2012 Maryland International Kids FilmFest to Feature 50Plus Films

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The Maryland International Kids FilmFest is presented by the Frederick Film Festival, which exists due to a partnership between the Weinberg Center for the Arts, Frederick’s premiere performing arts venue, and CinemArts, a Frederick-based independent film organization.

(PressReleasePoint)Frederick, MD – The Weinberg Center plays host as the Frederick Film Festival (the F3) partners with the Los Angeles International Children’s Film Festival to bring the Maryland International Kids FilmFest, or MIKFF, to Frederick. The event features over 50 short films in hour-long blocks divided by age groups and a screening of two installments of one of the most famous series of animated films in film history: Wallace and Gromit.

The MIKFF is an outgrowth of the children’s film programming initiated at the Frederick Film Festival during the early years of that festival. The popularity of the children’s film component of the F3 inspired the organizers of the festival to seek out new and interesting film for kids in an effort to program a festival just for them. Actually, parents won’t be disappointed or bored either…a potential surprise for those parents who see kids movies as an opportunity for a nap.

The films screened at the Maryland International Kids FilmFest represent some of the finest and most creative short films from around the world—animation, live action and documentary—made for younger children and tweens. The films are categorized by age groups in hour-long blocks with each block featuring 10-12 short films and15 minute breaks between blocks.

For the festival’s early evening features, the MIKFF is proud and happy to present the two Oscar-winning animated Wallace and Gromit films "The Wrong Trousers" and "A Close Shave." The films, featuring the creations of Nick Park and produced by Aardman Animations in the UK, are two of the most highly acclaimed animated films in history and feature two animated, quirky stars: Wallace, the inventor, and Gromit, his trusty (and much smarter) canine companion.

The Wallace and Gromit films are known for their dry humor, incredibly detailed depictions of mayhem, and their innovative use of stop-motion animation. The animation technique for these films is highly labor intensive. One second of the movie constitutes 24 separate frames of film and the daily production speed on the films is roughly 30 frames per day of production. Just over a SECOND OF FILM! A 30-minute film is 1800 seconds...over 43,000 frames of film! The work pays off splendidly, however, as one gets lost in the frantic chaos that is the life of Wallace and Gromit.

The Maryland International Kids FilmFest begins at 10:00am with blocks of film scheduled until 4:00pm with the Wallace and Gromit films starting at 4:30pm. Ticket prices are $10 for a day pass with tickets for individual blocks of film available as well. Tickets are available at the Weinberg box office, online, or by calling 301-600-2828. For more information and a complete schedule of events, go to: www.MIKFF.com

The Maryland International Kids FilmFest is presented by the Frederick Film Festival, which exists due to a partnership between the Weinberg Center for the Arts, Frederick’s premiere performing arts venue, and CinemArts, a Frederick-based independent film organization. Together, these partners have brought under-screened, independent and foreign films to Frederick for more than 6 years.

"Partnerships within the arts and within the community are vital to maintaining and increasing Frederick's arts base," says John Healey, director of the Weinberg Center. "Independent children’s film represents a medium that is challenging mass market movies that are often vehicles for toy sales rather than a creative and entertaining piece of work. Kids…and their parents…will be talking about these films for a very long time."

For information on the F3, visit www.FrederickFilmFest.com.

For information about events at the Weinberg Center, visit www.WeinbergCenter.org.