Interviews – Page 2 – European Children's Film Association

Claude Barras about SAVAGES

“The sound in the jungle is phenomenal”

Kéria lives with her father on the edge of the jungle in Borneo when her cousin Selaï temporarily moves in with them. When Kéria finds a baby orangutan, they want to nurse it together to release it into the jungle later. But the jungle is threatened by big logging companies. Director Claude Barras comes up with another stop-motion gem that should get everyone committed to nature conservation… and to cute orangutans. ‘The earth does not belong to us; we get it on loan from our children.’

Phil Hawkins about ROBIN AND THE HOODS

“It was not the horses keeping me awake at night”

Robin and her friends, “The Hoods”, are always fighting with their rival gang for a piece of woodland at the end of the street. In the imagination of 11-year-old Robin, the wooden sheds there are transformed into a medieval village, where children fight epic battles on horses, armed with swords and bows, instead of on bicycles and with sticks. Until a shady property developer shows up, who wants to raze the forest to the ground and promises the residents a stylish building complex.

Ineke Houtman about THE BOOK OF EVERYTHING

“My father shook hands with his sons”

Usually, life is exuberantly celebrated in Ineke Houtman’s films (MADELIEF, POLLEKE). But in THE BOOK OF EVERYTHING that seems a difficult challenge, with a father who understands every sign of joy and cheerfulness as an act of rebellion against God’s omnipotence. Religion serves to keep people in line, harshly if necessary. That applies to Thomas, whose imaginative mind does not necessarily always drift towards God. And for his mother, whose small bursts of independence are punished with physical force. In the name of faith.

Ján Sebechlebský about SECRET DELIVERY

“With childlike courage and a sense of justice”

War films can profile themselves with bloody trenches and crackling mortar fire. But they can also bet on respectable solidity, telling a story of young camaraderie. In SECRET DELIVERY, a group of children tries to keep a war victim – a downed French pilot – out of the hands of the German occupying forces. Their actions resemble the principle of the well-known ‘telephone game’ – the pilot is passed between mountain villages like a secret message, while the young rescuers are being chased by German soldiers. They must outwit traitors and survive the harsh conditions of winter in the mountains. In the hands of director Ján Sebechlebský, SECRET DELIVERY became a solid historical narrative.

Rand Beiruty about TELL THEM ABOUT US

“It’s their life and they don’t owe me anything”

Rand Beiruty delivers on the promise of her film title: she tells us about them. She herself describes the concept of the film as follows: “TELL THEM ABOUT US follows a group of young girls, mostly Arab, with one Kurdish and one Roma girl, as they navigate their coming-of-age journey over four years in a German provincial town. The film takes on a collaborative approach by including artistic workshops, in order to prepare a series of scenes in which they stage their dreams in front of the camera.” We get an insight into the social background of the main characters, and into the strength they draw from their friendship. Beiruty: “For me this title transmits an attitude: we’re here and this is our story!”

Nika Saravanja & Stephen Otieno Owino about JUMP OUT

“Doing a backflip is all about avoiding falling”

12-year-old Ian, his brother Marcus and their friend Promise are growing up in the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya. They share the same playground and the same dream: to become acrobats, for which they exercise outdoors, in the open squares between the city’s blocks of houses. And they dream of travelling around the world, following in the footsteps of their older local heroes, who train them in performing their tricks and teach them a notion of both safety and showmanship.

Asli Özarslan about ELBOW

“Anger can be a positive thing if you can localise it”

The least you can say about director Asli Özarslan, is that she took some brave decisions. In her first fiction feature – a German-Turkish-French co-production – she decided to work with an amateur actress on the adaptation of a novel by Fatma Aydemir. ELBOW premiered in 2024 at the Berlinale, and has provoked a lot of discussion. Asli Özarslan: “That’s what the film was designed to do from the outset; it should encourage dialogue.”

Aldan Baimakhanov about MIKA

“A goldfish named Herman Hesse”

Seven-year-old orphan Mika lives in the city with her grandfather. Wherever they go, people are charmed by the odd couple. Until embittered top model Dayana lays her eye on the little girl, who carries an amiable purity. The lives of both ladies – big and small – suddenly take a new turn, for better or worse. MIKA by young director Aldan Baimakhanov (Kazakhstan) bears the signature of a director who observes the little things of life full of wonder, with a great sense of absurdity…