24th Annual Chicago International Children's Film Festival Applauds 30 Directors Receiving Prestigious Awards
Chicago, IL October 29 - This year The 24th Annual Chicago International Children's Film Festival congratulates its winners of the 30 awards presented at the CICFF's American Airlines Closing Night Awards Presentation, Sunday, October 28, 2007 at Columbia College's Film Row Cinema. Gerren Taylor, teen supermodel represented by Elite Management and the subject of award-winning documentary America the Beautiful was the first to congratulate these winners as hostess of the evening celebration. Over 100 international filmmakers came to watch the most acclaimed films of the festival, eager to hear the responses of the over 26,000 kids that participated in this year's event.
Chicago audiences casting their vote for their favorite flick this year awarded the Best of the Fest award to director Greg Aronowitzfor Labou (USA, 2006), a gripping adventure, that starts as a treasure hunt and leads to new-found friendships and important lessons for all. "We're absolutely stunned," said Mr. Aronowitz. "After seeing all these great films at the festival, we thought we didn't have a chance at all. This is a real honor."
As always the room was silent as the audience anxiously awaited to hear the winners of the prizes that would qualify live action and animated short films for Academy Award® consideration. The winner of the Adult Jury Live-Action Short Film or Video category was Esben Tonnesen, Little Man (Denmark 2006), a movie about Eight-year-old Matthias is hard at work on his school essay, "How to Understand Women," and boy, is he is for some tough research!
Winner of the Adult Jury Animated Short Film went to Lesley Barnes for her whimsical film Herzog and the Monsters (UK, 2006). Little Herzog loses his way in a forest of stories in this graphic fairytale about the wealth of language and the world we create from it.
John Barr, acclaimed poet and President of the Poetry Foundation announced the CICFF's collaboration with the Poetry Foundation to create a $10,000 cash prize for the best film based on a poem. Both animated films and live action films will be eligible to compete for the Poetry Foundation prize and a special jury will be convened during the summer of 2008 to determine the award winner. "This $10,000 cash prize will be awarded in 2008 at the 25th Annual Chicago International Children's Film Festival to the film that truly reflects and expresses the spirit of poetry in film for young audiences," stated Mr. Barr.
Other prominent festival winners and awards include: The Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Prize of $2500 for Best Film or Video by an Emerging Director, awarded to Lucinda Schreiber, The Goat That Ate Time (Australia, 2007); the Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Prize of $2500 for Best Child-Produced Film or Video was awarded to Class 846 at MS 131 and Working Playground, Secrets of Early U.S. History (USA, 2006).
The Liv Ullmann Peace Prize went to Cherien Dabis for her heartwarming film, Make a Wish (Palestine, 2006); the prestigious Rights of the Child Award, went to documentary film director Darryl Roberts for America the Beautiful (USA, 2007), his powerful look at the beauty industry and its effects on young Americans. Graciously accepting, Mr. Roberts shares his award "with all the filmmakers who dedicated their time in producing works for children and inpsiring them through their works of art." The Adult Jury Prize for Best Live-Action Feature Film or Video went to Petter Naess, for Leaps and Bounds(Sweden, 2006), a compelling film about two Iraqi boys whose parents send them to live in Europe. Nicole Dreiske, Festival Director, praised the film saying, "Children in the Festival audiences felt an amazing connection to the boys in Leaps and Bounds - for many of them, it was the first time they saw an image of an Iraqi child outside of news images. It helped them relate to what these children are really facing."
For more information about the festival, prizes, or to interview one of our prize winners, please contact Tiffany Goodman at: 773.281.9075 or email: kidfest@facets.org Information is also available on our website: www.cicff.org See detailed prize list below.

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SPECIAL PRIZES
The 2007 Best of Fest Award
Dog and Rooster Productions and Greg Aronowitz Labou (USA, 2006)

The Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Prize
Best Film or Video by an Emerging Director
Lucinda Schreiber, The Goat That Ate Time (Australia, 2007)

The Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Prize
Best Child-Produced Film or Video
Class 846 at MS 131 and Working Playground, Secrets of Early U.S. History (USA, 2006)

The Liv Ullmann Peace Prize
Cherien Dabis, Make a Wish (Palestine, 2006)

The Rights of the Child Award
Darryl Roberts, America the Beautiful (USA, 2007)
CHILDREN'S JURY PRIZES 2007
CHILDREN'S JURY PRIZE - LIVE-ACTIONFEATURE FILM OR VIDEO
1st Prize, Live-action Feature Film or Video
Ben Sombogaart, Crusade: March Through Time (The Netherlands, 2006)

