Nelson Ogbuagu is a typical Chicago middle-school student who has had some atypical experiences. A student at the Walt Disney Magnet School in Chicago, Nelson’s passion for filmmaking has been nurtured for years by the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival’s Young Chicago Critics (YCC) camp, the premier film criticism and production summer camp for kids in Chicago. But this year, after serving on YCC for three years, Nelson will do something he has never dreamed of doing: traveling to the world-famous Kodak Theater in Hollywood, home of the Academy Awards, to help jury an international children’s film festival.

On April 23rd through the 28th, Nelson Ogbuagu and two fellow film buffs, Chloe Dreiske and Katie Mahaffey, are headed to Hollywood to take part in Giffoni Hollywood, the US extension of the internationally respected Italian Giffoni Children’s Film Festival.

While he is at the Kodak Theater, Nelson’s fellow classmates will be watching many of the festival films live from Disney Magnet School and will get to vote in “real time” along with the kids in Hollywood.

Chloe and Katie are veterans of the Children’s Jury for the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival and have screened several of the films shown in Chicago at past festivals.

“I am so excited about being one of three kids from Chicago to be invited,” exclaimed Chloe, “I have seen the Kodak Theater on the Academy Awards, and now I’ll be there, like a famous filmmaker.” As well as serving on the Children’s Jury judging the best international youth films the world has to offer, these young critics will take part in a series of workshops, seminars, and conferences, giving their insight into the business and art of filmmaking.

“Programs like Giffoni Hollywood and Young Chicago Critics empower children of all backgrounds to achieve remarkable successes,” stated Deidre Searcy, Programmer at the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival, “Wonderful students like Nelson deserve opportunities like this.” Designed for kids aged 7 to 14 with little or no experience in making films, Young Chicago Critics arms students with the skills and confidence needed to produce and criticize films. A select number of YCC graduates become international delegates to the Giffoni Film Festival in Italy each year.

Young Chicago Critics is a program of the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival. The CICFF is the largest festival of films for children in North America and features over 200 animated and live action films from 35 countries. The Festival welcomes over 24,000 Chicago area children, adults, and educators to the screenings, and over 100 filmmakers, media professionals & celebrities attend the Festival to lead interactive workshops with kids. The 2007 CICFF will be held on October 18-28.

For more information about the Young Chicago Critics Program, the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival or Facets Multi-Media, please contact Kathleen Beckman at (773) 281-9075, email kidsfest@facets.org or log onto our website at www.cicff.org.