The Northampton Arts Council is pleased to present KidsBestFest/Youth Film 2010, the very best in classic and international films for the whole family.

Presented by the Northampton Arts Council and the Academy of Music Theatre

February 15-20, 2010 Academy of Music Theatre, Northampton, Massachusetts

All seats $3. Cash only at the door. Doors open @ 1:30pm, Films start @ 2:00pm

Monday, February 15

The Wizard of Oz  (USA)

All ages

101 min.

*

"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” is America's greatest and best-loved home-grown fairytale. The first totally American fantasy for children, it is one of the most-read children's books . . . and despite its many particularly American attributes, including a wizard from Omaha. The Wizard of Oz has become almost literally a national institution, a cultural icon recognized by millions. The Wizard of Oz just celebrated its 70th, so we felt like it was a good time to bring it back, and this time with a twist(er): Come dressed like an Oz character and $1 will be donated to HampshireCountyCares.org --Dedicated to helping and meeting the immediate needs of disaster victims and the on-going needs of area non-profit agencies in Hampshire County, Massachusetts. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032138/

Tuesday, February 16

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art Day

All ages

120 min.

*

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art celebrates the art of the picture book and builds bridges to art appreciation and the development of literacy through its many programs and community of talented authors and illustrators. A series of films, including James Marshall's Favorite Fairy Tales, The Ugly Duckling, Hansel and Gretel and Cinderella will be shown with a big screen storytime and special visit by The Poky Little Puppy -- all to celebrate Little Golden Books and coordinate with The Carle’s exhibition, Golden Legacy: Original Art from 65 Years of Golden Books.

Weston Woods was founded in 1953 by Morton Schindel, who became fascinated with picture books while reading to his children. He was inspired by their involvement with the stories and the rapt attention they paid to the illustrations and their eagerness to listen to a story over and over again. And so, he began Weston Woods based on the following mission: “It is our role at Weston Woods to create audiovisual adaptations that are faithful reflections of the books themselves. We will seek the best books from all over the world and adapt them in such a way as to preserve the integrity of the original. By doing so, we will help children discover the riches that are trapped between the covers of the books and motivate them to want to read for themselves. We believe that a child who wants to read will easily learn to read, and we believe that a child without reading problems will be a child without learning problems.”

Now available the book IMAGINATION AND INNOVATION THE STORY OF WESTON WOODS by John Cech.

[http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/westonwoods]

James Marshall’s Favorite Fairy Tales:

Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs (28 min.)

The Ugly Duckling (20 min.)

Dankin

Hansel and Gretel (14 min.)

Cinderella (animated) (12 min.)

Wednesday, February 17

Winky’s Horse   (Netherlands/Belgium)

Dutch with English Subtitles read aloud by Cate Damon of New Century Theatre

All ages

95 min.  35mm!

Up on arriving at her new home in the Netherlands and learning the legend of old Saint Nick, young Chinese immigrant Winky Wong makes a Christmas wish. There is only one thing Winky wants: a horse, a real horse to ride. But horses are expensive. Fortunately it is the season of Sinterklaas; Winky just asks Sinterklaas for a horse. Than everything will work out all right. Or will it? (Het paard van Sinterklaas) International Award winning film [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0447679/]

Thursday, February 18

Benji (USA)

All ages

86 min.

*

Benji is a stray who has nonetheless worked his way into the hearts of a number of the townspeople, who give him food and attention whenever he stops by. His particular favorites are a pair of children who feed and play with him against the wishes of their parents. When the children are kidnapped, however, the parents and the police are at a loss to find them. Only Benji can track them down, but will he be in time? If he can save the day, he may just find the permanent home he's been longing for. Still one of the finest family films ever made. [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071206/}

This is a special screening for the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society and they will collect canned food for cats and dogs. February is Adopt a Bunny month and we’ll have a special guest to introduce the film, too.

Friday, February 19

Stella Star of the Orient  (Germany)

German with English subtitles read aloud by Cate Damon of New Century Theatre

Ages 7 and up

86 min. 35 mm!

