Top > Entertainment > 2005 > October > 2005-10-10

KidsFirst! Film Festival Selects North Pole Production

Over the past six years, under the production of the Coalition for Quality Children`s Media, KidsFirst! Has become the largest children`s film festival in the world. This year, KidsFirst! will feature the Christmas film musical `Santa and Sons and Daughter!` by The North Pole production company. The festival will travel to 60 cities across the country and reach more than 300,000 people this year by appearing at different children`s museums and non-profit film centers.

`Being selected for this festival is a real coup,` according to Director, Robert Battaile. `We`re all about positive and entertaining programming. These venues will help us reach a family audience with what`s become an endangered species...the American musical.`

The movie is fantasy, adventure, romance and comedy. `It`s an intellectual kid`s movie with a different look and feel. There`s no car chases or shopping malls,` continues Battaile who co-wrote the show and most of the music nearly twenty-five years ago. `Our songs actually have melodies and lyrics.` The bed music tracks were recorded in Austin, Texas in 1981, so it`s authentic retro rock `n roll Santa. Judge for yourself by checking out some of the new clips.

The KidsFirst! Film-Video Festival is dedicated to `promoting excellence in children`s films and engaging children as film critics, curators and filmmakers,` adds President and Founder, Ranny Levy. Believing that media profoundly affect children (and doing something about it), the Coalition is a voluntary collaboration comprising more than 10,000 media professionals, lobbyists, policymakers, child advocates, educators, parents and families nationwide.