Conference Papers

Summer Film Festivals for Kids: Building Fond Memories and Brand Identity

Authors
  • William G. Chismar
  • Ann Brandman

Abstract

A summer film festival for kids provides a great opportunity to serve your local community, bring families on campus, and raise your school’s image as visitor friendly. Because a festival generates significant media attention, it can also be a valuable tool for marketing other summer programs. While curating a film festival can be time-consuming and expensive, it does not have to be. Economical to organize and market, the KIDS FIRST! Film Festival presented each summer by the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa is nationally recognized and enthusiastically supported by the media. Films with varied themes from different cultures are chosen to appeal to audiences in age-appropriate groupings and are shown free of charge. Nearly 9,000 children and adults have attended the festival, which has brought multigenerational family members to the campus, many for the first time. Now in its eighth year, it has created valuable partnerships and contacts with local business, community, and media organizations. This paper discusses the festival and its value in community service and as a marketing tool, and how to develop a KIDS FIRST! Film Festival at other institutions.

How to Cite:

Chismar, W. & Brandman, A., (2015) “Summer Film Festivals for Kids: Building Fond Memories and Brand Identity”, Summer Academe: A Journal of Higher Education 8. doi: https://doi.org/10.5203/sa.v8i0.517

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Published on
19 Jan 2015
Peer Reviewed