Beloit International Film Festival facts for kids
BIFF is held across multiple screening locations in walkable downtown Beloit Wisconsin
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| Location | Beloit, Wisconsin, United States |
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| Founded | 2005 |
| Language | International |
The Beloit International Film Festival (BIFF) is an exciting yearly film festival held in Beloit, Wisconsin. It usually takes place in the middle of February. The very first festival happened in 2006.
BIFF has grown a lot since it started. It now lasts for 10 days and uses seven different places to show movies. Most of these places are in downtown Beloit, so it's easy to walk from one to another. Over 300 volunteers help make the festival happen. It's a big community effort that welcomes filmmakers from all over the world!
History of BIFF
The first Beloit International Film Festival in 2006 used about six different spots in downtown Beloit. It started as a long weekend event with fun social gatherings at night.
One of the earliest and most popular events was the Silent Film Showcase. This showed old silent movies with live music played by the local symphony orchestra. Another important program that still runs today is "Kids at BIFF." In this program, fifth graders get to watch films and talk about them. They even learn how to think critically about movies.
In 2012, BIFF got even bigger and expanded to 10 days. It also started showing films made by local filmmakers from Wisconsin and Illinois. This special event is called the Wisconsin-Illinois Showdown. It happens during the first weekend of BIFF.
By 2014, BIFF became a year-round festival. This means they show films every week! In the summer, BIFF even shows family-friendly movies outdoors in local parks. The films are usually shown in smaller places that seat 30 to 100 people. Most of these spots are close enough to walk between.
Awesome Events at BIFF
BIFF has many cool events for everyone to enjoy:
- BIFF Year 'Round — You can watch films throughout the year that might be chosen for the next festival. You even get to vote on which ones you like best!
- BIFF Outdoors — During warm weather, BIFF uses a giant outdoor screen to show movies in Beloit and nearby towns.
- The Silent Film Showcase — This event brings classic silent films to life. A live orchestra plays music along with the movie, just like in the old days!
- BIFF Cares — This program shows films that focus on important social topics. After the movie, there's a discussion panel where people can talk about the film's message.
- Kids@BIFF — This program helps school-aged children learn about how to critique films and even how movies are made.
- BIFF Sing-a-long — Get ready to sing! This event shows a classic movie with the song lyrics on the screen so everyone can sing along.
- The Wisconsin/Illinois Showdown — Filmmakers from Wisconsin and Illinois compete in a friendly contest to show off their best work.
- Filmmaker Workshop — A professional filmmaker shares tips and advice on how to make independent movies. It's a great chance to learn from an expert!
- BIFF Classic Film — This is the festival's closing event. It's a chance to see a famous classic movie on the big screen again.
BIFF Awards
Filmmakers at BIFF can win several awards for their amazing work:
- Power of Film Award
- People's Choice Award
- Ken Hendricks Award for Excellence
- Josh Burton Award
- Best Documentary Feature
- Best Narrative Feature
- BIFF Documentary Short
- Best Narrative Short
- Executive Director Award
