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Kid power at the movies

A treasure trove of films and workshops by and for kids can be found at Muvico Centro Ybor.

A slate of family-friendly film entertainment continues through Sunday at the second annual KidFlix Florida International Children's Film Festival.

The St. Petersburg Times is a major sponsor of the event intended to showcase positive screen images and messages for young viewers. Screenings are held at Muvico Centro Ybor 20 in Ybor City, with several hands-on workshops planned on the plaza downstairs from the theater.

KidFlix began Wednesday night with the sports-themed film Jumping for Joy, but really gets going today. At 10 a.m., 11-year-old filmmaker Ben Foster introduces his documentary Kid Patrol, in which he and friends find true-life situations and intervene with advice for a kinder resolution. Ben will answer questions after the show.

Meanwhile, award-winning animator Mary McKay hosts a 10:30 a.m. workshop titled "Pixilation: Creating the Magic of Movement." As with each of the KidFlix workshops, registration is limited. Call (813) 242-4660 to inquire about availability.

At noon, a collection of 11 animated short films from around the world will be presented, followed at 1:30 p.m. by another McKay workshop on "Flip-Book Drawing: An Introduction to Hand Drawn Animation" for ages 10 and up.

A touch of bilingualism occurs at 2 p.m. when the film Marco Polo: Return to Xanadu will be screened in two auditoriums, one with an English soundtrack and the other in Spanish without subtitles. At 4 p.m., Vote and Under the Star and Stripes make up a program of patriotic short films. Today's schedule concludes with a 5:30 p.m. screening of Summer with Ghosts, a Canadian chiller in the Goosebumps vein for ages 7 and older.

Friday's slate begins at 9:30 a.m. with McKay's workshop on Claymation for ages 6 to 9. A 10 a.m. screening of Rescue Heroes: The Movie and a noon trio of short subjects round out the morning. An encore workshop by McKay on flip-book animation will begin at 1:30 p.m.

Spooky House, a scary tale for ages 7 and older begins at 2 p.m., followed by a 4:20 p.m. collection of seven short subjects aimed at teens titled Fitting In and Finding Your Way. At 6 p.m., 15-year-old filmmaker Chaille Stovall presents the workshop "Aliens Ate My Head: Hollywood Special Effects for Kids," demonstrating how to create illusions on camera. Stovall will lead the workshop again at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.

Friday's lineup concludes with another bilingual selection, To Be a Father, shown in both English (7 p.m.) and Spanish (7:45 p.m.) versions.

Saturday's schedule also includes McKay's 1 p.m. workshop on Claymation, a free 10 a.m. screening of The Little Polar Bear and a Spanish-language version of the animated hit Ice Age at 11:45 a.m.

At 1:40 p.m., a collection of independent short subjects including Stephen Unger's The Paper Castle will be shown. Stovall hosts a documentary workshop at 2 p.m. titled "DocShop: The "Don't Take No for an Answer' Tour." The day wraps up with a 3:30 p.m. screening of Her Majesty and a 5:45 p.m. showing of The First of May.

Sunday's closing events begin at 12:15 p.m. with Rocket Power: Island of the Menehune, a 12:30 p.m. workshop on pixilation hosted by McKay, and a 2 p.m. screening of Strega Nona. KidFlix closes with a special free screening of Disney's The Three Musketeers starring Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy.

KidFlix festival passes are $20 for adults, $15 for children, good for all movies today through Saturday. Seating is first-come, first-served. Festival Passports are available from Kid City, (813) 935-8441, ext. 227. Individual tickets can be purchased at the Muvico box office. For group sales, call (813) 242-4660. For more information, go to kidflixflorida.com