KITS Press Releases
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"Bully" Stars Terry Crews and Ariel Winter, with the Latter Serving as Presenter at the KITS Film Awards Nov. 5th
March 30, 2023
Kids In The Spotlight (KITS) will bring together Hollywood stars to celebrate foster youth and their creative filmmaking. At the screening and awards show, the 501(c)3 non-profit will premiere the short film "Bully," directed by David Mahmoudieh and writtten by former foster youth Rodney Jackson-Brown, winner of the inaugural KITS National Short Screenplay Competition. The film also stars Hollywood actors Terry Crews (Brooklyn 9-9) and Ariel Winter (Modern Family). KITS Ambassador Ty Burrell of ABC's hit show "Modern Family" will host the KITS Film Awards again, which will honor the creative achievements of young filmmakers impacted by foster care who use filmmaking as an artistic expression of their lives. Read more at:
KITS CELEBRATES FOSTER YOUTH FILMMAKERS IN LOS ANGELES
Annual Event Recognizes Inspiring Talent and Their Stories
November 8, 2022
Kids In The Spotlight (KITS) recently hosted its 12th Annual KITS Film Awards at Regal L.A. Live in Downtown L.A. on Saturday, November 5th. The film screening and awards ceremony honored the creative achievements of foster youth and inner city filmmakers telling their stories their way. The emerging artists received awards from Tiffany Haddish, Nadine Ellis, and James Pickens, Jr. to name a few. The event was possible with the generous support of The Canet Foundation, Music is Unity and Picture Head. The night also acknowledged some of KITS' biggest supporters. Zach King, filmmaker, illusionist and author received the Gary Burrell Humanitarian Award, named for actor Ty Burrell's father and the work he did for foster youth. King, who is a foster parent himself, uses his platform to teach and inspire the next generation of filmmakers and storytellers. Additional event sponsors included Schimmel & Parks, The Refinery, The California Wellness Foundation, and She Ready Foundation. Read more at:
NON-PROFIT KITS TO PREMIERE FOSTER YOUTH FILM "BULLY" AT 11TH ANNUAL KITS FILM AWARDS, HOSTED BY TY BURRELL
"Bully" Stars Terry Crews and Ariel Winter, with the Latter Serving as Presenter at the KITS Film Awards Nov. 6th
November 1, 2021
Kids In The Spotlight (KITS) will bring together Hollywood stars to celebrate foster youth and their creative filmmaking. At the awards show, the 501(c)3 non-profit will premiere the short film "Bully," directed by David Mahmoudieh and writtten by former foster youth Rodney Jackson-Brown, winner of the inaugural KITS National Short Screenplay Competition. The film also stars Hollywood actors Terry Crews (Brooklyn 9-9) and Ariel Winter (Modern Family). KITS Ambassador Ty Burrell of ABC's hit show "Modern Family" will host the screening and awards ceremony, which will honor the creative achievements of young filmmakers in the foster care system who use filmmaking as an artistic expression of their lives. Special thank you to this year's event sponsors for making the KITS Film Awards possible, including Schimmel & Parks, Picture Head, The Refinery, L.A. Care, Becky & Gregory Metzger, and The Camera Division. Read more at:
IN HONOR OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH, KITS CELEBRATES BLACK YOUTH STORYTELLERS
A Special Screening and Q&A Event on February 18th Hosted by Malcolm-Jamal Warner
January 18, 2021
KITS will host a special screening event on the IndieFlix streaming service on February 18 at 5pm PST. The event will showcase short films created by Black and Brown youth storytellers in honor of Black History Month. Following the screening of "Brown," directed by Julia Verdin, and "System Failure," directed by Robert Munic, will be a Q&A panel moderated by Malcolm-Jamal Warner (The Resident) in an authentic conversation about the social issues raised in the films such as race, prejudice and barriers to success for Black and Indigenous People of Color. Immediately following the panel, transitional age foster youth will have the opportunity to participate in a virtual career mixer with creative executives from NBCUniversal to learn about careers in production, writing, development, marketing, acting and directing. Read more at:
FOSTER FILM CHANNEL TO DEBUT ON INDIEFLIX
KITS Foster Youth Filmmakers to Celebrate Launch of Dedicated Showcase on IndieFlix Streaming Platform
December 7, 2020
Kids In The Spotlight will unveil the launch of their new dedicated IndieFlix streaming channel with a triple-feature and live panel, spotlighting the foster youth filmmakers on Friday, December 8th at 6pm PST. The featured short films will be "Heaven's Hard Pitches," directed by Mo McRae, "Love Just Is," directed by A. Laura James and co-starring Nadine Ellis and Jordyn Curet, and "Cyverius," directed by Alphonso McAuley. Please visit the all-new streaming channel at bit.ly/WatchKITS Read more at:
CELEBS COME TOGETHER TO SUPPORT KIDS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Ty Burrell, Kellee Stewart, Malcolm-Jamal Warmer, and other Hollywood pros volunteer to judge KITS National Short Screenplay Competition for foster youth
April 20, 2020
As the country shelters in place to flatten the COVID-19 curve, Kids In The Spotlight (KITS) is taking its Screenwriting & Filmmaking program nationally to service foster youth from across the United States. The KITS National Short Screenplay Competition (KNSSC) was created to ensure that the cognitive, creative, and social needs of transitional age foster youth from around the country are being met. The winning short script will be turned into a short film produced by industry professionals, and the organization is offering a free, 5-week Virtual Screenwriting Course to teach them how to use their personal stories to craft a screenplay that can connect and inspire others. Read more at: