Press 2005
November 19, 2005
Contact:
Josh Davidson
Davidson Communications
914.478.8810
KIDS FIRST! BEST WINNERS ANNOUNCED
To Be Presented At The 28th Annual Starz Denver International Film
Festival™
Ceremony To Take Place November 19th At Denver Performing Arts Complex
(Santa Fe, NM)—Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus, Mad Hot Ballroom and Because
of Winn Dixie are among the big winners of this year’s Annual KIDS FIRST!
Best Awards, to be presented on Saturday, November 19th as part of the Starz
Denver International Film Festival™ (SDIFF28). Awards in 15 categories—plus
“Best of Fest” winners—will be presented throughout the morning
screenings on Saturday, November 19th, and the five Best of the Fest Awards
will be presented as part of the SDIFF Closing Awards Ceremony at the world-class
Ellie Caulkins Opera House.
“We’re pleased to have the opportunity to present this year’s
awards as part of a live ceremony during the prestigious Starz Denver International
Film Festival,” said Ranny Levy, Founder and President, Coalition for
Quality Children’s Media, producers of the KIDS FIRST! Best Awards. “With
so many quality titles from both studios and independent producers, it was quite
a task for our voters. We’re very proud of the winners selected and are
grateful for everyone’s participation in making these important selections.”
The winners of this year’s KIDS FIRST! Best Awards are:
Best of the Fest:
Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus, Lions Gate Home Entertainment— Barbie
takes flight in her first original fairy tale movie: Barbie and the Magic of
Pegasus! Princess Annika (Barbie) escapes the clutches of the evil wizard, explores
the wonders of Cloud Kingdom, and teams up with a magnificent winged horse –
who turns out to be her sister, Princess Brietta - to defeat the wizard and
break the spells that imprisoned her family. Spectacular 3-D scenes add magic
to this extraordinary adventure.
Danger Rangers, Mission 547, The Safety Rules, Educational Adventures—
Empowering safety information is taught to children as they are entertained
by the loveable animal superheroes' adventures, comedy and songs. The Danger
Rangers mission is to make the world a safer place by stopping one potential
hazard at a time. Along the way, the characters encounter unsafe actions, dangerous
settings and risky behaviors which they correct. Safety tips are folded directly
into the action-driven stories, gags, and songs.
Dora the Explorer, Paramount Home Entertainment/Nickelodeon— Dora The
Explorer is designed to engage pre-schoolers in a play along adventure. Join
Dora and her band of animal friends as she journeys through the Spooky Forest,
Crocodile Lake, and other exciting places. The series is designed to actively
encourage pre-schoolers in a play along adventure. Dora The Explorer builds
on Nick Jr’s promise to ‘Play, Laugh and Learn.’ Each day
Dora and her monkey companion Boots go on a high stakes journey – a quest
filled with funny friends and puzzling problems.
Mad Hot Ballroom, Paramount Classics/Paramount Home Entertainment— An
insightful, inspiring and often hilarious look at a group of eleven-year-old
New York City public school kids who journey into the world of ballroom dancing.
Along the way, they reveal themselves and their world as they compete in the
final citywide competition. Told from their candid perspectives, these kids
are transformed from reluctant participants to determined competitors, from
typical urban kids to "ladies and gentlemen." Directed by Marilyn
Agrelo and written by Amy Sewell.
Because of Winn Dixie, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment— Based
on the best selling book, this is the heartwarming ‘tail’ of a young
girl (Annasophia Robb) whose life is changed by a scruffy, fun loving pooch
she names Winn Dixie. The special bond between them works magic on her reserved
dad (Jeff Daniels) and the eccentric townspeople they meet during one unforgettable
summer. Director: Wayne Wang; Original music by Rachel Portman; Actors: Annasophia
Robb, Jeff Daniels, Cicely Tyson, Eva Marie Saint; Dave Matthews.
Best TV Series for ages 2-5—Peep and the Big Wide World, Discovery Kids/WGBH
Best Feature for ages 2-5—Land Before Time 11: Invasion of the Tinysauruses,
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Best TV Series for ages 2-8—Fairly Odd Parents, Paramount Home Entertainment
Best Feature for ages 5-8—Robots, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Best TV Series for ages 8-12—SpongeBob SquarePants, Paramount Home Entertainment/Nickelodeon
Best Feature for ages 8-12—Because of Winn Dixie—Twentieth Century
Fox Home Entertainment
Best Feature for ages 12-18—Ghosts of Rwanda, Paramount Home Entertainment/PBS
Best Independent Short for ages 2-5—Room to Grow, The Krislin Co.
Best Independent Short for ages 5-8—Danger Rangers, Mission 547, The Safety
Rules, Educational Adventures
Best Independent Series for ages 5-8 (tie)—The Trevor Romain Collection,
The Comical Sense Co.; Reading Rainbow, GPN/WNED-TV
Best Independent Short for ages 8-12—Raven Tales: Raven Steals the Sun,
Raven Tales Productions
Best Independent Short for ages 12-18—Stealing Innocence, American Girl
Productions
Best Independent Feature—Sho’Nuff: A Nu’Awlins Jazz Story,
JuJu Films International
Best Student Film by a K-12 Student—What’s with the Hijab?, TVbyGIRLS
Best Student Film by a College Student (tie)—Past Whispers, Brett Rhuland;
United, TXL Films
President’s Award—The Entertainment Project
President’s Award—Starz Denver International Film Festival
Also on Saturday, November 19th, at 2:00 p.m., KIDS FIRST! will hold a Red Carpet
event at the King Center, hosting a special preview screening of “The
Blue Butterfly,” a film by Léa Pool, starring Academy Award®
winner William Hurt.
SDIFF28 DETAILS .
For the 28th Starz Denver International Film Festival, November 10th through
20th, all regular screenings will take place at the Denver Film Society’s
permanent home, the Starz FilmCenter at the Tivoli on the Auraria Campus. Opening
Night, Big Night, and Closing Night events will take place at the new Ellie
Caulkins Opera House at the Denver Performing Arts Complex.
The official film schedule will be announced online at www.denverfilm.org on Monday, October 24th. Denver Film Society Members will be able to purchase tickets starting on October 26th. Become a member today to take advantage of early ticket buying opportunities and discounts.
On October 28th, the schedule will be published as a special advertising section in The Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News. It will also be available at various Denver retail stores and restaurants. For a listing of these participating outlets, visit www.denverfilm.org.
Festival tickets will go on sale to the general public on October 28th. Tickets will be available online at www.denverfilm.org, in person at the Starz FilmCenter box office (11AM – 9PM daily) or by phone at 303.534.1339.
Denver Film Society is a membership-based, nonprofit cultural institution dedicated
to cultivating film as art. Founded in 1978, Denver Film Society produces the
Starz Denver International Film Festival. Denver Film Society’s home theatre
and cinematic education center is open daily at Starz FilmCenter at the Tivoli,
Denver’s first and only year-round cinematheque.
The KIDS FIRST! FILM AND VIDEO FESTIVAL is an initiative of the not-for-profit
Coalition for Quality Children’s Media. The Coalition’s goal is
to empower children to make wise media choices and to promote quality media
products that enrich their lives. http://www.kidsfirst.org.
The Children’s Museum of Denver is an essential learning resource that
engages the young children of the Denver community in play and active exploration,
together with their parents and other adults to expand their capacity to learn.
The Children’s Museum of Denver has served millions of children and adults
throughout the metro Denver area for more than 30 years. For more information,
visit www.mychildsmuseum.org.
