The Pout-Pout Fish, photo courtesy Viva Kids
The 42nd annual KidFilm® Festival will be Jan. 17-18 at the Angelika Film Center in Dallas. All programs are presented FREE to the community at KidFilm, the oldest and largest-attended children’s film festival in the U. S.
The festival features an entertaining, educational, and diverse line-up of new and classic films for both children and adults. KidFilm is an annual outreach program of the USA Film Festival/Dallas, a 56-year-old 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to the recognition and promotion of excellence in the film and video arts.
Children’s Book Author Deborah Diesen
KidFilm pays tribute to a favorite children’s book author and celebrates diversity, empowerment, family and friendship, along with other important educational lessons in an entertaining program for audiences of any age. Honorary Co-Chairs for KidFilm are USA Film Festival Board of Directors members Yvette Ostolaza, Laura Fox, David Dummer, Gail Terrell, Megan Mitchell, and Xavier Mitchell.
“We are so pleased to be able to offer this year’s program as an all-free-admission event thanks to support from the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture, the Texas Commission on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and from the Festival’s Season Sponsors,” said Fox. “We are honored to be able to celebrate 42 years of KidFilm with this great line-up of inspiring films.”
Highlights of KidFilm Festival
MEET THE AUTHOR! Screening and book signing with special guest: Kids can receive a FREE book and have the author sign them. A Salute to children’s book author Deborah Diesen with a preview screening of Viva Kids’ new animated feature film The Pout-Pout Fish (Australia/USA) ahead of its March 20th theatrical release. The hilarious and heartwarming story follows Mr. Fish, a pouty introvert, and Pip, an energetic sea dragon, who embark on a daunting quest to find a legendary fish to grant their wish to save their homes. Free copies of the new book, “The Pout-Pout Fish Movie Storybook” will be distributed to families (while supplies last), and Deborah Diesen will sign books for the kids.
The Land of Sometime photo courtesy Shout! Factory
NEW ANIMATED FEATURE FILMS
Leon Joosen’s The Land of Sometimes (UK), a fantastical musical which follows twins Alfie and Elise who get more than they bargained for as they are whisked away to a magical world after summoning a mysterious Wish Collector. Mark Risley’s Flower of the Dawn (USA), an enchanting fairy tale that follows a princess who has been turned into a nightingale by a vain sorceress whose only hope is to attain an elusive, magical flower.
The Last Whale Singer (Canada/Czech Republic/Germany), an epic adventure which features a self-doubting teenage humpback whale who must face his fears and embark on a perilous journey with his friends in order to discover his own song and save the ocean from a monstrous creature. Caroline Origer’s Spiked (Belgium/France/Luxembourg/UK), a fantastic family film that follows a young, orphaned hedgehog and overextended rabbit father who experience the adventure of a lifetime. Miss Moxy (Netherlands/Belgium), an exciting comedy which features a domestic cat who gets lost during a vacation and must find her way back home through the South of Europe with the help of the most despicable creatures a cat can imagine: a comical dog and an old, wise bird.
Miss Moxy photo courtesy Studio 100
KidFilm Dallas Live Action Films
Gregory Alan Williams’ Paw Paw & Dayja (USA), a delightfully entertaining film that follows the adventures of a Bigfoot obsessed ten-year-old. With the help of her grandfather, she learns that each of us see the world a little differently but everyone’s view has value. Neven Hitrec’s The Second Diary of Paulina P. (Croatia/Serbia/Slovenia), an entertaining, yet relatable film that follows a fifth grader who uses her charm and imagination to navigate a strict teacher, her first bully, and the new dynamic with her grandmother who is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
Tord Danielsson’s The Crown Prince and the Return of the Tyrant (Sweden), a stunning fantasy film that follows a young Crown Prince who will soon become king, just as he has always dreamed, when his suspicious grandmother returns to the kingdom.
The festival also features 22 short film presentations, both animated and live-action short films from around the world. The full schedule of KidFilm programs is available online at usafilmfestival.com. Programs are free, but everyone must have a ticket for admission.