Here are the screening dates for the FIFTH ANNUAL 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! We’ll be in TEN cities this year, from New York to San Francisco, from Chicago to San Antonio! Complete showtimes and locations below. Thanks especially to my co-hosts, authors Linda Sue Park, Peter Lerangis, Torrey Maldonado, Nikki Loftin, Kelly Barnhill, Keir Graff, and Marcus Ewert.

(The 90-Second Newbery is an annual video contest in which kid filmmakers create movies that tell the entire stories of Newbery-winning books in about 90 seconds. The filmmakers are encouraged to put their own weird spin on the material—for example, check out the above Charlotte’s Web, adapted in the style of a horror movie! Complete information about the 90-Second Newbery here.)

Deadline extension! Want to create a movie, but don’t feel you have the time? We have officially extended the movie submission deadline to January 10, 2016.

Here are the screening dates. (Want to bring the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival to your city? Every year we expand into more cities! Drop me a line at kennedyjames@gmail.com.)

90-Second Newbery 2016 Schedule
All screenings are free.
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Special deadline for submissions for the special San Antonio screening (general deadline for the rest of the cities is January 10, 2016).

Saturday, January 9, 2016
The SAN ANTONIO screening of the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. At the Tobin Center, in the Carlos Alvarez Studio Theater. Co-hosted by me and author Nikki Loftin (The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy). Produced in cooperation with HEB Texas Grocery and Bibliotech, Bexar County’s Digital Library. 3-5 pm. Make your free reservation here.

Sunday, January 10, 2016
GENERAL DEADLINE for submissions to the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival!

Sunday, January 31, 2016
The CHICAGO SCREENING of the 5th annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. At the Vittum Theater (1012 N Noble St, Chicago, 773-342-4141). Co-hosted by me and author/Booklist editor Keir Graff (The Other Felix). 3-5 pm. Free, but it fills up every year, so make your free reservation here..

Saturday, February 13, 2016
The OAKLAND, CA SCREENING of the 5th annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. At the Rockridge Branch of the Oakland Public Library (5366 College Ave, Oakland, CA). 12-1 pm. Make your free reservation here.

Saturday, February 13, 2016
The SAN FRANCISCO SCREENING of the 5th annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. At the San Francisco Public Library main library (100 Larkin St.) Co-hosted by me and author Marcus Ewert (10,000 Dresses, Mummy Cat). 3-5 pm. Make your free reservation here.

Saturday, February 20, 2016
The TACOMA, WA SCREENING of the 5th annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. At the Tacoma Public Library (1102 Tacoma Ave S). 3-5 pm, but come early for the 2:15 reception! Make your free reservation here.

Sunday, February 21, 2016
The PORTLAND, OR SCREENING of the 5th annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. At Portland Community Media (2766 N.E. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, Oregon). 3-5 pm. Make your free reservation here. (Note: The deadline for entries to Portland screening has been extended to January 22, 2016.)

Saturday, February 27, 2016
The MINNEAPOLIS SCREENING of the 5th annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. At the Minneapolis Central Library (300 Niccolet Mall, Minneapolis, MN). In Pohlad Hall auditorium. Co-hosted by me and author Kelly Barnhill (The Witch’s Boy). 3-4:30 pm. Make your free reservation here.

Saturday, March 5, 2016
The NEW YORK CITY SCREENING of the 5th annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. At the NYPL main branch (Stephen A. Schwarzman building, 5th Ave at 42nd St), in the Celeste Bartos Forum. Co-hosted by me and author Peter Lerangis (Seven Wonders series, 39 Clues). 3-5 pm. Make your free reservation here.

Sunday, March 6, 2016
The BROOKLYN, NY SCREENING of the 5th annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. At the Brooklyn Public Library (10 Grand Army Plaza), in the Dweck Auditorium. Co-hosted by me and author Torrey Maldonado (Secret Saturdays). 2-3:30 pm. Make your free reservation here.

Sunday, April 3, 2016
The ROCHESTER, NY SCREENING of the 5th annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. At the Dryden Theater at the Eastman House (900 East Ave). Co-hosted by me and Newbery Medal-winning author Linda Sue Park (A Single Shard, A Long Walk To Water). 2-4 pm. Make your free reservation here.

Tuesday, April 26, 2016
The PHILADELPHIA AREA SCREENING of the 5th annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. At the Friends’ Central School (1101 City Avenue, Wynnewood, PA). 7-8:30 pm. Make your free reservation here. (Note: The deadline for entries to Philadelphia screening has been extended to March 1, 2016.)

CHICAGOANS! As every year, this Friday (9/4) at 7pm I’m emceeing the annual Adult Spelling Bee at the Book Cellar in Lincoln Square. With returning co-emcees, the erudite Robbie Q. Telfer and the hilarious Kelsie Huff. TRUST ME EVERY YEAR THIS IS SO MUCH FUN. Space for competitors is limited, so call (773.293.2665) or email (words@bookcellarinc.com) to reserve your spot!

Ahhh! Back from a relaxing, creative, and productive summer, and ready to face this autumn head on. Hard to believe that in a few short weeks this sweltering summer Chicago will soon be an icebound winter hellscape. Must start preparing myself psychologically now!

