A Film Festival By Kids, For Kids

Forget Sundance and Cannes. This Monday, the beloved neighborhood film series, Big Movies for Little Kids, debuts their first , and will showcase films created by NYC kids. 

Allison Prete, neighborhood mom and creator of Big Movies for Little Kids, was inspired to start the festival after Big Movies for Little Kids' board member Carolyn Peterson introduced Prete to Michael Miller, a teacher at Packer Collegiate in Brooklyn Heights. A group of Miller's fourth grade students made a live action short, specifically to screen alongside "Tom & Jerry" at Big Movies.

“The kids in the audience loved seeing a film made by other kids," said Prete.

Twenty-two films will be screened at the event, including a few from neighborhood kids. The films subjects range from historical films on Rosa Parks and Eleanor Roosevelt to animated shorts.

The quality of the work Prete received was impressive, she said.

“We received submissions from kids all over NYC and I’m floored by the imagination and the variety of filmmaking. It’s amazing.” Prete said enthusiastically about the kids' filmmaking abilities. “I’m a documentary filmmaker and I didn’t pick up a camera until I was twenty.”

Ella Tierney, 7, made a claymation movie with her sister Harper, 2, called "Olivehead and Lemonhead," a tale of two best friends and their magical adventures playing, exploring and facing a giant together.

"It was awesome making it but it took a long time, like seven months!" said Tierney. "I was glad that everyone got to play a part — my sister, Harper, got to be the giant, my mom got to hold Harper, I got to be the director, Jeremy [friend] got to be the shooter and my dad got to help with the sound."

The kids in the audience will judge the festival. They are invited to vote for their three favorite films. The winning trio will be screened at 8 p.m. on June 17th at the Big Movies For Little Kids Rooftop Films Drive-in Movie in the schoolyard. They are also showing the original "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" that evening along with the three shorts.

Big Movies is collaborating with the Children’s Museum of the Arts for the festival. Before the screening starts at 3 p.m., the museum is running an Introduction to Stop Motion Animation Workshop in the lobby of the theater. 

In addition, the filmmakers whose films are in the festival will receive a free admission pass to the Children’s Museum of the Arts. 

“The film series is a beginning of a partnership with Big Movies,” said Joe Vena, CMA Media Lab Manager. "As an organization that works with young filmmakers from 6 and up, we support the efforts of Big Movies for Little Kids and giving kids the opportunity to showcase their work.”

The museum will also have a short in the festival, "Diamond of the Pig," created in the CMA summer art colony with kids between the ages of 7-14. However, viewers will not be able to vote for this film in the competition.

Big Movies for Little Kids tends to attract a very large crowd. Tickets can be purchased in advance, and if you want to get a good seat, you should get there early.

"After five years of establishing this film series, we have a platform to do this," said Prete. "Kids have been watching our films, now we want to see theirs.”