The second NY/SF International Children's Film Festival, presented by San Francisco Film Society and New York International Children's Film Festival, wrapped a highly successful three-day celebration of diverse, enlightening, inspiring and entertaining films for kids ages 3 - 18 and their families on Sunday and announced the winners of the best feature film and the best short film, as selected by the audiences who attended screenings at San Francisco Film Society | New People Cinema and the Premier Theater, Letterman Digital Arts Center. 

"Our second year of the festival was a great success on many levels," said the Film Society's Director of Education Joanne Parsont. "It was extremely gratifying to see our family audience continue to grow and to witness the joy and excitement of kids and parents at the various screenings and events. It was also really wonderful to see the ongoing interaction between public and school audiences and visiting filmmaker guests, and to enable the filmmakers to engage with so many different communities in San Francisco. We can't wait to do it again next year."

Aurélie Laflamme's Diary (Le journal d'Aurélie Laflamme, Canada 2010), Christian Laurence's delightful story about a teenager navigating the strange conventions of adolescence on planet Earth, tipped the scale slightly ahead of Jean-Christophe Roger's The Storytelling Show (France/Luxembourg 2010) in the audience voting for best feature film.

Rob Silvestri's Ormie (Canada 2010), the award-winning slapstick animation about a pig determinedly trying to reach a cookie jar on top of a fridge won the audience award for best short film. Gravity, directed by Renaud Hallée and The Lost Thing, directed by Andrew Ruhemann and Shaun Tan were tied for second in the polling.

In addition to the Festival's public programs, on September 20, 21, 24 and 25 the Film Society's Youth Education program presented free screenings of the shorts programs Kid Flix Mix and Party Mix, the documentary Chandani: The Daughter of the Elephant Whisperer (Germany/Sri Lanka 2009), Aurélie Laflamme's Diary and the fantastical stop-motion adventure Sandman and the Lost Sand of Dreams (Germany 2010) to 700 elementary and middle school students. Guest filmmakers also visited 100 students in classrooms around the Bay Area. Kirsten Lepore (Bottle) visited Sanchez Elementary School, Christian Laurence (Aurélie Laflamme's Diary) visited A.P. Giannini Middle School and Sinema Sakaoglu (Sandman and the Lost Sand of Dreams) visited Argonne Elementary School and Ex'pression College for Digital Arts. Filmmakers in England, Germany and New Jersey also participated in Q&As with audiences at three school screenings via Skype.

NY/SF International Children's Film Festival was supported by media sponsor San Francisco Bay Guardian and Opening Night Party sponsors Aidells Sausage Company, Double Rainbow Gourmet Ice Cream, Mercury Lounge and Thirsty Bear Brewing Company.

For photos and press materials visit sffs.org/pressdownloads.

Upcoming San Francisco Film Society programs

October 27 - November 2: French Cinema Now The weeklong annual Festival brings the most significant new work from international francophone cinema to discerning Bay Area audiences.

November 3 - 6: Cinema by the Bay New work produced in or about the San Francisco Bay Area provides a compelling window into Bay Area film culture and practice at its best.

November 7 - 9: Octubre With moments of light comedy, Octubre is a rich character portrait of a brusque and graceless man who comes to care about something other than money.

November 10 - 13: San Francisco International Animation Festival A four-day celebration of the Bay Area's preeminence as a hub for one of the most creative forms in cinema.

November 13 - 20: New Italian Cinema Fifteenth edition of popular festival includes work by prominent Italian directors, a tribute to Daniele Luchetti and eight features by up-and-coming directors.

November 15: Artist in Residence Federico Veiroj: A Useful Life A man who has spent his entire adult life working in a film archive faces a new beginning with the threatened closure of the institution.

November 17: California State of Mind: The Legacy of Pat Brown An intimate documentary on the life and work of Governor Edmund G. (Pat) Brown directed and produced by his granddaughters.

Opening November 18: Curling Combining creepy atmosphere and stark landscapes with moments of odd humor and tenderness, Curling shows the dangers of overly hermetic lives and gently proposes a way out for its compelling protagonists.

Opening November 25: The Swell Season After starring in the indie hit Once and winning an Oscar for Best Original Song, folk rock musicians Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova go on tour in this mesmerizing black-and-white documentary.

San Francisco Film Society
Building on a legacy of more than 50 years of bringing the best in world cinema to the Bay Area, the San Francisco Film Society is a national leader in exhibition, education and filmmaker services.

The Film Society presents 365 days of exhibition each year, reaching a total audience of 130,000 people. Its acclaimed education program introduces international, independent and documentary cinema and media literacy to more than 15,000 teachers and students and presents 120 classes and workshops annually. Through the filmmaker services program essential creative and business services and funding totaling millions of dollars are provided to deserving filmmakers of all levels.

The Film Society seeks to elevate all aspects of film culture, offering a wide range of activities that engage emotions, inspire action, change perceptions and advance knowledge. A 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation, it is largely donor and member supported. Patronage and membership provides discounted prices, access to grants and residencies, private events and a wealth of other benefits.

For more information visit sffs.org.