(Boston, MA) The Boston International Kids Film Festival (BIKFF) announced that it will be heading online for a special three day film festival November 20 – 22, 2020. Presented in partnership with GBH, BIKFF will feature 70 films in total representing 17 countries. The films will be broken up into nine blocks with a live Q&A session after each block. Individual access to BIKFF will be $55 ($75 if two or more people are watching), and will include access to all nine blocks for a 7-day period. Single program tickets are also available for films streaming during the event. Links to view the film blocks will be provided upon ticket purchase.
A program of Filmmakers Collaborative, the BIKFF was created to introduce young people and their families to the best that the world of independent filmmaking has to offer. By screening both professionally and student-made films from around the globe, the festival is inspiring kids to use their imagination to tell their own stories and share them with the world. Filmmakers will present documentaries, animated shorts, and short narrative films appropriate for children of all ages.
“This year’s format is different, but we have still received dozens of incredible films from as far away as Russia, Myanmar and Singapore,” said Laura Azevedo, executive director of Filmmakers Collaborative. “The talented filmmakers have astounded us with their creativity and imagination during the past year, and we are excited to show you everything they have come up with.”
Featured films of the 2020 festival include:
I Wish My Education Taught Me…
In a time of social turmoil, the youth are listening and formulating their opinions. Six students, age 13-16, reflect on the social turbulence in 2020 and commentate on what they wish their education could have taught them to better prepare them for the discussions happening in our society today revolving around American History, racial injustice, workers’ rights, and more.
DACAmented
Three young female filmmakers give an intimate look into the life of Kiara Lopez-Cabanillas, a young DACA recipient, as she navigates the challenges that come with being an immigrant in the United States.
The Meeting Spot
A Black Lives Matter film about two friends, one white and one black, who get different reactions from strangers. The filmmaker is an 11-year-old boy from Winchester, MA.
A complete list of films can be found at bikff.org/2020-films/.
Awards will be presented for Best Documentary, Best Animated Short, Best Live Action Short, Best Foreign Language, Best Student Narrative, Best Student Documentary. The festival will also present the Peggy Charren Award for Excellence, created in honor of Peggy Charren, who worked tirelessly to achieve both quality and diversity in children’s television, and organized parents in her community to create an advocacy group, Action for Children’s Television (ACT).
During the festival, there will be two virtual workshops for kids who are interested in making movies. Students can learn about either stop-motion animation or the basics of filmmaking. Interested students can register at BIKFF.org
About Filmmakers Collaborative
The Boston International Kids Film Festival is a project of Filmmakers Collaborative (FC), a non-profit organization that encourages and supports the making of great films and media projects by people of all ages and experience levels. FC offers grants management, mentoring and workshops to a diverse and national community that includes award-winning PBS documentarians, first-time producers and directors, and young people just discovering the power and potential of visual media. For more information, please go to: www.filmmakerscollab.org.
