Chicago International Children's Film Festival
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Chicago International Children's Film Festival

Coming to the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival might be the best part of my job (outside of hugs from kids). I and a number of other museum educators, along with kids’ film producers, spend hours, day after day, sitting in a dark room wearing headphones, trying to get through as many films as possible. It is not traditionally what you might imagine when you think of someone attending a film festival, but all over Chicago, kids are enjoying a more traditional film festival and watching movies with with directors, producers, animators, and actors with an award ceremony at the end.

However, back in the dark screening room, I am cramming my brain with films, thinking of themes and exhibitions to connect them with, and considering what the Walker’s audience will enjoy. While we show about 20 films a year to our families, I watch a lot more than that, many which are wonderful but don’t connect well with our programs.  So I want to share vast variety of things I see during the festival which may or may not be in a future program.

So here is wrap-up for day 1.

Watched 35 short animated films ranging from 2 to 40 minutes from 12 different countries.

I laughed the hardest during Binn Bunny Goes Green. There is just something about an 8 year old talking about a woman taming a man that gets me going.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/8593626[/vimeo]

Since it’s almost Halloween, I had to watch 4D Dracula, an action-filled, but heartwarming, story about a teenage boy and his father.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCk1jN68SHE[/youtube]

If you are potty training a kid, or nearing that time, there is A Film About Poo that has a nice song to assist you in the process.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGcSn5-anmE[/youtube]

My favorite film of the day was The Lost Thing.  I admit I had an interest in this one going in because I have been reading Shaun Tan’s books to the Arty Pants crowd for a while. Sometimes it can be disappointing when a book you like is turned into a movie but this was a complete pleasure.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF7ip89yCjQ[/youtube]

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