The Newbery Award is a top prize in children’s literature. Each year, the medal goes to the best American children’s book, with past winners including stories of time travel, magic, animals, and family. A fun film festival challenges young readers to make movies out of these stories — in only 90 seconds!
Writer James Kennedy created the 90-second Newbery Film Fest in 2011. He got the idea after spending a day making a movie with his niece and nephew and their friends. The movie was based on the 1963 Newbery Medal winner A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle.
“We had a blast making it,” Kennedy told News-O-Matic. “I wondered, what other Newbery-winning books could be made into funny, super-short movies? What might other people make?”
Kennedy started the festival to find out! The event is open to moviemakers under 18 years old (though adults can help out or act in the films). The movies must be based on a Newbery winner or Newbery Honor book — a total of more than 400 books from over 100 years. They should only be around 90 seconds or slightly longer, and they can’t be made by A.I. or with computer programs that don’t give the movies a handmade feel. The best entries get shown at events in cities around the United States.
When picking movies, Kennedy says, “The weirder, the better.” He explained, “At first, most of the movies I received were retellings of the books. But over time, I have received more and more weird retellings of the books with creative twists, and those are my favorites!” Kids have submitted movies such as Frog and Toad Together (1973 Newbery Honor) as an action movie with a ninja and Charlotte’s Web (1953 Newbery Honor) told in the style of a horror movie!
The festival has gotten more than 1,000 movies from around the world. Most of the film are with human actors, but some kids use clay characters and for their movies. Other young filmmakers have built their stories with LEGO or transformed the books into musicals!
The first 90-Second Film Festival held three screenings in 2011, but the 2025 event will include showings in eight U.S. cities. On February 22, the Central Library in Brooklyn, New York, hosted the first screening of the year. Author Rita Williams-Garcia — who won a Newbery Honor for her book One Crazy Summer — hosted the screening with Kennedy, who said he was excited to “get to meet the young genius filmmakers in person.”
Kennedy added that he likes to “project their onscreen to packed auditoriums of folks cheering and laughing for their creations.” He said, “It's one thing to make a video and just put it online. It's something quite different to see a big live audience appreciating your movie when it's on the big screen.”
After Brooklyn, the free film fest will travel to cities including Chicago, Illinois; Boston, Massachusetts; and San Antonio, Texas. Each city’s film fest features movies by kids from that city as well as others. “Judging from the reactions of the crowds at the screenings, they love them!” shared Kennedy, adding, “And definitely the movies that do the best at the screenings are the funny ones.”
Kennedy shared advice for how to make a fantastic film. “Don't worry about overacting,” he said. “The more over-the-top and silly your acting is, the more folks will like your movie.” He suggested using “big flashy costumes” and “fun props” as well as filming outdoors for more interesting shots. Kennedy added that action — such as fighting, chasing, and dancing — is more entertaining than talking.
“Don’t be afraid to make a movie!” Kennedy added. “You’re probably better at making a movie than you think.” He explained that today’s technology makes it cheaper and easier than ever to finish a film. So, he said, “Take advantage of the technology that you have to make something amazing!”
By Diana Richard
Updated February 24, 2025, 5:00 P.M. (ET)
