Facets’ Children’s Programs
Year-Round Opportunities for All Ages!

The Festival doesn’t end in October!

Facets’ Children’s Programs continues to screen the best in children’s cinema from around the world throughout the year. Screenings and events for groups and the general public!

CLICK HERE for the year-round screening & program scheule! (COMING SOON)

Teachers! Our screenings meet Illinois Learning Goal Standards. FIND OUT MORE! 

The Illinois Arts Council can provide funding for you and your students to attend our programs!  CLICK HERE for more information!

Facets Kids Film Camp

For two decades, Facets Kids Film Camp has given kids (ages 7-14) a real foundation in the technique, language and process of film making. Using expert instruction, professional filmmakers and respected critics involve kids in what it takes to understand and create a film, from conception to premiere!

Instruction includes: the basics of film production techniques; a foundation in film theory and criticism; and dozens of hands-on activities including: storyboarding, screenwriting, acting, writing reviews and making a movie. Graduates can also be a part of the Children’s Jury for the Chicago International Children’s Film festival and have the opportunity to travel the world as part of the Facets Film Ambassadors program. LEARN MORE!

Take One! Workshops

With the generous support of the Hot Topic Foundation, some of America’s foremost actors, screenwriters, filmmakers and critics will conduct intensive master classes with Chicago-area children during the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival. These classes provide children with an unprecedented opportunity to benefit from the knowledge and experience of accomplished media professionals. Hands-on Take One! Workshops directly involve children in specialized media-related materials and artwork. LEARN MORE!

Dream Screen Animation Workshop

The Dream Screen Animation Program is an intensive workshop that engages students in the creating a short animated film using the stop-motion process. This intensive hands-on workshop gives kids ages 11-14 the opportunity to brainstorm story ideas, create their own animation figures, draw storyboards, design backgrounds, and learn the techniques needed to get things in motion under the animation camera. After this crash course in the art of animation kids will take home a DVD of their finished film.

Dream Screen is held during the CICFF and can be organized for your school or organization.

WATCH DREAM SCREEN FILMS!

Submit a Film 

Are you a budding filmmaker who has made a movie? Then submit your film for a chance to win a $2500 prize and be included in the upcoming Chicago International Children’s Film Festival (CICFF), the largest festival of films for children in the world, programming over 200 films from 40 countries made by adults, children and youth. There is no entry fee for entries produced by kids 14 years old or younger! Entry Deadline, May 31. SUBMISSION DETAILS

Children’s Jury

The 70 member Children’s Jury, for kids ages 7-14, meets for 2 weeks in August and screens over 100 films to be shown as part of the upcoming Chicago International Children’s Film Festival. MORE INFO!

Best of Fest DVD

After years of requests for festival films from librarians and teachers, the CICFF announces the release of Best of the Fest, Award-Winning Films from the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival, the first DVD release of Facets Kids Film Network. The Best of the Fest DVD is a collection of 10 of the best short, multicultural films from the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival – fully licensed and cleared for public performance! 

Each DVD comes with a full set of promotional and educational resources to help leaders organize screenings, hold discussions and guide kids through activities based on the films. With the Best of the Fest DVD, anyone can host a children’s film festival in their local library, school or activity center. It is more than just a DVD — it’s an event! MORE INFO!

Facets Membership

Attention all young film fans! If you’d like to be a part of today’s film scene, there’s no better way to start than this! Become a FACETS MEMBER and join the ranks of other young film fanatics to take advantage of everything Facets has to offer! MORE INFO!