Boston International Kids Film Festival Winners Revealed

The Boston International Kids Film Festival has announced the award winners from the fifth annual festival, which took place November 2-5, 2017.

The Boston International Kids Film Festival offers films made for kids and by kids, and hands-on workshops that will enable the next generation of filmmakers to realize the power and potential of media. Designed for young people and their families, the 2017 festival showcased short films from around the world and family-friendly features.

59 films were screened at this year's festival, representing 11 countries, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the USA.

The 2017 award winners are:

• Best Short Film: Due North.

Written, directed and produced by Michael Fallavollita, the 15-minute film tells the story of a young test pilot who finds himself in a mysterious desert region, out of contact with his airbase and with little hope of survival. But childhood memories of his grandfather may provide the key to his ultimate destiny.

• Best Documentary: East of Salinas

Produced and directed by Massachusetts filmmakers Laura Pacheco and Jackie Mow, East of Salinas is the story of a bright boy and his dedicated teacher, both sons of migrant farm works. Jose Ansaldo is a third grader who was born in Mexico and is beginning to understand what that means for his future.

Best Student Film: Boris & Babette

Produced and directed by Merlijin Remmig of the Netherlands, Boris & Babette tells the story of a writer suffering from writer's block while his main character Boris waits around for something to happen. While waiting, he spies a mysterious girl and takes off on a great adventure of his own.

• Best International: Reading Lindsay Keegan's Diary

Produced and directed by Tom Hawgood and Lexi Rose of the United Kingdom. Three 13-year old boys hear that the next-door neighbor, a girl from the year above and all-round super babe Lindsay Keegan, has written the name of THE ONE boy she likes in her diary. They decide to break into her house and stop at nothing until they read it.

• Audience Choice Award: H.U.M.A.N.S.

Produced and directed by 8th grade student Johnathan Newport. H.U.M.A.N.S is a comedic oral history of life over the past 70 million years, examining and personifying the ongoing competitive relationship between Evolution and Extinction.

• Peggy Charren Award for Excellence: The Reflection in Me

A short film produced and directed by Marc Colagiovanni, The Reflection in Me is a heartwarming family film sharing themes of love, acceptance and having a positive self-image.

"We were thrilled with the quality of the films submitted to The Boston International Kids Film Festival this year. Every single film screened at the festival served to inspire young filmmakers," said Laura Azevedo, executive director of Filmmakers Collaborative, the festival's presenter. "We hope everyone walked away from the festival motivated to celebrate their own creativity through film. We can't wait to come back next year!"

For more information, visit http://bikff.org/

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.

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