Interviews – Page 30 – European Children's Film Association

Xu Geng about YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE

How not to become a professional football player

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.”

Rima Das about BULBUL CAN SING

“I can teach you how to dance in a car!”

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.

Frederike Migom about BINTI

“A sheet of paper that says you don’t exist”

“There is no place to call home,” says Binti, the main character in Frederike Migom’s feature film debut. Certainly not in the squat, from which they have to flee for the police, and not in Belgium, where they have been living for years without a residence permit. Even though on her YouTube vlog Binti has plenty of followers, officially – on paper – she doesn’t even exist.

Youth documentary producers Tangerine Tree

“A substantial part of the production budget was spent on fines”

Nienke Korthof and Willem Baptist are the driving force behind Dutch production company Tangerine Tree, experts in the field of youth documentaries. On the occasion of receiving the ECFA Doc Award 2019 in Berlin for LENNO & THE ANGELFISH, Baptist, on stage, described their company as “hardcore children’s documentary producer”.

Arild Tryggestad & Tiril Marie Høistad Berger about LOS BANDO

“If needed, I can scream very loud”

On the occasion of the JEF festival, a remarkable LOS BANDO delegation was welcomed in Antwerp. Arild Tryggestad is screenwriter and editor, but most attention went to actress Tiril Marie Høistad Berger. In the role of little cellist Thilda, she was one of last year’s most intriguing film characters. Together they talk about their love for road movies, cellos and good rock music.

Tashi Gyeltshen about THE RED PHALLUS

“In the heart of my film are the loss of humanity and shame”

One of the most interesting films at the Berlinale 2019 was the feature debut of Tashi Gyeltshen, a writer, journalist and self-taught filmmaker from Bhutan. His THE RED PHALLUS tells about the 16 year old Sangay, struggling her way through a male dominated, patriarchal world.

Presenting the work of Albanian filmmaker Xhanfise Keko

Zlin Festival showcasing unique treasure

In the late sixties and early seventies, East German, Czechoslovakian and Yugoslavian directors started making children’s films in an outspoken political context, subtly working within the system that at the same time they were questioning. Within the communist bloc, Enver Hoxha’s Albania was an isolated, self-sustaining entity. Even there, behind the country’s guarded frontiers, filmmakers were working on an oeuvre that was impactful for an entire generation. Specifically one artist made a series of young audience films that were as poetic as they were subversive.

Maria Blom & Frida Hallgren about MONKY

“Don’t keep your sadness all for yourself”

One day when scriptwriter Jonathan Sjöberg walked into a school, he saw a drawing on the wall showing a tree, a family, a monkey and a quote saying: “When I die, I want to become a monkey.” Back home he immediately wrote the first draft of a script.