Interviews – Page 8 – European Children's Film Association

Aurora Gossé about DANCING QUEEN

“One of the best sensations you can feel”

The world of 12 year old Mina, a slightly pudgy, nerdy girl, is turned upside down when a young, cool hip-hop dancer named Edvin enters her school and organises an audition for a new dance crew. Blinded by adoration, Mina recklessly volunteers but forgets about one detail: she can’t dance! Or can she? With the support of her grandmother and the power of her unrelenting enthusiasm, Mina plunges into practice and rehearsal. Will she finally dare to step into the unknown?

Mira Fornay about SHE-HERO

“Every loss is an incentive to move forward”

Seven year old Roma loses her beloved parakeet Mimi. She sets out to search for her in the nearby forest, and takes her new parakeet with her, because she believes that her singing could attract Mimi. Once entered into the forest, a seemingly ordinary adventure begins in which Romy makes new friends, handles tense moments, tries to do things on her own and learns that you can’t control nature.

Dan Pánek about BIG DREAMS

“Everybody can still tell you where they were when it happened”

Sometimes kids make things so easy for you. If you thought the most challenging task for a children’s film professional is to look through the eyes of children and estimate their reactions, you just have to enter the cinema during the last 10 minutes of BIG DREAMS by director Dan Pánek. The wild enthusiasm during the screening at the Zlin Film Festival, with children hopping up and down with pure excitement and loudly supporting ‘their’ team, left little doubt about it. This film grabs them by the heart and won’t let them go.

Sébastien Gagné about COCO FARM

“An essential part of our collective DNA”

Entrepreneurship runs through Max’s veins. When financial struggles force him and his father to move to the countryside, Max is welcomed with open arms by his somewhat unworldly cousin Charles – something he doesn’t exactly find a reason to be cheerful about. Until he discovers the opportunities of small-scale farming and starts an egg farming business in the old barn. Coco Farm becomes an immediate bestseller on the local market. But even kids cannot escape the laws of economics and industry, controlled by big enterprises.

Sahim Omar Kalifa about BAGHDAD MESSI

“Playing football in a minefield”

Some 10 years after Sahim Omar Kalifa made a short film about a war victim with a football dream, BAGHDAD MESSI got a makeover as a feature film. Baghdad in 2009 is a hotbed of violence and terror. Director Sahim Omar Kalifa: “In Iraq, death and violence had become part of everyday life. I made a film about a child, Hamoudi, living in the most dangerous city in the world but not feeling the danger because he is possessed by his big dream of becoming a footballer.”

The BILLIE BLUE Team

“Summer is a woman!”

If feminism starts with giving compliments, then BILLIE BLUE is a truly feminist film. Director Mariloup Wolfe, screenwriter Sarah-Maude Beauchesne and lead actress Lilianne Skelly continuously pat each other on the back, and the way they express their proudness about each other – rightly so! – and the film – rightly so! – is contagious. The film’s sprawling, summery atmosphere continues perfectly on the terrace of a café in Zlin, where BILLIE BLUE celebrated its international premiere at the festival.

Aga Borzym about GIRLS’ STORIES

“They will never be as fragile again”

Two friends meet at the playground. Now, on the eve of adolescence, Jagoda and Zuzia have a lot to discuss. The answers to life’s bigger questions that adults can’t give them, maybe they can find with each other. There’s pimples, rebellion, first love, stupid rules at school, difficult dilemmas at home, and – above all – their first periods. When will it happen and how will it be? Jagoda and Zuzia introduce us to a world that every woman remembers and any boy watching this film can try to unravel.

Katarina Kerekesova about THE WEBSTERS MOVIE

“Yesterday I killed a fly”

Some people start screaming as soon as they see a spider. Anyone watching THE WEBSTERS MOVIE can hardly sit and scream for 70 minutes. Maybe ‘laugh and enjoy’ is a better option? Because the encounter with this lovable spider family is pleasant and carefree.