WDPL wraps up family film festivals
Contact: Bryan Keith Younts
Young Adult and Family Programming Coordinator
West Davidson Public Library
(336)853-4800
Bryan.Younts@davidsoncountync.gov
LEXINGTON — West Davidson Public Library hosted their Fall Family Film Festival in October, their second and final Festival of the year. It was made possible by a special grant they were awarded. Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries is an initiative from the American Library Association (ALA) that provided funds and training for equipment and planning of this program. Once again, the films chosen were movies based off classic children’s stories with important lessons about kindness.
“For our second festival, we selected the movies ‘Where the Wild Things Are,’ ‘Wonder,’ and the live action ‘Charlotte’s Web.’” said Young Adult and Family Programming Coordinator, Bryan Keith Younts. “Their selection was partially based on the important messages of the films and the books they were based on. The other consideration was that they were films we were allowed to show outside with the projection equipment we purchased. Unfortunately, we were rained out twice and it just wasn’t dark enough on the one night that wasn’t, but we had planned ahead to use the main area of the library as a backup location. All the indoor showings went off without a hitch.”
While attendance for the first two showings was lower than hoped, those who watched the films enjoyed the movies and discussed the messages of both films.
“The overall message of the movie ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ is that everyone is dealing with their own problems and you should consider how your actions can impact those people. We agreed that was a very important message. It’s a sad, sweet movie that we all enjoyed and that I was glad to hear was loved by Maurice Sendak, the author of the original book,” said Younts.
He continued, “Our second movie was ‘Wonder,’ based off the novel of the same name. One viewer talked about what a beautiful movie it was. Myself, I enjoyed the excellent performances by the cast, who were all fantastic in this film. The message of being kind and accepting to those who are different from us was appreciated by all of us.”
The third movie, however, was very well attended, with a very enthusiastic and energetic group of youngsters. They watched “Charlotte’s Web” and were very eager to talk about the movie afterwards. “Of our Film Festival showings, this was far and away our most talkative crowd. We talked about what the word compassion means and how the various characters in the movie showed compassion towards
one another. We also talked about the importance of true friends and giving people a chance even if your expectations might not be great. You never know, they just might surprise you.” Younts added, “I was also particularly touched by the politeness and thanks given by several of the children throughout the night. It was, as we tried to encourage with both festivals this year, very kind.”
If you are interested in giving any feedback or asking any questions about the program, please contact Bryan Keith Younts at 336-853-4800 or Bryan.Younts@davidsoncountync.gov, or visit https://www.facebook.com/westdavidsonpubliclibrarync for more information.
Since 2014, ALA’s Libraries Transforming Communities initiative has re-imagined the role libraries play in supporting communities. Libraries of all types have utilized free dialogue and deliberation training and resources to lead community and campus forums; take part in anti-violence activities; provide a space for residents to come together and discuss challenging topics; and have productive conversations with civic leaders, library trustees and staff.
“Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries is an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) in collaboration with the Association for Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL).”
