Transport yourself to places few can visit in real life
23. May 2024
It is a truism that there are few quality films for children and youth. From the position of a respected international festival, we strive to bring productions that are filled with positively themed stories and strong topics. We are convinced that through film we can broaden the horizons of young audiences. We aim to show them how and with what children on the opposite side of the world live, fostering in them an appreciation for diverse opinions and cultural tolerance. Therefore, in the children's film competition this year, you will encounter imaginative, funny, and touching films that address themes of friendship, diversity, and positive values. It is worth noting that many of these films are based on bestselling books. A number of the competing films will take young viewers and their parents to places that few can visit in real life. For instance, you can travel to the far north of Canada, where temperatures drop to minus 40 degrees celsius. You can admire the stunning views of the snow-covered Peruvian Andes or the magical scenery of the Tibetan Plateau. And all of this can be experienced from the comfort of our festival cinema halls.
Touching, funny, and imaginative, the film Lars Is LOL is about the importance of friendship, being different, and the effort to fit in. It is based on the Norwegian bestseller of the same name. The heartwarming film Coco Farm is a movie for the whole family, bringing an inspirational message and exceptional values. Kina & Yuk gently and effortlessly explains how nature works. The Norwegian film Christmas on Cobbler Street delivers the message that life is best when shared with those you love. The adventure film Thabo and the Rhino Case tackles the theme of protecting animals from poaching and is also a great example of the immense effort, love, and money invested in raising orphaned animals in Africa. In the film The Song of Spring, a young boy living with his mother on the Tibetan Plateau gains courage and wisdom. We can share in the joy of the animals saving the forest from a great flood in an animated film for our littlest moviegoers, Fox and Hare Save the Forest. A grand story about the power of human creativity is undoubtedly found in the animated film The Inventor, inspired by the life and times of Leonardo da Vinci. You can enjoy the comedic and thrilling adventure of a family of thieves in The Pinchers‘ High Voltage Heist, based on the children's book of the same name. Another adaptation is the colorful, sensitive, at times ironic, but also touching animated coming-of-age story titled A Greyhound of a Girl. And finally, the film Through Rocks and Clouds, set in a small village in the Peruvian Andes, shows young viewers the beautiful friendship between a little boy, an alpaca named Ronaldo, and a dog named Rambo. And of course, they are all huge soccer fans.
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION OF FEATURE FILMS FOR CHILDREN
FOX AND HARE SAVE THE FOREST / LIŠÁK A ZAJDA ZACHRAŇUJÍ LES
Directed by: Mascha Halberstad / Belgium, Luxemburg, Netherlands 2024
LARS IS LOL / LARS JE LOL
Directed by: Eirik Sæter Stordahl / Norway 2023
COCO FARM / MAXOVA FARMA
Directed by: Sébastien Gagné / Canada 2023
THABO AND THE RHINO CASE / THABO A PŘÍPAD NOSOROŽEC
Directed by: Mara Eibl-Eibesfeldt / Germany 2023
THROUGH ROCKS AND CLOUDS / PŘES MRAKY A SKÁLY
Directed by: Franco García Becerra / Chile, Peru 2024
CHRISTMAS ON COBBLER STREET / STINE A JEJÍ CESTA DOMŮ
Directed by: Mikal Hovland / Norway 2023
A GREYHOUND OF A GIRL / MARY A CESTA DO MINULOSTI
Directed by: Enzo d'Alò / Luxemburg, Italy, Ireland, Great Britain, Estonia, Germany, Latvia 2023
THE PINCHERS’ HIGH VOLTAGE HEIST / CHMATÁKOVI
Directed by: Leif Lindblom / Sweden 2023
KINA & YUK / MAX A MÁJA: PŘÍBĚH LIŠTIČEK
Directed by: Guillaume Maidatchevsky / Canada, France, Italy 2023
THE SONG OF SPRING / BÍLÝ KONÍK
Directed by: Chaofeng Pan / China 2023
THE INVENTOR / VYNÁLEZCE
Directed by: Jim Capobianco, Pierre-Luc Granjon / France, Ireland, Luxemburg, USA 2023