Printer-FriendlySend to friend

Children's Film Festival

Educators are calling for strategies to increase awareness of available, high quality media for children to help counter the impact of the violence and aggression children experience through TV, video games, and other media.

Since 2006, Children’s Institute, with local partners including Rochester High Falls International Film Festival (RHFIFF**), has coordinated an annual Children’s Film Festival during April. The Children’s Film Festival provides an educational forum for accessible, appropriate high quality films and other visual media for children.

Audience:

Children and their parents, teachers, librarians, early childhood educators and administrators, and pediatricians

Goals:

  • Create awareness that the violence children experience in the media often inspires aggressive behavior and that children may see violence as glamorous, exciting, and fun
  • Offer guidance in choosing media entertainment for children
  • Increase choices to parents and caregivers by providing entertainment that is appropriate for young children
  • Increase the number of children and families who are able to view high quality films through screenings in neighborhood settings

Benefits:

  • Families can view high quality films for children in their neighborhoods with other families
  • Community-wide awareness of the importance of appropriate media for children

How it Works:

  • Programming is chosen by Rochester High Falls International Film Festival staff and consists of non-violent films, notable for their artistic excellence and for gentle social messages
  • Film screenings are held in library branches, schools, child care centers, and churches
  • At each screening, families are given information about the importance of appropriate children’s entertainment
  • Caregivers are invited to special trainings to learn about the impact of violence in the media on young children
  • The 2009 Children’s Film Festival introduced an added value targeted specifically to Rochester’s literacy efforts—linking a centerpiece film, Anansi the Spider, with literature about Anansi based on African and Caribbean tales. An accompanying teacher’s guide is available in order to enrich the literacy experience with historical aspects, cultural roots, and geographical patterns traced to the tales.
  • Additional film shorts, compiled by Rochester High Falls International Film Festival, add other international perspectives and film experiences for children and their families