards Presentation on Nov. 2.
<Read Article>And the Poetry Winner Is…
 Anne Halsey, Director of the Poetry Foundation's Media Program, announced the CICFF's Poetry Foundation Award winner, for which the recipient received a $10,000 cast prize for the film that truly reflects the spirit of poetry in film for young audiences. This year's winners were filmmaker Alyssa Sherwood and poet Dorian Merina for Migrations.
<Read Article>Mayor Daley and Eberts Chair CICFF Gala
Mayor Richard M. Daley and Chaz and Roger Ebert have signed on as Honorary Chairs at the silver anniversary of the Chicago International Children's Film Festival, which runs from Oct. 23rd – Nov. 2nd.
<Read Article>CICFF's Opening Night Gala
Join us as we celebrate 25 years of the best in children's film programming at the Chicago International Children's Film Festival's Opening Night Gala on Oct. 23rd. We're kicking off the amazing 10-day festival with a fun-filled evening for the whole family, featuring fantastic food, face-painting, roving (child) reporters and Radio Disney's Party Patrol.
<Read Article>Industry Pros Buddy Up with Kids at CICFF
The 25th Annual Chicago International Children’s Film Festival has lined up industry insiders to teach aspiring young filmmakers at the wildly successful Take One! Workshops. CICFF invites children ages 7-14 to participate in the 2008 Take One! Workshops, October 25-26th and November 1-2nd.
<Read Article>MediaBridge “Wrap” Party
Long-time supporters of MediaBridge, Doris and Howard Conant graciously opened their fantastic home to the MediaBridge participants on August 2nd. Enjoying swimming, basketball and tennis at the Conant home in Glenview are teens from Chicago, Effingham, Wilmington and Villa Ridge, Illinois. Joining in the fun are thirteen gifted young film enthusiasts from China, India, Sri Lanka, Mexico and the UK.
<Read Article> |
| | CICFF Founder 'Tames TV' at NAEYC 2008 Convention
 Nicole Dreiske, Founder/Artistic Director of the Chicago International Children's Film Festival, presented the workshop, "Taming TV: Encouraging PreSchoolers to Build a Healthy Relationship with Media" on Thursday, Nov. 6th at the 2008 National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Conference held in Dallas, TX.
<Read Article>'Reel Poetry' Program Extended Through February
 Reel Poetry, the CICFF's most popular literacy program, is now available through February 2009. Each "reel poem" is preceded by poetry performances, and followed by interactive discussions and creative exercises. This dynamic program of poetry-based short films guides students to discover the transformative power of poetry in their own lives.
<Read Article>CICFF Closing Night Awards
This year, the 25th Annual Chicago International Children's Film Festival congratulates the winners of more than 30 awards presented at the CICFF's American Airlines Closing Night Awards Presentation on Nov. 2. Over 100 international filmmakers came to watch the most acclaimed films of the festival, eager to hear the responses of the 26,000 children who participated in this year's event.
<Read Article>Montgomery Prize Winners
Other prominent festival winners and awards include the Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Prize of $2,500 for Best Film or Video by an Emerging Director, awarded to Cayman Grant for her short live-action film, His Good Will. Also, the Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Prize of $2,500 for Best Child-Produced Film or Video was given to Molly Nemer (TVbyGirls) for New Orleans.
<Read Article>NBC 5's LeeAnn Trotter Hosts Opening Night
 Kick off the 25th Annual Chicago International Children's Film Festival on Oct. 23 with a star-studded celebration for the whole family, hosted by NBC Entertainment Reporter LeeAnn Trotter. KidsFest Media Sponsors include NBC, Telemundo, Radio Disney and the Chicago Sun-Times.
<Read Article>Calling All Programmers and Distributors – ProPass!
One of the fastest-growing areas in the film industry is programming for young people, and the 25th Annual Chicago International Children's Film Festival offers an unparalleled opportunity to view hundreds of new films while making direct contact with producers and directors.
<Read Article>25th Annual CICFF Children’s Jury
Look who’s in charge! The Children’s Jury for the CICFF meets August 5-15 to critique and rate over 50 films that have been selected from among 700 submissions for the 25th Annual Festival. The Children’s Jury will rate each film based on several criteria – including cinematography, script, characters/acting and themes. The Children’s Jury Awards will be announced at the CICFF American Airlines Closing Ceremony on Sunday, November 2nd.
<Read Article>Librarians, Teachers, Arts Organizations: Host Your Own Festival with the CICFF’s Best of the Fest DVD!
 Facets is proud to offer the Best of the Fest DVD, a collection of 10 amazing multicultural short films specially selected for children ages 5 to 9! Host a children’s film hour—public performance rights are included!
<Read Article> |
| | Special Screenings of 'U'
 Attention educators! Don't miss out on special screenings of U, an animated coming-of-age fairytale that follows the melancholy Princess Mona as she learns about loyalty, love and how to have fun. It screens as part of the 12th Annual Festival of New French Cinema.
<Read Article>Kidsfest Folktale Animation at Peabody School
During the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival, a group of Chicago students began a creative journey, becoming fluent in two different languages—folktales and film—along the way.
<Read Article>The Best of the Fest Winner
Chicago audiences casting their votes for their favorite flicks this year awarded the Best of the Fest award to Ingelore Konig for Stella and the Star of the Orient, an adventure in which a young girl travels back in time to learn that family is forever.
<Read Article>Creature-Effects Wizard to Teach Kids at CICFF
Greg Aronowitz, the special makeup effects artist behind The X-Files and the director of last year's CICFF Best of the Fest winner, Labou, leads the Creepy Creatures Take One! workshop. Thanks to sponsorship from the Academy Foundation, Aronowitz will help kids make their own monsters during two weekends (10/26 and 11/1) and then later at 10 different schools in the Chicago area.
<Read Article>Got Schedules?
If you’re looking for a print copy of the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival schedule, check out our full four-page schedule in Chicago Parent magazine, or stop by your local library or Chicago- area Borders location. The schedule is also available online.
<Read Article>A Reel Accomplishment - 25 Years as the Top Children's Festival in the U.S.
The Chicago International Children's Film Festival, running Oct. 23 - Nov. 2, celebrates its silver anniversary in style with Mayor Daley and Chaz and Roger Ebert signed on as the Fest's Honorary Chairs. Screening the best children's films in the world, the CICFF will feature 213 films from 44 countries, again securing its place as the largest and longest running Kidsfest in the U.S.
<Read Article>Activity Book
A generous grant from the Col. Stanley R. McNeil Foundation for $19,600 enables the Chicago International Film Festival to offer an engaging 16-page Activity Book, available to over 6,000 parents and educators attending the “My First Movies” screenings. Geared towards the pre-Kindergarten set, creative activities for children are also enhanced with the inclusion of “media mentoring” resources: a one-page instructional guide, as well as a bibliography for further exploration.
<Read Article> |
|
Finding family- friendly films is easy at Facets. (Say that three times fast.) Stop by Facets Rentals to check out our extensive kids movie collection or browse titles in our online catalog. The CICFF champions high quality childrens' film and some of the hardest-to-find titles, such as Kirikou and the Wild Beasts.
