Dad-related film festival gives a platform to fathers
Chevy Chase -based DADvocacy Consulting Group (DCG) created a film festival centered around fatherhood to give a platform to those stories festival founder and director Alan Shedlin says fathers are yearning to tell.
“A lot of men wish they had greater involvement from their own fathers and are wishing they were more involved in their own children’s lives,” says Shedlin, founder and director of the Daddying Film Festival & Forum.
DCG’s recent 2023 festival highlighted the important role fathers play—while also providing a space for kids and fathers to reflect on their experiences together, Shedlin says.
In its second year, the festival, open to indie filmmakers and students both nationally and internationally, also became a platform for fathers and father figures to submit films as well. One of this year’s finalists was local father Nathaniel Port, owner and operator of Grandma Vera’s Bakery in Rockville, Maryland, with a 3-minute comedy short called “Evil Dad.”
And in July, five-time Grammy-nominated family musician Justin Roberts received DCG’s inaugural Roy R. Neuberger Prize for best Dad-Created Film (and a $500 prize) at his Wolf Trap concert in Vienna, Virginia.
DCG also works year-round with fathers to develop programs and curricula, conduct research, offer workshops, hold support groups, conduct training, consult for organizations and serve on father- and family-related panels.
To see what’s coming up next, visit dadvocacyconsultinggroup.com. Film submissions for next year’s festival will open on Jan. 15—and the 2024 live forum next summer will be held in Philadelphia.
MoCo Children’s Business Fair
Are kids too young to start their own business? According to Tameka Montgomery, founder of the Raising Entrepreneurs Podcast and the Montgomery County Children’s Business Fair, the answer is no.
“Today’s youth are tomorrow’s business innovators and leaders,” she says in a news release. And getting business experience at a young age can help develop an entrepreneurial spirit and give them a head start on the skills they need to be changemakers, she explains.
After a three-year hiatus, the Montgomery County Children’s Business Fair, which will feature 40 young entrepreneurs, is back from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Aug. 19 at Rockville Town Square. The fair allows kids ages 6-15 to interact with customers and sell their own merchandise—without help from Mom and Dad. They will be judged on innovative idea, presentation and sales pitch for the opportunity to win cash awards. The model is designed to help kids gain real-world business experience. The kid presenters were chosen via an application process completed in June. Learn more about the fair, which is
free and open to the public, at mocochildrensbusinessfair.org.
LEGO Discovery Center To Open in Springfield Town Center
LEGO Discovery Center Washington, D.C. will open in Springfield Town Center, in Springfield, Virginia, this August. After a ribbon cutting on Aug. 9 and special “first to play days” from Aug. 10-13, the center will open to the general public on Aug. 14.
More than just a superstore, the 32,000-square-foot interactive family attraction by Merlin Entertainments provides learn-through-play activities, creative workshops from a team of playmakers and Master Model Builders.
“We are truly bringing LEGO experiences to life at our new Center! Children will be able to let their imagination and creativity run wild in each of our unique and immersive zones,” says General Manager Therese Alvich in a news release.
Among the immersive experiences are a 4D cinema, laser maze, climbing wall, LEGO portrait building, custom minifigure creation and a train ride through an oversized LEGO world.
Learn more and book tickets at legodiscoverycenter.com/washington-dc/tickets-passes.
