National Film Festival for Talented Youth

One of the most exciting shorts programs every year at the Seattle International Film Festival is the under-18 collection. While you may have spent your childhood at summer camp or mowing lawns for the neighbors, today’s technology-savvy kids are making surprisingly sophisticated movies in their backyards. The National Film Festival for Talented Youthis a new event hoping to give this work an audience. But the festival isn’t just about great films (73 of them) created by children across the country—there are also networking meet-and-greets with actors, directors, and film-school reps, and panels on screenwriting, financing, unions, shooting permits, and more. Now you can give little Sammy all the tools he needs to really make something of the robot dogs vs. evil aliens sci-fi epic he’s been making in the living room. And at just $5 for each of the 14 film programs, you won’t go broke doing it either. SIFF Cinema, 321 Mercer St. (McCaw Hall), www.nffty.org. $5. 5:30 p.m. (Continues through Sun., March 30.)FRANK PAIVA
March 28-30, 2008