Sold out BYkids Benefit is a smashing success! A sneak peek to celebrate our third film with guest hosts including the President of the Asia Society, a journalist from The Economist and the film’s film mentor.

Film legends Joyce Chopra and Albert Maysles work with us to make our next BYkids films. Albert will soon begin teaching the art of filmmaking to a Muslim teen in New York City. The film will open our eyes to the impact of religious intolerance on young people. In January, Joyce will travel to India to work with Jayshree, who’s story shows us the social and economic necessity for educating young girls in the developing world.

MY COUNTRY IS TIBET, by 17-year-old Trichen, is nominated for the MY HERO Film Festival’s RON KOVIC PEACE AWARD, which celebrates peace and those around the world working for non-violence and an end to war. MY HERO creates educational programs using media and technology to celebrate the best of humanity and to empower young people to realize their own potential to effect positive change in the world.

The film is also an official selection at the Sun Valley Film Festival and the Banff Mountain Film Festival. Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival announces that BYkids film MY COUNTRY IS TIBET has been chosen for the 2010 Main Festival Program. Out of thousands of entries, TIBET is one of 30 films to be featured in this prestigious festival.

Thanks to the Ford Foundation’s ongoing support, BYkids has attracted more world-class talent to our board. Now under the leadership of Chair Lucy Price, new board members include writer/film producer Hilary Adams, social entrepreneur Tamsin Smith of the PRODUCT (RED) campaign, political journalist Michelle Mitchell and business leader Eduardo Martinez.

BYkids is invited to UN Headquarters in New York to present our work to the 2010 United Nations Youth Assembly. Over 50 youth leaders from around the world attend a BYkids screening of MOZAMBIQUE and participate in a BYkids workshop on the power of film as a leverage for political action.

TEDxRedmond screens BYkids film, HOME, for their annual conference held at the Microsoft Conference Center. TEDxRedmond, a conference “by kids, for kids”, was launched by 12-year-Adora Svitak, teacher, author and celebrated TED speaker. Adora describes BYkids as “wonderful” both for the filmmakers who have the chance to share their stories, and also for those of us watching them and learning more about their lives.

BYkids Founder/Executive Director Holly Carter travels to Bogota and Cali, Colombia to search for a young filmmaker for our next film, BYkids:COLOMBIA. Colombia’s overwhelming number of displaced people – second only to the Sudan – is primarily driven by civil war and drug-related violence. Mentored by Hollywood great Susan Hoenig, our young Colombian filmmaker begins filming in March, 2011, and will surely bring insight to a social and political crisis that is ravaging the lives of millions of Colombians.

BYkids recognizes the impressive and highly committed work of our Summer 2010 Intern, Connor Cowdon. 15-year-old Connor, a sophomore at Dalton in New York City, brings thorough, in-depth research, strategy development and administrative support to BYkids’ hugely successful agenda of summer events.

At only twelve years old Namgyal Wangchuk Trichen Lhagyari was the only recognized descendent of the first Dharma King of Tibet Songsten Gampo, who died in 698 A.D. Carrying the unique responsibility of representing Tibet’s unbroken history and heritage, Namgyal was crowned by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in June 2004 in Dharamsala, India where he still lives, in exile.

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The Human Rights Watch and Adobe Youth Voices traveling program continues and a 12-minute version of our Mozambique film will screen in San Francisco on March 11 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and in London on March 19 at the Ritzy and March 20 at the ICA. The San Francisco Examiner says about our film, “Beautifully filmed, and presented with grace, it had me in tears.”

Editing of MY COUNTRY IS TIBET is finished with help from an extraordinary group of talented producers and editors and with the distinct voice and direction of our young filmmaker. Plans are underway for a gala screening for May 20, 2010 in Manhattan to coincide with the New York City visit of the Dalai Lama.

Paul, Hastings, the international law firm, is the new pro bono counsel for BYkids. Attorneys Erika C. Collins, Robert Sherman and Lisa Willis have generously agreed to help with our copyright, trademark and contract work. “It is an honor for the firm to represent you,” said Ms. Collins, a partner in the firm.