By Terry Jinks
Contributing Writer
My earliest film appearance is from rickety-old 1950s 8mm footage showing me on my Aunt Wilma's front porch proudly displaying pipe cleaner biceps and a 78 lb. shirtless ribcage. Oh, how things have changed. This week begins the Chicago Children's International Film Festival, Oct. 27 through Nov. 6, with wonderful Hollywood stars and directors. But the great draw of this 22nd festival remains that the films are mostly made by kids for kids and they are making the world stand up and take notice.
From Elmhurst, IL, 13-year-old directors/ producers Stephen Sotor and Trace Gaynor screened their documentary film, "Genie in a Bottle," to the United Nations nuclear weapons conference in New York. They received a standing ovation and were asked for an immediate repeat showing, and they obliged! The two talented 8th graders are being flown to Washington, DC, to show it to the Carnegie non-proliferation treaty conference on the day following the Chicago International Children's Film Festival.
"It is about dropping the first atomic bomb using scientists' metaphor of how technology created the bomb and the difficult process of putting the genie back in the bottle through non-proliferation," said Sotor. Their compelling explanation of the preparation and delivery of the atom bomb includes an interview with the one remaining creator, who won a Nobel Prize. It is done with insightful perspectives that one might expect from a director or producer much older and more experienced. What question to the boys was most asked from the United Nations' conference attendees? "Who is your agent?"
"To participate in the Children's Film Festival means getting to go into Chicago and watch your film on the big screen and observe people and relatives and friends seeing it—it makes you feel great. It's amazing," said Sotor. Viewers of all ages will enjoy "Genie in a Bottle" that plays at Vittum Theater, Sunday, Nov. 6, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Visit www.stephentracefilms.com.
Fourteen-year-old Dane Shubert took previous MAC generated film work as a street vendor in front of a pizza parlor and sold about 80 CDs, at $10 a pop, to raise funds to produce "Fishing With Craig." He even got help from his dad in building a dolly for his "crew." It took six weeks to produce this heartfelt film which tells the story of how heaven can be all about fishing with your brother. Shubert, whose mother Kate is a former comedic actress playing a dead woman, says he has always been interested in what happens when you die and likes films with a reveal at the end. This film is about a kid who lost his brother who died in the war—how much they liked fishing together and what it means in the end. Audiences will find it touching and done with subtle dramatic photography.
Showing time for the 10-1/2 minute film is 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, at the Vittum Theater.
Third-grader Peter Gundling is the youngest member of the Young Filmmakers and was chosen as a juror for the Italian Children's Film Festival this year. He got involved with Facets, took classes in production and filmmaking, and had his five-minute stop-action animation, "Toys," selected for this year's festival.
Gundling first became interested in making films when he discovered the old Gumby movies. His beautifully shot and edited "Toys" doesn't have a story line, says Gundling. "It shows how Lego toys used to live, just doing normal stuff like having dinner, walking and sleeping. Their feet didn't move then." It took a couple of months to make and used voices from the special sounds library in Lake Forest.
After each screening, children receive Best of Fest ballots on which to rate and evaluate the films. Ballots are tallied at the end of the Festival, and the film with the most votes wins the highly coveted Best of Fest Prize. The Best of Fest Prize, along with the Adult and Children's Jury awards, will be announced at the American Airlines Closing Night Awards Presentation Sunday, Nov. 6. For more information, contact Kidsfest at (773) 281-2166, (773) 281-9075, email kidsfest@facets.org, or visit www.cicff.org.
Locations:
Facets Multi-Media
1517 W. Fullerton Ave.
Vittum Theater
1012 N. Noble St.
Admission to Screenings
$6 for children
$8 for adults
Advance ticket sales available at www.ticketweb.com or (866) 468-3401.
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