European Children's
Film Association
Association Européenne du Cinéma
pour l'Enfance et la Jeunesse
Producers from four countries (MAUR film, Czech Republic; Artichoke, Slovakia; ZVVIKS, Slovenia; Vivement Lundi!, France) collectively fell for OF UNWANTED THINGS AND PEOPLE, a book by Arnošt Goldflam. In each country, the adaptation of one short story was launched, then brought together in a narrative framework. The enchanting result premiered in the Berlinale’s Generation competition under its new title TALES FROM THE MAGIC GARDEN.
Photography has been Karl’s favourite pastime for years, and when he invites Lea into his improvised ‘bathroom laboratory’, she is impressed by his ‘light magic’. But is that enough to win her heart? A dramatic scene at the end of the film shows them sitting side by side on a bench; the space between Karl and Lea is physically so narrow, but actually it’s huge… unbridgeable. Director Bernd Sahling: “You see how she’s looking at him, he’s looking at her… and then he just stands up and walks away without saying a word. That’s how love sickness works.”
This summer, the 14-year-old girls Malak, Celia and Jae travel with their respective parents to a campsite in the south of France. Great expectations and strong desires await them there. This year, it just might happen: their first steps in love. Documentary makers Anneke de Lind van Wijngaarden and Natalie Bruijns wonder whether reality can match those dreams. In SWEETIES, they observe the girls in their daily walk around the campsite, and talk with them about dreams and deeds.
As a promising tennis talent, Julie’s life is all about the sport. But when her coach is suddenly suspended and an investigation is launched, Julie remains silent. While her parents and her club beg for clarity, she demands time and space to deal with the situation at her own pace and on her own terms. In JULIE KEEPS QUIET, silence can sound louder than the biggest bang.
RUPTURE is not only the name of a documentary, but also of a project with great social impact in one of Brussels’ impoverished neighbourhoods. For over 30 years, a local youth centre has been taking local youngsters on a demanding trek through the Pyrenees. The fatigue and the overwhelming mountain scenery force them to reflect on their lives. Even with a camera pointed at them. Last year, documentary filmmakers Younes Haidar and Zohra Benhammou joined them on their trek.
It took a while for the film to find its way from Indonesia to the European festivals. The road was not only long geographically, but also formally – TEGAR tells a story in a cinematographic way that Western eyes and ears are not used to. The film’s genesis story was shaped by filmmakers for whom inclusion is not an empty concept. In conversations with filmmaker Anggi Frisca and her partner / producer / medical doctor Chandra Sembiring, social impact stories far outweigh cinematic details.
Ben Pipetka is a witty teenager, facing the hardships of adolescence with humour and optimism. He plays in a band with his best friend, and his passion is in cooking and eating. However, Benʼs obesity is becoming problematic, and a bunch of classmates find him a perfect bullying victim. More and more, Ben doubts himself, especially when he falls in love with beautiful Klara. Wanting to please her, Ben starts a diet. But when Klara rejects his amorous efforts, he falls into an emotional hole of apathy and gluttony. How can Ben find the courage to accept himself the way he is, even with his physical imperfections?
Walking with guests at the Filem’On festival, I hear them talking about the teenage boy who walks with us. How charming and thoughtful he is, and so nice to his mother. None of them recognise in him the little boy who, in the Norwegian documentary TODD & SUPER-STELLA, directed by his mother Mari Monrad Vistven, is so unutterably happy because he is going to get a cat. The film follows Todd and his sister Stella for five years. Stella hates things she can’t do. It doesn’t help that big brother Todd can do everything. Todd runs the slowest of the boys in his class, so he loves winning against Stella.