Films from as far as Australia, Japan and Croatia will converge on Kaua‘i Nov. 13 to 15 for Kaua‘i’s first children’s film festival. (A full schedule will be published in Lifestyle next week.) The Los Angeles International Children’s Film Festival,
Films from as far as Australia, Japan and Croatia will converge on Kaua‘i Nov. 13 to 15 for Kaua‘i’s first children’s film festival. (A full schedule will be published in Lifestyle next week.) The Los Angeles International Children’s Film Festival, hosted by Kaua’i Pacific School, will showcase films from around the world made especially for children.
This rare opportunity will entertain families while introducing students to different cultures and filmmaking techniques through an exciting program of feature films, documentaries, live-action and animated shorts, a press release states.
“As an arts educator I couldn’t be more thrilled,” said organizer and artist, Denise Dion-Scoyni.
When Dion-Scoyni was surfing the Internet for films to show at the school’s monthly “Movie Night” she stumbled upon the LAICFF Website. All it took was one phone call and executive director of the festival, Dan Bennett leapt at the opportunity to bring films to Kaua‘i. Joining him for the festival and animation workshops is Dreamworks animator Andrew Marshel. Marshel’s film, “Gallery Girl” is one of the shorts being screened.
The three-day festival includes a gala event Nov. 13 for $75; followed by screenings Nov. 14 at Kaua‘i Community College Performing Arts Center and Nov. 15 at Common Ground in Kilauea. Admission for each screening is $5 or a six-screening pass is available for $20. Tickets will be sold at the door.
Most important to Dion-Scoyni is the animation workshop for children and teens.
“I don’t want one empty seat in the workshop,” she said.
Students can participate in “Drawing for Animation Workshops” led by Marshel for $35. The workshop fee includes one screening. There will be two workshops Saturday at KCC PAC and two more Sunday at Common Ground in Kilauea. To download registration forms visit kauaipacific.org. Forty scholarships are available and open to all students 6 to 18 years-old. Space is limited to 25 per workshop.
Festival programming is categorized by age level: 2 to 6 years-old; 6 to 11 and 12 to 18, with the length of each screening at one hour with 15-minute intermissions in between. Each day will culminate with a feature film: “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” Saturday and “Monsters vs. Aliens” Sunday. Many of the films have an eco-friendly message for kids.
The festival kick-off benefit is 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 13 at Common Ground, located on the former Guava Kai plantation. This sustainibility resource center is a natural setting for dining and eco-friendly community gatherings. The evening will include a gourmet organic dinner featuring locally grown produce; Kaua‘i made products; a performance of “Life, Love and Laughter” by Donavon Frankenreiter; a 90-minute sneak peek screening and a question and answer session with the LAICFF team. Tickets are $75 and can be purchased on-line or directly from Kaua’i Pacific School. For complete festival details visit kauaipacific.org.
