Boston International Kids Film Festival Returns for the Seventh Year

The Boston International Kids Film Festival (BIKFF) is back with more than 80 films -- both professionally and student-made -- ALL for kids. This year's selections feature a number of award-winning films including a documentary about Syrian and Iraqi refugees experiencing summer camp for the first time, a call to action from a group of school children in Brooklyn trying to eliminate microplastics polluting our environment, and a look back at the Merrimack Valley Gas Explosion and how families and small businesses are still trying to recover. The festival will take place at the Capitol Theatre in Arlington, the Somerville Theatre, and Lesley University College of Art and Design on November 15th - 17th. All screenings are open to the public and tickets can be purchased at bikff.org.

A program of Filmmakers Collaborative, BIKFF works to inspire kids to use the media to tell their own stories while screening some of the best films that independent filmmaking has to offer. Filmmakers will present full length documentaries, animated shorts, and short films appropriate for young children through high schoolers. The festival will also feature films made by students in the FC Academy, an after-school and summer vacation filmmaking program that introduces kids to the latest technology and filmmaking techniques. More than half of the films being screened are student-made, with the producers and directors being 18 years or younger.

"We look forward to showcasing the work of these incredibly talented directors and producers," said Laura Azevedo, executive director of Filmmakers Collaborative, the festival's presenter. "At its heart, the Boston International Kids Film Festival is all about kids, and this years selections highlight the unique struggles children are facing today. From climate change, to the refugee crisis, the filmmakers are tackling complex issues that are having a very real impact on today's youth."

In addition to the screenings, the festival will hold three workshops on Sunday morning at Lesley University's College of Art and Design. Children can attend the Storyboarding or Stop Motion Animation Workshops while adults are invited to attend the Business of Filmmaking Workshop run by Laura Azevedo.

Featured films of the 2019 festival include:

• New Homeland
  Fri, November 15, 2019 7:00 PM - The Capitol Theater, Arlington

Two-time Academy Award winner Barbara Kopple (Harlan County, USA) chronicles the experiences of five refugee children from war-torn Syria and Iraq whose families have resettled in Canada. In this sweetly observed film, Kopple follows the boys for two weeks at a summer camp in the Canadian wilderness. We watch as some boys thrive while others struggle and the best intentions of the camp counselors are put to the test. Producer Eric Forman will attend and answer questions after the screening.

• My Beautiful Stutter
  Sat, November 16, 2019 1:00 PM - Somerville Theater, Somerville
  My Beautiful Stutter follows five kids who stutter, ages 9 to 18, from all over the United States and all walks of life, who, after experiencing a lifetime of bullying and stigmatization, meet other children who stutter at an interactive arts-based program, The Stuttering Association for the Young, based in New York City. Their journey to SAY find some close to suicide, others withdrawn and fearful, exhausted and defeated from failed fluency training, societal pressures to not stutter or the decision to remain silent.
• Under Pressure
  Sun, November 17, 2019 3:30 PM - Somerville Theater, Somerville
  Created by the senior class at Four Rivers Charter Public School, Under Pressure follows the aftermath of the Columbia Gas explosion in the Merrimack Valley in September of 2018. The film explores the complex truth of natural gas as an energy source, as well as the struggles of local families and small businesses as they attempt to rebuild their lives after the disaster.
• Microplastic Madness
  Sun, November 17, 2019 1:30 PM - Somerville Theater, Somerville
  Fifth graders from a Brooklyn public school spent 2 years investigating the local and global impacts of plastic marine pollution, and took action for plastic-free waters. MICROPLASTIC MADNESS is an inspiring and optimistic take on the local and global plastic marine pollution crisis, as told through a refreshing urban youth point-of-view.

Awards will be presented for Best Documentary, Best Short, Best International, Best Student Film, Best Student Documentary and the Audience Choice Award. Student-made films will be live-judged with the winners announced at the end of each program block. 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).

For more information or to purchase tickets to the festival, visit http://bikff.org/

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