The second annual Children’s International Film Festival Aotearoa “Screenies” is coming back to Auckland. Following the success of the four-day program last year at TAPAC, Screenies is holding the international film and media festival again this year on the 22-25^th of September. The festival will showcase international children’s films to educate the positive aspects of other cultures.

Screenies hopes to promote diversity and introduce different cultures to children. As Auckland is becoming a more ethnically diverse city, it is important to grow children who are aware and knowledgeable of different cultural and world views.

This year’s programme includes four international feature films from all over the world, as well as two Asia Pacific packages from Little Big Shots. The films encourage children to overcome adversity and to persevere until they succeed. The films will also show kiwi kids aspects of how children from other cultures grew up.

Festival founder Janette Howe, a Titirangi resident and mother of two, started Screenies to create a quality experience of multimedia for kiwi children from 3-15 years. She wanted to engage children and their families with quality international screen content made for kids and to give children the opportunity be content creators.

By providing opportunities such as free storyboard making workshops and holiday programmes teaching children how to create short movies, Janette hopes that she can help enrich children’s minds and grow their passion for film and storytelling. “Instead of looking at media as ‘junk food’ there is an opportunity to show them new worlds and perspectives through film that they wouldn’t otherwise have access to.”

In preparation for the second annual film festival, Screenies have also announced an exciting new competition. In order to encourage children to be more aware about media and to advocate critical thinking, they have announced a film review competition.

The competition is being held throughout August, with entries open from the 15^th of August until the 5^th of September. There are excellent prizes to be won, such as Panasonic Cameras and vouchers to the Dorothy Butler Children’s Bookshop as well as free passes to the annual Children’s International Film Festival mid-September.

For more information about the competition and the upcoming festival, including additional prize packages and festival information which will be regularly updated, please visit Screenies website www.screenies.nz or contact them directly at hello@screenies.nz.

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Extra Information

Little Big Shots:

Little Big Shots is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to enhancing the media literacy of young people, fostering children's creativity and showcasing the very best in filmmaking for, by and about kids.

The films screening in Little Big Shots inspire discussion of world cultures, different languages, cultural diversity, emotional intelligence and human values.

In 2016, entering its 12th year, the festival now stands as Australia’s only major stand-alone kids’ film festival - a niche Australian event, that tours all major cities in the country from June every year. It focuses on diverse short films collected from all over the world as well as a commitment to showing the best child-made films from Australia plus plenty of competitions and opportunities for involvement.

Janette Howe Bio:

Janette Howe is a children and youth media advocate. A writer, director, producer and creative entrepreneur she has over two decades of experience across publishing and film/TV. In 2012 she founded and now chairs the NZ Children’s Screen Trust (Kidsonscreen), a registered charity that advocates for children in the screen industries. Her knowledge of the children’s media landscape and love for storytelling has led her to found Screenies – a film and media festival for children which launched in October 2015 in Auckland. She is a 2015 ART Venture creative entrepreneurship recipient.

As Chair of the NZ Children’s Screen Trust Janette has gained international perspectives with support from the Goethe-Institut, attending Mini Input (a public television forum) in the Philippines, the Prix Jeunesse International Television Festival in Munich and hosting a NZ Prix Jeunesse Youth Jury in NZ. In 2014 she was a jury member for the Prix Jeunesse Best of 50 years of Children’s Television Awards and a judge for the 2014 ATOM Documentary Awards and Canadian YMA Awards of Excellence. She is passionate about delivering diverse screen content to NZ kids. She also writes for children through her own publishing company The Story Caravan.

Janette has a Graduate Diploma in Film and Television Documentary (from VCA, Melbourne University) and an MA in Screen Production (1st Class Hons) from Auckland University. Her documentary film credits include Hanging Out with Henry (winner Tertiary ATOM award), Maternity Unit (SBS) and Once Bitten (SBS/MTS). She was a Board member and acting Executive Director of the NZ Screen Directors Guild and edited their flagship magazine Take.

“Screenies” is presented by the Pipikids International Film and Media Festival Trust (a registered Charity CC52246)