NORTHAMPTON – School is out this week for students in Northampton Public Schools, and cabin fever is sure to make an appearance. Thankfully, the Northampton Arts Council, Academy of Music Theatre and Amherst Cinema have banded together to find a cure for Winter Recess boredom.
From Monday, February 17th until Friday, February 21st, kids of all ages are invited to the Academy of Music for KidsBestFest and YouthFilm, two film festivals that center around the talents and interests of youth.
KidsBestFest boasts a diverse lineup of children's films – from the well-loved 2006 adaptation of Ronald Dahl's Matilda, to the award-winning 2013 documentary Maidentrip, to the 2013 German drama Ricky - Three's A Crowd – all of which are bound to satisfy even the pickiest of young filmgoers.
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Before the start of each day's KidsBestFest feature, the YouthFilm Festival will screen a selection of short films made by local youths from ages 8 to 18. YouthFilm provides young local filmmakers with an opportunity to watch their stories unfold on the big screen.
The festival begins on Monday with a selection of YouthFilm shorts and a screening of Matilda, and will close on Friday with a screening of Youth Reel: Paradigm, a reel of short films made and selected by youths. The shorts in Youth Reel: Paradigm were selected by a jury of teens from the Summerfilm course at the California Film Institute from a pool of 160 national and international entries.
Whether you want to support young local talent, are looking for a way introduce your young ones to new and exciting films, or just need a break from playing in the snow, the KidsBestFest and YouthFilm Festival at the Academy of Music is the perfect place to be.
The festival will begin at 1:00pm each day with selected YouthFilm shorts, followed by a KidsBestFest feature film. Tickets cost $3 each and will be available at the door.
For a full schedule of events and more information about the selected films for both YouthFilm and KidsBestFest, click here. Please bear in mind that some of the films might not be suitable for certain age groups, and suggested ages for each day have been noted on the schedule in order to reflect this.
All images courtesy of Northampton Arts Council.