March 25, 2008 | for immediate release
Freeze Frame International Film Festival for Kids of
All Ages wrapped up March 22.
Winnipeg -- Freeze Frame International
Film Festival for Kids of All Ages wrapped up its ten-day run on Saturday March
22nd with an attendance of just over 5000, up about 400 over 2007. The Festival
closing included the screening of award-winning Indian film The Blue Umbrella
by Vishal Bhardwaj, as well as a live Kathak performance by students of the
India School of Dance.
The 2008 Freeze Frame Youth Jury gave the Youth Jury Award for Best Feature
to Max Minsky and Me by Anna Justice (Germany 2007), and the National Film Board
of Canada Youth Jury Award for Best Animated Short to A Giraffe In the Rain
by Pascale Hecquet (Belgium/France 2007). Youth Jury Honourable Mentions were
awarded to Hannah’s Story by Juanita Peters (Canada 2007), for its inspiring
and important subject matter, and to Yellow Sticky Notes by Jeff Chiba Stearns
(Canada 2007) for its innovative animation technique. The seven Freeze Frame
Youth Jury members evaluated seven of the feature films and over twenty animated
shorts playing during the ten-day international film festival.
The Audience Award for Best Feature Film also went to Max Minsky and Me.
“This was a very successful Festival with many new audience members expressing
their delight at discovering a rich and diverse collection of international
films.” says Artistic/Executive Director Nicole Matiation. “I was
delighted to observe the interaction between international, national and local
filmmakers with our audience both at screenings and in workshops. All of the
special guests and workshop facilitators expressed their appreciation in having
direct contact with audiences both young and older!”
The Festival kicked off on March 13 with the screening of Hannah’s Story,
a documentary about Winnipeg’s own Hannah Taylor, the thirteen-year old
founder of the Ladybug Foundation to help the homeless. Both director Juanita
Peters and Hannah Taylor herself were present at the Festival opening and offered
remarks and answered audience questions. Ms. Peters of Nova Scotia also led
storyboarding workshops and spoke at other Hannah’s Story screenings during
the Festival.
Also at the Opening gala, which was hosted by Global Television’s weather
specialist Andrea Slobodian, were Freeze Frame international guests Jean-Luc
Slock and Delphine Hermans, of Camera-etc. Mr. Slock, who founded Camera-etc
almost thirty years ago, screened animated shorts created by young people on
various human rights issues through his non-profit creative arts centre in Liège,
Belgium. During her stay, Ms. Hermans led day-long animation workshops at the
Festival and a three-day animation workshop at Saint-Avila School.
Vancouver animator Izabela Bzymek, who has worked on international features
and some Canadian projects, joined the Festival midway to screen her short Oma’s
Quilt and to lead workshops in character design for animation.
Bzymek, Peters and Hermans also handed out awards at the 2008 Youth Video Competition
Ceremonies on March 17th. Over 220 students, teachers and families attended
the Wee Reel and Reel Views Awards Galas to celebrate talented young filmmakers,
actors and directors who submitted their films for the competition. Prizes for
the competition were provided by local organizations such as On Screen Manitoba,
Radio Canada, Manitoba Public Insurance, Frantic Films, Manitoba Theatre for
Young People and the National Film Board of Canada. There were over one hundred
submissions for the Wee Reels category (grades 8 and under), and just over 50
for the Reel Views competition (grades 9-12). Entries were judged by two separate
juries of local film professionals.
The festival also featured local talent, including independent filmmakers Mike
Maryniuk, Matthew Rankin and Jim Sanders, as well as actress Elyse Hartman and
Fine Eyes Makeup Artists Janique Lavoie and Danae Groleau.
For more information visit www.freezeframeonline.org
Media enquiries
Joey Chopra | Freeze Frame | (204) 943-5341 office | (204) 952-4996 cell | info@freezeframeonline.org