Future Filmmakers Find Focus At Urban Kidz Film Festival

UKFF Provides Tools & Creative Fuel for Careers in Cinema

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) May 15, 2005 -- Full film immersion is on the agenda as the Urban Kidz Film Festival rockets off for a fourth year on Saturday, June 4th at the African American Art and Culture Complex at 762 Fulton Street in San Francisco. A one-day fantasy daycamp for young urban cinemaphiles, the Urban Kidz Film Festival features short films and workshops specially designed for kidz 3-12. Screenings run from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., segueing into the awards presentation and a closing reception as cap-off. (Scroll down for schedule)

Unmatched for sheer entertainment value, the UKFF manages to pack an astonishing array of cinema into five hours of non-stop screenings. Animation, adventure, comedy, drama, and documentary...an assortment of genres for every taste and age level. But hand-in-hand with the fun factor is an emphasis on enterprise. Scripted as a sub-plot of the San Francisco Black Film Festival, the Urban Kidz Film Festival was originated to offer a behind-the-lens look at the filmmaking industry. Their hands-on workshops cover all facets of the cinematic process and staffed by renowned African-American directors, screenwriters and actors. Providing an inside view and mentors they can relate to, the UKFF aims to present independent filmmaking as a viable career option to African-American youth and expose them to a range of careers both onscreen and off.

Kids emerge from the UKFF with an expanded view of career possibilities; the topical, culturally diverse film screenings do the same for their worldview. Urban Kidz and SF Black Film Festival founder Ave Montague believes the festivals can serve as inspiration for African-American youth. Through film, a kid who's never been out of his neighborhood can discover new worlds, new ideas, a new outlet of creative expression. The festivals provide a platform for exploring possibilities."

Kidz will have an opportunity to meet Shawnelle and Shawneé Gibbs, creators of Abducted by Aliens. They have written and directed several award-winning videos and animation projects that have screened at festivals throughout the United States. As an Oakland native, Shawneé worked for several years as a media instructor teaching multimedia to Bay Area youth. Shawnee and Shawnelle currently reside in Los Angeles and are writing a feature-length screenplay that merges the Fantasy and Family Comedy genres.

The Urban Kidz Film Festival is an offshoot of the San Francisco Black Film Festival, which was founded to facilitate the integration of independent Black filmmakers work into the mainstream. Presenting diverse works from around the world with particular emphasis on independent cinema, the SFBFF features films embedded in the Black experience. The Urban Kidz Film Festival takes that mission and tailors it to a younger audience and does it all in a day: Saturday, June 4 inside the African American Art & Culture Complex at 762 Fulton Street, San Francisco. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. and screenings begin at 10:00 a.m. Since this is a childrens festival, adults must be accompanied by a child for admittance! Morning session: $7.00/children and $10.00/adults, Afternoon session: $ 8.00for children $ 11.00/adults Day Pass: $ 12/for children $18/adults

Advance tickets and all-day passes are available at http://www.ticketweb.com. For more information, please visit the Urban Kidz Film Festival website at http://www.ukff.org/, the San Francisco Black Film Festival website at http://www.sfbff.org. or call 415. 771.9271.

# # #