2nd Prize, Live-action Feature Film or Video
Nikolaj Arcel, Island of Lost Souls (Denmark, 2007)

CHILDREN'S JURY PRIZE - LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM OR VIDEO
1st Prize, Live-action Short Film or Video
Matt Pinder, Snakebite (UK, 2006)

2nd Prize, Live-action Short Film or Video
François Choquet, Amarelinha (USA, 2007)

Certificate of Excellence, Live-action Short Film or Video
Sylke Rene Meyer, Filiz in Flight (Germany, 2006)

CHILDREN'S JURY PRIZE - DOCUMENTARY FILM OR VIDEO
1st Prize, Documentary Film or Video
Leila Hodell and Bertel Torne, The Chicken Garden (Denmark, 2006)

CHILDREN'S JURY PRIZE - ANIMATED SHORT FILM OR VIDEO
1st Prize, Animated Short Film or Video
Andy Musser, Fall in Line (USA, 2006)

2nd Prize, Animated Short Film or Video
Milen Vitanov, My Happy End (Germany, 2007)

Certificate of Excellence, Animated Short Film or Video
Jesse Rosensweet, Paradise (Canada, 2007)

CHILDREN'S JURY PRIZE - CHILD-PRODUCED SHORT FILM OR VIDEO
1st Prize, Child-Produced Short Film or Video
Zoe Allen-Wickler, Sea Friends (USA, 2006)

2nd Prize, Child-Produced Short Film or Video
Neyland Community School, Jane Hubbard, The Welsh Dresser (UK, 2007)

Certificate of Excellence, Child-Produced Short Film or Video
Jamie Vo, The Adventures of Johnny the Mouse (Canada, 2006)
ADULT JURY PRIZES 2007
ADULT JURY PRIZE - LIVE-ACTION FEATURE FILM OR VIDEO
1st Prize, Live-action Feature Film or Video
Petter Naess, Leaps and Bounds (Sweden, 2006)

2nd Prize, Live-action Feature Film or Video
Gunnar Vikene, Trigger (Norway, 2006)

Certificate of Excellence, Live-action Feature Film or Video
Kjell Sundvall, Winners and Losers (Sweden, 2005)

ADULT JURY PRIZE - LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM OR VIDEO
1st Prize, Live-action Short Film or Video
Esben Tonnesen, Little Man (Denmark 2006)

2nd Prize, Live-action Short Film or Video
Harry Kellerman, The Little Gorilla (USA, 2006)

Certificate of Excellence, Live-action Short Film or Video
Cherien Dabis, Make a Wish (Palestine, 2006)

ADULT JURY PRIZE - DOCUMENTARY FILM OR VIDEO
1st Prize, Documentary Film or Video
Beverley Reid, Anita's Africa (Canada, 2007)

2nd Prize, Documentary Film or Video
Jenni Linko, We Will Rock!(Finland, 2006)

ADULT JURY PRIZE - LIVE-ACTION TELEVISION PROGRAM
1st Prize, Live-action Television Program
Eva Pfaudler, Nine-and-a-Half Special: "Middle East Conflict" (Germany, 2006)

2nd Prize, Live-action Television Program
Kylie du Fresne, Lockie Leonard: Ep 15 "Ladder of Love"(Australia, 2006)

Certificate of Excellence, Live-action Television Program
Chieh-jen Chu and Ling-Ching Wang, Follow Me: "Run, Bunung School Run" (Taiwan, R.O.C., 2006)

ADULT JURY PRIZE - ANIMATED FEATURE FILM OR VIDEO
1st Prize, Animated Feature Film or Video
Espen Fyksen, Elias and the Royal Yacht(Norway, 2007)
2nd Prize, Animated Feature Film or Video
Animation X, Stephan Schesch, The Three Robbers (Germany, 2007)
Hayo Freitag, The Three Robbers (Germany, 2007)

ADULT JURY PRIZE - ANIMATED SHORT FILM OR VIDEO
1st Prize, Animated Short Film or Video
Lesley Barnes, Herzog and the Monsters (UK, 2006)

2nd Prize, Animated Short Film or Video
Guilherme Marcondes, Tyger(Brazil, 2006)
Certificate of Excellence, Animated Short Film or Video
Lennart Gustafsson & Ylva-Li Gustafsson, Willy and Wild Rabbit (Sweden, 2006)
ADULT JURY PRIZE -ANIMATED TELEVISION PRODUCTION
1st Prize, Animated Television Production
Kez Margrie, The Wrong Trainers(UK, 2006)