The Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival is excited to announce Kids & Family Day, a brand new dimension of the Festival dedicated exclusively to families. The inaugural Kids & Family Day will take place on Wednesday, August 22, the day before the 4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival begins on Thursday, August 23. MNFF is delighted to partner with the Marquis Theater in Middlebury for this special day of films and fun.
MNFF will offer three engaging family friendly films that day, with screenings at 10am, 1pm and 4pm at the Marquis. Along with the films, families can enjoy a host of fun activities throughout the day in the Marquis Cafe, including a variety of games donated by the Game Store. The Marquis Cafe will also present a special Kids Menu in addition to its beloved Southwestern fare.
Tickets to any individual screening at Kids & Family Day are $10 for adults and $5 for kids 8-18. Children under 8 can attend for FREE. Seating will be on a first come, first seated basis and seats are not reserved so get there early. All tickets will be sold at the Marquis Theater, along with hot popcorn, cookies and drinks!
The MNFF is delighted to present the following films on Kids & Family Day:
THE BIG BAD FOX AND OTHER TALES 10am / 83m / Ages 6+
What happens when a fox thinks it’s a chicken, a rabbit acts like a stork and a duck has dreams of becoming Santa Claus? Welcome to the zany world of The Big Bad Fox & Other Tales, a delightful animated feature that will have the whole family laughing out loud. In the spirit of the classic Looney Tunes cartoons from Warner Brothers, The Big Bad Fox combines slapstick humor with loving insights about family life in the barnyard. The film is French so there will be English subtitles. Never fear, the action is swift and the plot is easy to follow. French filmmaker Benjamin Renner, and his co-director, Patrick Imbert, previously made the luminous Ernest & Celestine, which was nominated for the Best Animated Feature Academy Award in 2014.
And, before the film starts, MNFF will present a special pre-screening activity for kids and families, sponsored by Minibury. At 9am the Minibury team will host a hands-on activity creating flip-books, the original animation, led by Daniel Houghton, the manager of the Middlebury College animation studio. Come ready to draw and create your very own flip-book animation to get the day started!
MNFF thanks Minibury for supporting the screening and hosting this great family-friendly activity.
THROUGH THE WINDMILL 1pm / 80m / Ages 8+
Lovers of mini-golf, rejoice! MNFF is excited to offer Through the Windmill, a feature documentary that tells the story of miniature golf in America. When did mini-golf start and how has it evolved over the last 50 years? We all recognize the hallmarks of the mini-golf course – the mounds, bumps, tunnels, water features and windmills. But who came up with the idea in the first place? And who designs the courses? (Disclaimer: if you’ve never played mini-golf before seeing this movie, you’ll want to run to the nearest course soon after.)
We are thrilled to announce that filmmaker Amanda Kulikoski will attend Kids & Family Day!
MNFF thanks Middlebury’s own A&W Restaurant for sponsoring this screening and for building a new miniature golf course.
SCIENCE FAIR 4pm / 90m / Ages 12+
Science Fair offers a delightful and thrilling insight into the world of highly competitive science fairs. The film follows nine extraordinary students as they compete in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair against more than 1,700 other students from 78 countries. Only one can be named Best in Fair and take home the prize of a $75,000 scholarship. As Peter Debruge described the film in Variety, Science Fair is “an affectionate and supremely entertaining celebration of the all-American nerd, a thoroughly researched crowd-pleaser, and winner of Sundance 2018’s inaugural Audience Award.” Witness the joy, excitement and the fascinating behind the scenes stories of the kids who aspire to be the future generation of top thinkers and inventors. Don’t miss the Vermont premiere of Science Fair!
Stay tuned for more information on MNFF events and films over the coming weeks. With only eight weeks to Opening Night, things are heating up! Sign up for our newsletter here.