The 7th annual ILI Film Fest Winners are from US, Canada, Mexico

Posted on October 11, 2023 by Eurweb

Covers from the winning short films made for and by kids at the 7th annual imagination lunchbox international children’s film fest – The Life of Raul Perez, On the Haunt, Balam, and Chocolates & Flowers.

*The short films made by kids and for kids selected as winners during the 7^th annual Imagination Lunchbox International Children’s Film Fest, held recently from September 23 – October 1^,2023, are from the U. S., Canada, and Mexico.

The ILICFF screening and awarding were held virtually at www.ImaginationLunchbox.com, powered by Zoom; the ILICFF/Eubie Blake Filmmaking Workshops for Youth were held at the Eubie Blake Cultural Center in Baltimore, and the ILICFF Basketball Tournaments, led by Head Coach Mark Winchester, held at the Druid Hill Park Courts ended the activities with lots of fun, awards and cash prizes.

For the “Best Film Made by Kids” Award The Life of Raul Perez documentary directed by Gunnar Payne, written by Malakhi Perez, and produced by Fernando Gutierrez from Fallbrook High School in Fallbrook, California won. The “Best Film Made for Kids” Award was given to the animation On the Haunt, directed and written by Joy Zhou, and produced by Sheridan College from Ontario, Canada.

The “Film Festival Choice” Award was presented to the animation Balam, directed, and written by Guillermo Casarien, and produced by Julla M. Quiceno and Joshua Power from Mexico.

The final ILICFF honor, the “Most Uplifting Film” sponsored by the Uplifting Minds II Foundation, was given to Chocolates & Flowers, directed by Damaris Unat Almanza, and produced by Dahra Perez from Bedmond, Washington in the U.S.

Anthony Michael Hobbs, Imagination Lunchbox International Children's Film Festival founder, and Ursula V. Battle one of the presenters at the ILICFF/Eubie Blake Filmmaking Workshops for Youth. (Credit: Battlestage Plays) — Anthony Michael Hobbs, Imagination Lunchbox International Children’s Film Festival founder, and Ursula V. Battle one of the presenters at the ILICFF/Eubie Blake Filmmaking Workshops for Youth. (Credit: Battlestage Plays)

The ILICFF/Eubie Blake filmmaking workshops were hosted by John Wesby, President of Wesby One Productions, and executive producer at BET Network, who spoke on film production and Ursula V. Battle, President of Battlestage Plays and a veteran journalist for The Baltimore Times, who spoke on scriptwriting and casting. The ILICFF basketball tournament had young and older basketball lovers playing a fun game of ball with the winner receiving the ILICFF Basketball Tournament Award. A special player played a fun game of one-on-one with ILICFF founder Anthony Michael Hobbs winning a cash prize!