**

Rummaging in the attic one New Year's Eve, ten-year-old Stella steps out of a wardrobe and discovers she has traveled one hundred years back in time! She finds herself face to face with her great-grandmother Clementine, who in 1905 is the same age as Stella. The girls become fast friends, and when they and Clementine's happy-go-lucky younger brother Gustav learn that their long-standing home may have to be sold, the trio sets off on an exciting adventure in search of a secret treasure to save the family from financial ruin. As they hunt for the fortune, the heroes encounter many challenges, from braving a wintry forest to evading a pair of swindling thieves on their trail. The three friends must race against time to find the treasure and get Stella back to the present day – otherwise, she might never exist in the first place!

KidsBestFest/YouthFilm 2010

Design by Alison Wood

Stella and the Star of the Orient is a delightful voyage through time and a snowy landscape that cleverly explores the various changes that have occurred within the past century, especially in the fields of language, technology and women's rights. A strong message about empowering girls is teamed with action-packed scenes of adventure and laughter, making this a film that is certain to engage and entertain. [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0765242/]

Saturday, February 20

YouthFilm2010

Films directed, crafted, written and starring local children and teens.

Doors open at 12 noon, films run “festival style” all afternoon.

All seats $3 at the door for people over 19, 18 and under is free.

Click here for films and times.

The Northampton Arts Council seeks to empower children with knowledge from viewing our world’s quality and culturally diverse films.  Over the years, we have been honored to show a wide range of films to children of all ages. As in the past, we draw from a variety of sources to help us in selecting the best films for KidsBestFest and YouthFilm. We do not get to screen every film, but instead count on the eyes and ears of reviewers, judges and parents from all over the world. Most of these films are “unrated” and we search for the information about the themes and elements of a film. We try to provide information so that parents and caregivers can consider the suitability of a film for their children. In addition to our tradition suggesting a minimum age, we are also offering the guidelines that influenced our decision. We appreciate your feedback to help us find and offer films for children of all ages.

*

This film is appropriate for young children. The themes and elements in this film are specifically designed for a young audience.  While there may be sadness or conflict, this film is not expected to frighten young children. 

**

This film is for older children.  It may be more appropriate for children who have acquired the developmental skills needed to distinguish between make-believe and reality. Themes and elements in this film may include sexuality, mild violence or profanity.

The Northampton Arts Council is pleased to present KidsBestFest and YouthFilm 2010.  Once again, we are indebted to John Morrison, of the California Film Institute’s Outreach and Education Program, who brings us contemporary international films. Brian Foote, Arts Council Board member helped us make the series quite a bit more fur friendly with BENJI and the food drive for Dakin Pioneer Valley Animal Shelter. We are grateful to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art for developing a delightful program and working with Weston Woods to bring Golden Books to the Academy screen. It was a pleasure to work with Brenda and Providence Children's Film Festival, and we hope we can do it again.

Thanks to the Academy of Music Theatre for hosting and co-presenting the event again. A big thanks to Cate Damon for reading the subtitles and to the guys up in the projection booth. Alison Wood is an excellent designer and as ever, we are grateful for her talent and patience.  We worked with many people to review the films, and are grateful for their input and ideas. Thanks to Look Park for the bunny.  Thanks to Valley Kids. The Media Education Foundation graciously loaned us a Beta machine for the series.  Pleasant Street Video loaned us Benji  and always makes us feel loved. Florence Savings Bank, Gravity Switch and Faces sponsor the series. Thank you once again for helping us bring these films to children and families. WGBY and the Valley Advocate are our media sponsors. Volunteers are a big part of KidsBestFest and YouthFilm…thanks for your help at every step of the way. Finally, a big thanks to the children in these films 

and in this community.

Films Subject to Change

Subtitles read aloud by Cate Damon of New Century Theatre

KidsBestFest and Youth Film Sponsors

Presented by Northampton Arts Council and Academy of Music

With support from MCC