The two festivals joined forces to create a stronger platform upon which to encourage young people throughout North America, and around the world, to express their creativity through moviemaking. The first festival hosted by the new Backyard organization will premier November 3-4, 2000 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.

Also announced at the news conference was a partnership with the LEGO Company, who will present the Backyard Festival. Both Backyard and LEGO believe that filmmaking stimulates the imagination of youth and fosters global cultural awareness. The company recently unveiled its LEGO Studios Steven Spielberg MovieMaker Set, which allows kids to create real movies.

A not-for-profit organization, the Backyard National Children's Film Festival aims to take young people from passively watching films and videos to interacting with life through the lens of a camera. The newly merged organization will be based in Los Angeles.

The November 4th Festival at the Skirball Center is focussed on storytelling and will reflect language and art from backyards around the world. Included in the Festival are videos produced by youths from an array of cultures, as well as current release feature films and classic films from the vaults of the world's archives.

``Youth today are eager to express themselves and videography and filmmaking gives them an opportunity to communicate what is happening in their worlds,'' said Gina Woods, National Children's Film Festival Founder.

``Backyard provides guidance to uplift the authentic voice of our youth,'' stated Kathryn Linehan, President of the newly merged organization. ``Our mission is to raise global awareness by inspiring young people to appreciate and create stories that highlight the endeavors and discoveries of the human spirit. We encourage youth to see a world without walls.''

In keeping with the shared mission of Backyard and LEGO, the 2000 and 2001 festivals will be presented by LEGO Studios, the new LEGO moviemaking product line. In November 2000, the Festival will award a ``LEGO Imagination Award'' for the film that best expresses an imaginative story brought to life through film.

The 2001 Backyard National Children's Film Festival Presented by LEGO Studios will include a category that is a ``LEGO Tabletop Movie'' award category. The award will recognize a movie that embodies imaginative thinking and creative moviemaking.

The LEGO Studios Steven Spielberg MovieMaker Set, available on U.S. store shelves in November 2000, empowers youngsters to make real LEGO movies. The product includes a PC movie camera, kid-friendly editing software and LEGO elements and props for creating a back-lot scene. All of Steven Spielberg's proceeds from sales of the LEGO Studios Steven Spielberg MovieMaker Set will be donated to the non-profit Starbright Foundation and Shoah Foundation.

Headquartered in Los Angeles, the Backyard National Children's Film Festival empowers children and adolescents with their own voice and vision, giving them a stage for self-exploration, the opportunity to enhance self-esteem, and a way to learn valuable life-skills. Through participation in the Festival, young people learn about media literacy, strategic thinking, and decision making as well as self-reliance, responsibility and discipline.

Backyard is closely aligned with Young Filmmakers Academy in outreach to other Southern California youth programs. Backyard has over 20 chapters linked with children's museums as well as ties with Boys and Girls Clubs of America and Girl Scouts. International advisors include Nicole Guillemet of Sundance Institute, William Hetzer of UNICEF and Terri Tingle of Turner Broadcasting. Backyard currently supports filmmaking programs for young Kosovar and Afghan refugees. Backyard National Children's Film Festival films can be seen daily on HBO Family's '30x30:Kid Flicks', in addition to the HBO Family's website. To receive entry forms and guidelines for 2001, call toll-free (877) KID-FILM. For Festival information: www.childrensfilmfest.org and www.backyardfilm.org.

The LEGO Company is the world leader in providing quality products and experiences that stimulate children's creativity, imagination and learning through playful activities that encourage hands-on, minds-on creation, fun and sharing of ideas. The family owned LEGO Company was founded in Denmark in 1932. By the year 2005, the company wants the LEGO brand to be the strongest in the world among families with children. LEGO Systems, Inc. (LSI) is the Americas (North America and Latin America) division of the LEGO Company, based in Enfield, Connecticut.

[Posted 6/05/2000]