MiniBury families, listen up: this year the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival is launching a day of movies and fun just for you! The first-ever Kids & Family Day will kick off Wednesday, August 22, at the Middlebury Marquis, and we can’t wait.
We’re also excited to share that Minibury will sponsor the first film of the day, a hilarious animation called The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales, and we’ll be leading a hands-on activity before the movie where we’ll make our own flip-books, the very first form of animation! The flip-book activity begins at 9am at the Middlebury Marquis Cafe and is open to kids of all ages. (We’ll be leading the activity from 9am until the movie at 10am, but kids are welcomed to continue creating their flip-books until 11am.) The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales will begin at 10am in the main Marquis screening room. It’s geared towards kids 6+.
We recently sat down with the MNFF team to learn more about all the films and activities on Kids & Family Day. Here are some details — and don’t forget to mark your calendars for August 22.
Kids of all ages are welcomed to attend, and tickets will be offered at discounted prices: $5 for kids 8-18, $10 for adults 18+, and kids under 8 get in free. The Middlebury Marquis has created a Kids Menu for the event, which will feature fun drinks and yummy bites for kids (parents can still enjoy the Marquis’ South West fare). The Game Store on Main St will provide games in the Marquis Cafe for fun between films — and that’s not including face painting, a drawing for festival prizes and more!
The Kids & Family Day will show three films in total, at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. These are movies geared towards kids aged 6+, 8+ and 10+, respectively.
The movies will begin at 10 a.m. with the French animation The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales. This delightful feature film is in the spirit of the classic Looney Tunes cartoons and will have the whole family laughing out loud as a fox thinks it’s a chicken, a rabbit acts like a stork and a duck dreams of becoming Santa Claus!
Through the Windmill, which screens at 1 p.m., is a feature documentary about mini-golf around the world. With crazy designs, awesome waterfalls, hills and tunnels throughout endless mazes, these courses are an endless delight. Through the Windmill takes us inside the world of minigolf courses and explores the history of the game. The filmmaker will be at the screening to chat about minigolf and her work as a filmmaker, making this an excellent opportunity for kids with an interest in film to meet a director and learn more about what goes into making a movie!
Science Fair is the last film of the day, screening at 4 p.m. This is a great option for kids aged 10+ and anyone interested in science and technology. The movie follows a group of kids participating in the largest science fair in the world — with over a thousand students from around the world participating and a prize of $75,000, this is no run-of-the-mill competition. These kids are creative, passionate and determined — and incredibly entertaining. The competition is fierce and inspiring and is sure to excite budding scientists.
Tickets for the movies will be sold at the Marquis the day of. This event is separate from the rest of the Festival so Passes won’t be accepted for entry.
You can learn more about the Kids & Family Day events & see the film trailers at the MNFF website here.