European Children's
Film Association
Association Européenne du Cinéma
pour l'Enfance et la Jeunesse
Ignored by her classmates, Una has grandpa as her best friend. But one night, when strange light beams are circling over the garden, grandpa disappears. Kidnapped by aliens! That’s a story nobody would believe. Until Una meets the small robot Dodo, who shares with her a family secret: your grandpa is an alien! When her mother suddenly gets sick, Una and her robotic friend have only 24 hours to find grandpa and save mum.
You might regularly meet a bunch of crazy characters in children’s films, but rarely will you meet one as unique as Rocca. She’s living her life to the fullest, not every day, but every moment, day after day. While her dad is watching over her as an astronaut in outer space, 11-year-old Rocca lives alone with her squirrel, for the first time in her life attending a normal school. Like the rightful granddaughter of Pippi Longstocking, Rocca is ready and willing to turn your whole world upside down.
At Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenya, the Most Eligible Bachelor in the World has found his final resting place. After 42 years on this planet, the last male northern white rhinoceros, Sudan, has passed away. THE LAST MALE ON EARTH portrays the gentle giant’s last months.
40 years ago, Dutch artist Bas Jan Ader decided to cross the Atlantic in a tiny sailing boat. Nine months later his boat was found off the coast of England. Without Bas Jan. Why did Ader venture into such a daring voyage and how did he overcome his fear?
‘System Crasher’ – this unofficial term refers to a young person who pushes the youth welfare system to its limits, and finally to failure. In this case, we’re not talking about a troubled teenager, but about Benni, a traumatised 9 year old girl, who has already been rejected from numerous foster families, community houses, special schools and she always ends up in children’s psychiatry. Everyone is overstrained with this unpredictable, manipulative, violent little girl and her inexhaustible energy. Finally there is Micha, Benni’s final straw to cling onto. But Micha already has a family.
The Zlin Festival has a special nose for youth cinema. Every year some seemingly obscure titles are picked up from the darker corners of the independent Anglo-Saxon market, emerging as true festival revelations. This year there were several, like JELLYFISH (UK), INDIAN HORSE and GIANT LITTLE ONES (Canada) and METAL HEART (Ireland). One title from the US that caught attention was MEASURE OF A MAN by Jim Loach.
In China football might seem to be the new religion, but there’s kids in rural villages who have never even seen a football for real. They need a teacher like Xi Ge to explain them the rules of the game and infect them with a passion for playing. YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE stirs football mania on the high mountain plateaus of Sichuan. Until a disastrous earthquake brings an end to the game. The film that director Xu Cheng brought to the Zlin Festival, has an intriguing opening sentence: “Let me introduce myself. I am this ball.”
Bulbul is a joyful teenager, living in a small Indian village. She can sing like a nightingale, although not in the presence of others. Her best friend Bonny has an even more beautiful voice. And then there’s Suman. His classmates call him “Ladies” but to two young girls exploring their identity, he is like the perfect friend. One day Bulbul finds out she has a secret admirer, who writes her poems full of affection. But strict moral codes are putting a permanent pressure upon the three teenagers.