Ann’s Marketing Memes

Enjoy your favorite shorts and have fun with all the new shorts arriving daily. The online films feature shorts from current favorites and best of fest for past years. Check it out http://shorts.kidsfirstmedia.com.  Filmmakers, we have a special 2 for 1 submission fee for shorts now through December 31, 2011. Enter now.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) and the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA) are proud to announce the11th Annual Native Cinema Showcase Join us August 15th through August 21st during Indian Market Week as we honor indigenous media and the imaginative work of Native filmmakers. All screenings and programs will be at the New Mexico History Museum (113 Lincoln Avenue, Santa Fe, NM). Admission is free and open to the public.

Netflix is expanding into Latin America. Make a video for a chance to win $40,500. Deadline August 9, 2011.

Heelys - fun, freedom and fearless. Win $18,500 for the winning video featuring Heelys.

State Corn Dogs? Really? Worth $9,000 for the best video.

If you are not quite ready for filmmaking, check out the New Kideo Facebook Page.

Who needs a red carpet when you have honey? The honey-colored-carpet premiere of “Winnie the Pooh” takes fans to the Hundred Acre Wood for a Tiggeriffic good time. The beloved “bear of very little brain” and his plush pals take to the big screen for a whole new generation of moviegoers, showcasing the signature heart and humor.

KIDS FIRST! Film Critics, Raven Devanney, Anthony Aranda and Makai Weber Colvin dive behind the scenes with the talent of this whimsical film with the critics interviewing Craig Ferguson (voice of Owl), Tom Kenny (voice of Rabbit), Jim Cummings (voice of Pooh, Tigger) and Travis Oates (voice of Piglet). This is just the start of a full week of fun and excitement for 15 special kids attending the KIDS FIRST! Boot Camp. Stay tuned for more fun at the Walt Disney Studios. Check out the interviews on the KIDS FIRST! Facebook page

The KIDS FIRST! Film Critics’ reviews are now available on AOL Kids. Last month, Raven Devanney kicked off the series with her review of Disney’s Tangled. Now, 8-year-old Anthony Aranda posted his review of Rio after attending a sneak peek of the film on the FOX lot last Monday. Anthony also interviewed American Idol finalists Brooke White and Danny Gokey on the Red Carpet event featuring P&G and Walmart’s new Family Movie Night film Change of Plans.

The KIDS FIRST! Film Critics are invited to events all over the county to review films, interview celebrities and attend film festivals. You can be eligible to win prizes in the monthly KIDS FIRST! Film Critics search by reviewing and uploading your film review at the WonderWorldTV Site. Don’t miss out on the fun.

One day Full HD 3D production workshop where filmmakers get hands-on with Panasonic’s AG-3DA1 integrated twins-lens 3D camcorder presented by StudentFilmmakers.com.

StudentFilmmakers.com is presenting “Shooting in 3D Workshops” with Julian Chojnacki, taking place on Saturday, March 19, 2011 in Manhattan (NY) and Saturday, March 26, 2011 in Burbank, CA. The workshops are 9:30am to 4:30pm.

Real-life 3D images are expected to find widespread application in fields ranging from movies to TV broadcasts to industrial uses. The full day workshops discuss 3D shooting techniques and hands-on experience.

Workshops are $120 and you can register by calling 212-255-5454 or register here.

A new KIDS FIRST! Film “Stranger” just joined the film festival lineup. Set in a beautiful rural village in Iran, a new teacher moves to the village to educate the children. A young widow attracts the attention of the teacher, but a local, wealthy (and married) villager is in love with the widow. The villager schemes to run the teacher out of town and torches the school to force him to leave. The teacher saves a student caught in the fire, but leaves so the village can live in peace.

Much of the interest of this film is the view of life in rural Iran that we never see. The basic issues woman’s right in Iranian society are portrayed here with the men wearing polo shirts and the women dressed from the 14th century. The male dominated society is portrayed when the wealthy villager forces his wife to accept the possibility of the young widow living in their home and the widow’s brother threatens to beat her if she does not obey his orders. However, the widow does own a small piece of property that her recently deceased father bequeathed to her.

The film is beautifully shot and although sub-titled, easy to follow. Recommended Ages: 12-18. Runtime 90 minutes.

From our wonderful film partners at WorldKids in Mumbai, India come three extraordinary tales of everyday life. I am captivated by the lighthearted, yet wise young children in “How I Taught My Grandmother to Read” and “Victor and the Vanquished (Kaun Jeeta Kaun Hara).” These children share their lives with grandparents and live a less complicated live as we would see it, but in the grandmother’s words in “How I Taught My Grandmother to Read,” not knowing how to read is quite like being blind. In “Victor and the Vanquished” young Pappu is learning that arguments in a family or marriage are not about winning, but sometimes about losing gracefully.

“True Insight (Samyaktva)” recalls the magic realism of the 13th century Indian literature where miracles and symbolism explained the timeless wisdom of the sages. Samyaktva integrates subtle moral reasoning with dramatic narrative and depicts the sheer importance and power of ancient Indian wisdom as the path to peace.

From WorldKids, Mumbai. Available this summer in the KIDS FIRST! Film Festival Sections “How I Taught My Grandmother to Read” 42 minutes, English subtitles, Ages 8-12 

“Victor and the Vanquished (Kaun Jeeta Kaun Hara)” 40 minutes, English subtitles, Ages 8-12  “True Insight (Samyaktva)” 49 minutes, English subtitles, Ages 12-18