Inviting All Kids to Make a Movie for the 2025 90-Second Newbery Film Festival!
*The event has already taken place on this date: Fri, 01/17/2025
Please help us keep this calendar up to date! If this activity is sold out, canceled, or otherwise needs alteration, email mindy@kidsoutandabout.com so we can update it immediately. If you have a question about the activity itself, please contact the organization administrator listed below.
Kids across the country (or even from around the world!) are invited to submit their movie to The 90-Second Newbery Film Festival, a fun, annual national video contest in which kid filmmakers (up to 18 years old) create short movies that tell the entire stories of Newbery-winning books in about 90 seconds. Creative twists are encouraged, such as Charlotte's Web in the style of a horror movie, or The Tale of Despereaux in the musical style of "Les Miserables"! These kid-made movies are featured at live screenings all over the country attended by hundreds—in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, San Antonio, and many other cities! These free events combine screenings of the movies with live Newbery-themed entertainment, co-hosted by festival Founder James Kennedy, author of YA book The Order of Odd-Fish and other books, and a local author who writes kids' or young adult books. This is a great project for kids to work on together to help them build collaboration and communication skills, and to support traditional and media literacy!
Although these films should be made by kids, it's okay to get help from adults!
Sound like fun? It is!!! Find information here with the rules and details on how to create your movie. It's a great activity to odo with friends!
There is NO FEE to submit, and it's easy! Complete details on how to submit your video are here.
Film Festival Deadline for Submissions to the 14th annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival: January 17, 2025.
Dates for 2025 Film Festivals
The OGDEN, UTAH screening of the 14th annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. Hosted by me and Keir Graff (author of The Tiny Mansion, Minerva Keene’s Detective Club, and more). At the Treehouse Children’s Museum (347 22nd Street). More details to come.
Sunday, March 9, 2025
The CHICAGO screening of the 14th annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. Hosted by me and Keir Graff (author of The Tiny Mansion, Minerva Keene’s Detective Club, and more). At the Harold Washington Library Center (400 S State St.) in the Pritzker Auditorium. 2 pm. More details to come.
Monday, March 24, 2025
Special extended deadline for Texas entries to be shown at the May 3 San Antonio screening of the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival.
Saturday, April 5, 2025
The ROCHESTER, NY screening of the 14th annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. At the George Eastman Museum (900 East Ave) in the Dryden Theater. Hosted by me and the legendary Bruce Coville (author of My Teacher is an Alien and more). More details to come.
Saturday, May 3, 2025
The SAN ANTONIO screening of the 14th annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. In the H-E-B Performance Hall at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts (100 Auditorium Circle). Made possible by our partners at the Bexar County Digital Library Bibliotech and H-E-B Read 3. More details to come.
We hope to see your work on the big screen at festivals across the U.S.!
*Times, dates, and prices of any activity posted to our calendars are subject to change. Please be sure to click through directly to the organization’s website to verify.