The German ‘Outstanding Children’s Film’ initiative (Der Besondere Kinderfilm) is dedicated to the production of high-quality, original cinema for young audiences. It was founded in 2013 to fill a gap: films that aren’t adaptations or tied to existing franchises but instead tell new, socially relevant stories that reflect children’s lives today. Over the years, the programme has broadened its scope and now the first “outstanding” documentary and animated movies have hit the screens.
Each year, filmmakers submit original ideas for children aged 6-13 to this three-phase programme; the selected projects receive development support, funding, mentorship and creative guidance. Over time, the scheme has built up a reputation as a mark of quality in German children’s cinema, with titles such as WINNERS (by Soleen Yusef), the story of a young soccer girl; NIGHT FOREST (by André Hörmann), a treasure hunt; or THE PRANK (by Benjamin Heisenberg), an April Fools Day comedy. Some films were distributed worldwide, but these were invariably live-action features. Until now…
Among the new titles for 2025 was the documentary CIRCUSBOY (by Julia Lemke & Anna Koch), presented at the Berlinale. The film follows in the footsteps of Santino, who travels around in a caravan with his family, many animals, and especially his great-grandfather, one of the last great circus artists. And the recent premiere of THE LAST WHALE SINGER (by Reza Memari – photo) marked the launch of the first animated film, telling about Vincent, an orphaned humpback whale, and the son of Humphrey, the last whale singer. When the prehistoric monster Leviathan breaks free from a melting iceberg, the oceans are in grave danger unless the young whale finds his own song to sing.
The German Children’s Film Association (Förderverein Deutscher Kinderfilm), organiser of the programme, celebrates the growth in numbers and variety of children’s films with a trailer that highlights the lifelong impact of young audience cinema on children, through the slogan “Cinema that lasts” (Kino Das Bleibt). The trailer can be seen on numerous cinema screens across the country and, of course, online.
Outstanding Children’s Film has even more irons in the fire, which became clear in SCHLINGEL’s ‘Coming Soon’ section, where the upcoming productions HORSE ON A STICK (produced by Philipp Budweg) and THE SECRET OF THE STOLEN MASK (produced by Eva Franz) were presented.