Kids Invade TIFF!

Kids, kids, kids!! All out of school and looking for something fun to do – look no further! TIFF Bell Lightbox, that downtown Toronto bastion of cinema wants you. Just in time for March Break!

The TIFF kids digiPlaySpace is back, with interactive installations like Weather World which offers a hands-on eco-experience, the fun bug splatting installation Please Do Not Feed the Bugs and Touch World, new mobile apps, and hands on workshops.  Body painting and a pixilated Cloud Jumping game are also on the menu.

It’s a terrific taste of what’s to come in April and that of course is the 16^th annual TIFF Kids International Film Festival (formerly known as Sprockets) which strives to stimulate imagination, empathy, knowledge and creativity through films from all over the world. Check out www.tiff.net.

The opening night film The Legend of Sarila, kicks things off Friday April 12^th at 5.30 with snow cones, pizza and activities. The closing night film, Famous Five 2 screens Friday April 20^th at 5.  It’s the sequel to last year’s Kid’s Audience Choice winner.  Between these screenings is a whole wide world of film, 100 features from forty countries.

Short and feature length films are organised into groups of interest to 3 – 6 year old, 6 – 9 year olds and 7 – 11.  Slightly more mature films are also being screened for those up to 13 years of age.  Another programme celebrates Canadian film for Canadian youngsters.   The Its Up to You series aims to open children’s eyes to their place in the world and what they might do to help others.  Still more films look at children’s lives in places like Afghanistan, India, China, Holland, Australia, Russia, the UK, Venezuela, Japan, Scandinavia, Germany, Spain, Italy and Mauritius.

TIFF welcomes Sesame Workshop – meet Elmo, Cookie Monster and Abby Cadabby r at Lightbox on Saturday, a character artist workshop, a filmmaking lesson and loads of apps, interactive plays stations and the power of the Sesame Street learning brand.    www.sesameworkshop.org

The Canadian Opera Company is getting into the act, providing opera workshops and demonstrations on acting, singing, directing and filming and there’s a Spy Mystery Workshop, too.  Check it all out at www.coc.ca/Explore

TFF Kids Jury Awards, previously known as the Golden Sprocket Awards will award the best of the best with the TIFF Kids Audience Choice Awards, the Jump Cuts Awards for amateur filmmakers and two new awards to be determined by adult jurors, a new twist on the festival. Animators, legislators, authors, filmmakers, educators, television TVO, singers, actors and various experts share their knowledge and inspiration with youngsters.  Maybe a young dreamer will become a future filmmaker!