The largest children’s film festival in North America will be in Wilmette on November 3, 4 and 5 when the Wilmette Theatre hosts the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival.
Operated by the nonprofit Facets, the 34-year-old festival includes independent films from all over the globe that are a departure from the commercial fare typically shown for children at movie theaters.
“People underestimate kids as an audience. They are very savvy,” Festival Director Ann Vikstrom told DailyNorthShore.
The International Children’s Film Festival is the first Academy Award-qualifying children’s festival — the live action short Sing won an Oscar in 2017. A tremendous variety of films will be screened at the Wilmette Theatre, including feature-length and short animation, live action and documentary films. Since many of the films are foreign, some will be dubbed, while others will have subtitles. Subtitle readers will be available for children under 8 years old.
The films are chosen to specifically appeal to children from as young as two years old up to age 18. Some of the short films appealing to the preschool set are a mere two to six minutes. The films also tackle a range of topics that appeal to various age groups, from adventure and comedy, to teen issues such as self-identity.
Filmmakers from around the world will attend the event, providing audiences an opportunity to ask questions and dig deeper into the meaning of the films.
“It is extremely important that kids understand that there is a human filmmaker making decisions based on their own cultural experiences,” Vikstrom said. One of Facets’ goals is to teach children how to engage with a film rather than just passively watch it.
The Wilmette Theatre has made a real push to partner with Chicago-based cultural organizations such as Facets. “We are a unique venue,” Wendy Sharon, Executive Director of the Wilmette Theatre told DailyNorthShore. “We are finding that a lot of the downtown organizations want a foothold in the North Shore,” she said.
The Wilmette Theatre received positive feedback from residents after recently partnering with The Field Museum and Writers Theatre. Sharon felt that Facets is a good fit for the Wilmette Theatre because of its renown in the community. “I am always looking for quality programming for children and families,” she said.
By partnering with other cultural institutions, Sharon sees the Wilmette Theatre as more than just a movie theatre, but a venue for North Shore residents to gather and engage. “We enable people to come together and learn and discuss,” she said.
Facets is well-known for interacting with children, ensuring that they aren’t just entertained but also learn how to digest a film. “That’s a skill kids can use in a broader educational setting,” Sharon noted.
Facets’ Chicago International Children’s Film Festival will be at the Wilmette Theatre November 3-5. In advance of the festival, on October 28 Nature Cat from the PBS television show will be visiting the Wilmette Theatre. More information about the festival can be found at www.facets.org.
From the film On Wheels, photo courtesy of Facets.