And also start preparing for the FIFTH ANNUAL 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! Don’t know what it is? It’s a video contest I founded in which kid filmmakers create movies that tell the entire stories of Newbery-winning books in about 90 seconds, often with some crazy or humorous twist. We screen the best movies at big annual showings in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Oakland, Minneapolis, Portland, and Tacoma . . . and this year we’re adding San Antonio and Rochester, NY! (Go here to check out some previous standout entries.)

This summer, filmmaker Joseph Lewis (of Elephant and Worm Educational Theater Company fame; he’s helped kids make many a good 90-Second Newbery) led a bunch of 10-13 year olds in a summer movie-making camp at Chicago Filmmakers. The kids made 90-Second Newberys, and they are quite impressive!

For instance, look, JUST LOOK at their take on William Steig’s 1983 Honor Book Dr. Desoto, which in its original form is a cute picture book about a mouse dentist and his loyal, resourceful wife who must fix the teeth of a fox who wants to eat them. This group had the genius idea to do it as a horror movie . . . and make the wife into a much more sinister character!

First off, great work by the set designers, props department, costumers, and sound effects people. I loved how the movie so convincingly portrayed a dentist’s office even though the group had no access to a real dentist’s office, with relevant sound effects (that drill!), an artful rearrangement of chairs and desks, some strategically placed signs, a few insert shots of dental equipment—that’s some resourceful filmmaking right there!

I love how the movie established the “hugeness” of the fox, with the earthquake effect and roar and the reaction shot and the green screen of the fox in front of the buildings. And effective mood-setting with the use of ominous music plus foreground/background focus switching. I kept wondering “How are they going to show Dr. DeSoto inside the fox’s mouth?” and when the movie pulled it off with green screen I was like “yes!” The twist of DeSoto’s wife tricking Dr. DeSoto into getting eaten so she can keep the gold tooth, and then blaming it all on the fox, was an inspired alternate ending twist for the story. And the script, ludicrous and witty. “The tooth hurts.” “De-Soto . . . de-licious.” And the added subplot of “Officer Harrison” chasing the hooked-hand guy was cleverly woven throughout. Fantastic!

The next movie is based on Arnold Lobel’s 1973 Honor Book Frog and Toad Together . . . but with a KILLER CYBORG twist:

The introductory slow scary prowl down the hallway with the sudden Cyborg Frog bursting out of the curtains totally worked. The line “depressed eggs” were quite funny. I also liked the line “for how long have you had that mustache?” And how, on their walk, how Toad skips and Frog just trudges. “It’s so windy that my coat blew away”—nice continuity error cover-up! And good special effect for when they’re running. But of course the special effects REALLY get good when they’re fighting—the flying arm! the background animations! SO awesome. And walking into the watermarked YouTube sunrise at the end is Tim-and-Eric-worthy. Outstanding!

But we’re not done with Frog and Toad Together yet. Here’s another take on the same book, with a more musical angle:

I liked how “Growing Down 4 Real” starts with a gentle guitar-ish vibe and then jumps into the hip-hop style. Nice touches: kicking the camera, rapping in front of the graffiti-tagged wall, and especially the line “I’ll put it in my hair—don’t touch me!” And the melancholy rap at the end over the credits worked. The audio was crisp and understandable—this group obviously put a lot of love and effort into the lyrics and the recording! Great work!

And last but not least of a strong group of movies, here’s Lois Lowry’s 1995 Medal Winner The Giver—but done in a post-apocalyptic style:

Sometimes it’s fun and refreshing, like this, when the 90-Second Newbery adaptation just ditches the original story entirely at a certain point, and just goes off on its own weird tangent. The keyhole on the back of her neck was inventive and cool! Good choices on the robot-shutdown sound-effect, and motor starting up sound-effect when the robot is turned up. And the bump-bump-BOOOOOM at the end was amusing. Love the synchronized dancing at the end over the credits too. Veers pretty far from the book? Yes. Entertaining? Double yes!

Thanks, attendees of the Chicago Filmmakers 2015 summer camp, for these great entries, and thanks Joseph Lewis for leading the camp! For the rest of you, the deadline for this year’s movies—December 14, 2015—is coming faster than you might expect. Make those movies now, while the weather still holds!

Thanks Rocco Staino and all the good folks at KidLit TV for having me on their show to talk about the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival back when we did the screening in New York back in March! You can watch the episode above.

I was also recently on Tim Podell’s “Good Conversations” podcast, talking up the film festival. I had the good fortune to meet Tim right after the New York screening. He’s had some great children’s writers on his podcast, like Richard Peck and Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. It was an honor to be on! You can listen to my episode here.

I also recently spoke to folks about the 90-Second Newbery in San Antonio, Texas:




This was all arranged through Bibliotech, an inspiring and innovative “digital library” in San Antonio. I had the pleasure of meeting Judge Nelson Wolff, Laura Cole, Christa Aldrich, and all the folks behind Bibliotech’s success and speak to teachers, librarians, parents, and kids about making their own 90-Second Newbery movies. In fact, the kids at Bibliotech have already made their own 90-Second Newbery of Linda Sue Park’s classic 2002 Newbery Medal winner A Single Shard, and it’s delightful! Check it out:



Thanks, Bibliotech! I’m looking forward to seeing what comes from Texas this year!