Adelaide Festival Centre Presents Little Big Shots 2012, July 12-14

Adelaide Festival Centre will welcome back the Little Big Shots International Film Festival for Kids, in the July school holidays, from 12 – 14 July in the Space Theatre.

Now in its sixth year, Little Big Shots features 78 films from 16 countries from Ireland to Israel, Singapore to Spain, and is a perfect holiday activity for children aged 2–15 years and for the entire family. Little Big Shots continues to present engaging alternatives to traditional children's cinema, with short films that will entertain, inspire, and provoke the imaginations of children of all ages.

This year's program presents the perennial favourite Marcel the Shell – this character is back in Marcel The Shell With Shoes On: 2 and features more of the trials and tribulations of the tiny shell with pink sneakers. Young South Australian filmmakers are represented by Kat the Karate Queen by Hannah Oxlade and Angus Brosnan; Lotte Sweeney's animation Weather; the live-action Where's Walter by Jack Morrisson, Jensen Brown and Madeline Slegers; and Dana Lightbody's Super Sam.

A further highlight of the Festival will be the UK animated film The Gruffalo's Child. A sequel to The Gruffalo, this film won the Audience Award at the New York International Children's Film Festival. If you loved The Gruffalo in last year's program, then don't miss this next installment, where the Gruffalo's child creeps out into the snow in search of the Big Bad Mouse.

Little Big Shots is Australia's major stand-alone kids' film festival focusing on short films for children, plus plenty of competitions and opportunities to engage with the films. The films screening in Little Big Shots inspire discussion of world cultures, different languages, cultural diversity, emotional intelligence and human values. Better still, they will make kids laugh, whoop, think, and connect.

In his first year as Festival Director, Ben Laden enthuses, "This Festival is an opportunity for kids to see great stories from all over the world that would never otherwise be available in Australia. We at Little Big Shots guarantee that the Festival's films will make kids laugh and scream for more!"

This year there is a fantastic competition open to 5–15 year olds. For the chance to win an iPod Touch 32 GB valued at $300, simply state what you would make a short film about in 25 words or less. Entries are open until 20 July 2012. To enter, visit www.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au/littlebigshots

The full program can be viewed on the Adelaide Festival Centre website http://www.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au

For more information about Little Big Shots go to www.littlebigshots.com.au.