Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival 2009

Set in a black-and-white 1940’s, “Sparks in the Night” humorously follows detective Leon Sparks as he closes in on notorious lawbreaker Jerry Walker and the Speeder Brothers. Working with a cast of fellow eighth-graders, the 13-year-old director encapsulates the mood, moral ambiguity, menace, and fun of the grimy city. The 180-second movie was filmed over two days that produced over 250 clips and takes. Editing intensely over his one-week spring break, writer/director Ben Kadie used 3D computer models, 2D animation, archival footage, and digital matte paintings. The result was a stunning vision of a city that 'would keep its filth hidden like a folding chair, tied to a giraffe, dipped in gasoline, and then lit on fire would keep on burning.' Eighth grader, Ben has been making films with friends for six years. “Perilous Skies” (2007), a WWI comedy, won the Seattle Times’ Three-Minute Masterpiece Contest. The spy comedy “009” (2008) earned an “Innovator of the Year” nomination from the National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY)/Thomson Innovator of the Year Award. “A Friendly Game” (2008) was awarded a National Gold Medal from the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards (Of the 140,000 pieces of art and writing submitted, 300 earned gold medals). “Murder at Pharaoh’s Grave”, a mystery set in the Egypt of 1997, was named best middle school film at the Louisiana Film Festival and won the NFFTY LA Trip Award for filmmaker potential. “Sparks in the Night”, a 1940’s detective spoof, was named a Seattle Times Three-Minute Masterpiece. His films have been screened at the Newport Beach Film Festival, the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival, the Cucalorus Film Festival (North Carolina), the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival (Alabama), the Young People’s Film & Video Festival (Oregon), the Chicago International REEL Shorts Fest, Westport (Connecticut) Youth Film Festival, and the Seattle International Film Festival.