The Young People Have Spoken Canadian Films Win Big At Sprockets

Toronto – Sprockets Toronto International Film Festival for Children announced today the award winners from the 12th annual festival. Canadian films were big winners at this year’s event, scooping the Audience Choice Awards for Best Feature and Best Animated Films, the Golden Sprocket Award for Best Short Film, as well as tie for the Student Choice Award.

“This year’s event was a huge success,” said Allen Braude, Co-Director, Learning. “It was exciting to see so many new and returning festival-goers enjoying the Sprockets experience. It was a true reminder that Sprockets is fun for children and adults alike.”

Three awards were determined by childrens’ juries (two designated for feature films, one for shorts) and two audience awards were determined by festival-goers. Three additional awards for the Jump Cuts Young Filmmakers Showcase were decided by a jury of film-industry professionals and the Student Choice Award was determined by high-school students attending Sprockets.

“Once again, there was an exceptional selection of films- we showcased more than 70 films from 22 countries,” said Elizabeth Muskala, Co-Director, Learning. “While it was difficult to select the winners, our discerning juries and audiences rose to the challenge with compelling results.”

AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS Sprockets’ two Audience Choice Awards are voted on by all festival-goers who attend the public weekend (April 18–19).

The Sprockets Audience Choice Award – Best Feature Film went to Mark Jean's Finn On the Fly (Canada). When Ben moves to a new town, his only friend is his whip-smart dog, Finn. But “boy’s best friend” takes on a whole new meaning when Finn is accidentally transformed into a human in this madcap comedy about loyalty and being true to yourself.

Sprockets’ festival-goers selected Jabbawaki (Canada) by Sean B. Conly for the Audience Choice Award – Best Animated Film. Jabbawaki, a monster with a fondness for frightening humans, falls in love. To prove his adoration, he embarks on a trip far into the wild, discovering magical lands and meeting mythical creatures that teach him no journey is simply a destination.

GOLDEN SPROCKETS AWARDS
The Young People’s Jury Awards reflect Sprockets’ continued commitment to the belief that critical assessment of children’s films should be made by the children themselves. The two feature-film juries and one short-film jury presented the following awards:

Best Feature Film
Jury 1 (ages 8 to 10): In Stella and Star of the Orient (Germany), ten-year-old Stella finds herself transported one hundred years into the past and on an action-packed search for a secret treasure.
Honourable mention went to Spirit of the Forest (Spain).

Jury 2 (ages 11 and 12): The Seven of Daran, the Battle of Pareo Rock (The Netherlands) follows an unlikely pair of eleven-year-olds racing through the Southern African landscape to prevent an impending battle between rival tribes.
Honourable mentions went to The Wild Chicks and Life (Germany) and Hands Off Mississippi (Germany).

Best Short Film
Jury (ages 9 to 12): In Chris Trebilcock’s Adam Avenger (Canada), ten-year-old Adam tries to cope with his parents’ separation by immersing himself in his superhero alter ego: Adam Avenger. When his mother, whom he’d prefer to live with, tells Adam that his father can take better care of him, Adam sets out to prove her wrong, leading him to some unexpected realizations.
Honourable mention went to Zoologic (USA).

STUDENT CHOICE AWARD
The Student Choice Award is voted on by high-school students attending the School Programme. This year’s result is a tie. Karim Chrobog’s War Child (USA) is an inspiring portrait of hip-hop artist Emmanuel Jal, a former child solider who uses music to raise awareness of the effects of war and poverty and to champion the importance of education. This film was presented in co-operation with the Toronto chapter of Human Rights Watch.
Nicholas Wong’s My Dad Ralph (Canada) follows single parent Ralph, a failed artist employed as a house painter, for whom Take Your Kids to Work Day means he can no longer keep his profession a secret from his son.

JUMP CUTS YOUNG FILMMAKERS SHOWCASE
The Jump Cuts Young Filmmakers Showcase offers young Ontario filmmakers in Grades 3 through 12 a chance to have their short film shown on the big screen at Sprockets. There are three Jump Cuts awards decided by a jury of film-industry professionals. This year’s jury consisted of actor Devon Bostick (Adoration); Communications Supervisor for TELETOON Canada Inc., Kate Dickson; actor and the driving force behind multi-disciplinary performance company OnOfOnO, Anand Rajaram; and co-founder of The Film Farm production company, Jennifer Weiss.

The Frederick Simpson Award for Best Film Grade 3 to 6 went to Thunder and Lightning by Susan and Katherine Procopio.

The Veronica Herman Award for Best Film Grade 7 to 9 was awarded to Repeat by Alexandra Bailey. An honourable mention went to The Pressure to Be Thin by Nicola Wenn.

The Gertrude Löwengren Award for Best Film Grade 10 to 12 was presented to The Sword in the Stone by Sidney Lee. An honourable mention went to The Adventures of Melvin Finklestien and the Bullying Jocks by Kirill Melamed.

The Frederick Simpson, Veronica Herman and Gertrude Löwengren Awards are generously supported by Garrett Herman.

The Sprockets Toronto International Film Festival for Children offers children and youth the opportunity to learn about film and cultural perspectives from around the globe. Through the power of film, Sprockets is helping to transform the way children and youth see the world. The 12th annual Sprockets ran from April 18 to 24, 2009, for ages three and up, and included a week-long School Programme for students in grades 1 to 12. The School Programme is designed with curriculum links and support material for educators. For more information, visit the official Sprockets website at sprockets.ca.