KIDS FIRST! Announces Winners of Sixth Annual Best Awards; Presented At the Starz Denver International Film Festival November 19th

Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus, Mad Hot Ballroom and Because of Winn Dixie are among the big winners of this year’s Annual KIDS FIRST! Best Awards, to be presented on Saturday, November 19th as part of the Starz Denver International Film Festival™ (SDIFF28). Awards in 15 categories—plus “Best of Fest” winners—will be presented throughout the morning screenings on Saturday, November 19th, and the five Best of the Fest Awards will be presented as part of the SDIFF Closing Awards Ceremony at the world-class Ellie Caulkins Opera House.

Santa Fe, NM (PRWEB) November 21, 2005 -- Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus, Mad Hot Ballroom and Because of Winn Dixie are among the big winners of this year’s Annual KIDS FIRST! Best Awards, to be presented on Saturday, November 19th as part of the Starz Denver International Film Festival™ (SDIFF28). Awards in 15 categories—plus “Best of Fest” winners—will be presented throughout the morning screenings on Saturday, November 19th, and the five Best of the Fest Awards will be presented as part of the SDIFF Closing Awards Ceremony at the world-class Ellie Caulkins Opera House.

“We’re pleased to have the opportunity to present this year’s awards as part of a live ceremony during the prestigious Starz Denver International Film Festival,” said Ranny Levy, Founder and President, Coalition for Quality Children’s Media, producers of the KIDS FIRST! Best Awards. “With so many quality titles from both studios and independent producers, it was quite a task for our voters. We’re very proud of the winners selected and are grateful for everyone’s participation in making these important selections.”

The winners of this year’s KIDS FIRST! Best Awards are:
Best of the Fest:
Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus, Lions Gate Home Entertainment— Barbie takes flight in her first original fairy tale movie: Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus! Princess Annika (Barbie) escapes the clutches of the evil wizard, explores the wonders of Cloud Kingdom, and teams up with a magnificent winged horse – who turns out to be her sister, Princess Brietta - to defeat the wizard and break the spells that imprisoned her family. Spectacular 3-D scenes add magic to this extraordinary adventure.

Danger Rangers, Mission 547, Safety Rules! Educational Adventures— Empowering safety information is taught to children as they are entertained by the loveable animal superheroes' adventures, comedy and songs. The Danger Rangers mission is to make the world a safer place by stopping one potential hazard at a time. Along the way, the characters encounter unsafe actions, dangerous settings and risky behaviors which they correct. Safety tips are folded directly into the action-driven stories, gags, and songs.

Dora the Explorer, Paramount Home Entertainment/Nickelodeon— Dora The Explorer is designed to engage pre-schoolers in a play along adventure. Join Dora and her band of animal friends as she journeys through the Spooky Forest, Crocodile Lake, and other exciting places. The series is designed to actively encourage pre-schoolers in a play along adventure. Dora The Explorer builds on Nick Jr’s promise to ‘Play, Laugh and Learn.’ Each day Dora and her monkey companion Boots go on a high stakes journey -- a quest filled with funny friends and puzzling problems.

Mad Hot Ballroom, Paramount Classics/Paramount Home Entertainment— An insightful, inspiring and often hilarious look at a group of eleven-year-old New York City public school kids who journey into the world of ballroom dancing. Along the way, they reveal themselves and their world as they compete in the final citywide competition. Told from their candid perspectives, these kids are transformed from reluctant participants to determined competitors, from typical urban kids to "ladies and gentlemen." Directed by Marilyn Agrelo and written by Amy Sewell.

Because of Winn Dixie, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment— Based on the best selling book, this is the heartwarming ‘tail’ of a young girl (Annasophia Robb) whose life is changed by a scruffy, fun loving pooch she names Winn Dixie. The special bond between them works magic on her reserved dad (Jeff Daniels) and the eccentric townspeople they meet during one unforgettable summer. Director: Wayne Wang; Original music by Rachel Portman; Actors: Annasophia Robb, Jeff Daniels, Cicely Tyson, Eva Marie Saint; Dave Matthews.

KIDS FIRST! Best Awards
Best TV Series for ages 2-5—Peep and the Big Wide World, Discovery Kids/WGBH
Best Feature for ages 2-5—Land Before Time 11: Invasion of the Tinysauruses, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Best TV Series for ages 2-8—Fairly Odd Parents, Paramount Home Entertainment
Best Feature for ages 5-8—Robots, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Best TV Series for ages 8-12—SpongeBob SquarePants, Paramount Home Entertainment/Nickelodeon
Best Feature for ages 8-12—Because of Winn Dixie—Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Best Feature for ages 12-18—Ghosts of Rwanda, Paramount Home Entertainment/PBS
Best Independent Short for ages 2-5—Room to Grow, The Krislin Co.
Best Independent Short for ages 5-8—Danger Rangers, Mission 547, Safety Rules! Educational Adventures
Best Independent Series for ages 5-8 (tie)—The Trevor Romain Collection, The Comical Sense Co.; Reading Rainbow, GPN/WNED-TV
Best Independent Short for ages 8-12—Raven Tales: Raven Steals the Sun, Raven Tales Productions
Best Independent Short for ages 12-18—Stealing Innocence, American Girl Productions
Best Independent Feature—Sho’Nuff: A Nu’Awlins Jazz Story, JuJu Films International
Best Student Film by a K-12 Student—What’s with the Hijab?, TVbyGIRLS
Best Student Film by a College Student (tie)—Past Whispers, Brett Rhuland; United, TXL Films
President’s Award—The Entertainment Project, Inc.
President’s Award—Starz Denver International Film Festival

The KIDS FIRST! FILM AND VIDEO FESTIVAL is an initiative of the not-for-profit Coalition for Quality Children’s Media. The Coalition’s goal is to empower children to make wise media choices and to promote quality media products that enrich their lives. http://www.kidsfirst.org.

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