European Children's
Film Association
Association Européenne du Cinéma
pour l'Enfance et la Jeunesse
The new Audiovisual Act that went into effect in the Czech Republic on January 1st is, above all, the merit of one person. Michal Šašek is widely recognised as the architect of a piece of legislation that ensures bigger budgets, more independence and a separate status for animation film.
Continue reading “A Deputy Minister’s memories to Juniorfest”
During ECFA’s Annual General Meeting three new board members were elected by the attending members, from the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Denmark.
Straight from Berlin… the ECFA Journal’s XL Winter Edition, served on a plate of snow.
What would it take to sensitize both established media and more modern platforms like podcasts, blogs, and fan forums to children’s and young people’s films? Is it the films themselves that need to change, or is it our attitude towards them? A panel discussion will be held at the invitation of ECFA, the German Film Critics Association (VdFk), and Berlin Critics’ Week. Film critics and writers from diverse media formats will discuss critical perspectives on the varied production of children’s & youth films.
Thanks to the willingness of the Cinema Ritrovato Festival/Cineteca di Bologna, and the generous solidarity of a number of major European festivals, ECFA will have the opportunity to organise a second edition of the Workshop Warehouse, at the end of June in Bologna. This marché for educational film workshops, conducted in a hands-on format, will again become one of the ECFA flagships in 2025.
The animated feature TALES FROM THE MAGIC GARDEN will have its world premiere at the Berlinale 2025 in the Generation Kplus competition. The long-awaited stop-motion film, inspired by the fairy-tale book OF UNWANTED THINGS AND PEOPLE by Czech author Arnošt Goldflam, celebrates the art of storytelling. With a unique blend of fantasy, humour and a sensitive exploration of loss, it shows how imagination can help families stay close and find joy even in tough times.
Continue reading “TALES FROM THE MAGIC GARDEN premiers at Berlinale Generation”
On 15 February, during the children’s film community gathering in Berlin, the winners of the ECFA Awards 2025 will be announced, the only European children’s film awards voted on by professionals. So ECFA members, make sure you don’t forget to cast your votes!
ECFA kicks off the year 2025 with our best wishes, and with an Annual General Meeting on Saturday 15 February at 15.30 in Berlin. Members can meet and mingle at the Vertretung des Freistaates Sachsen beim Bund, Brüderstraße 11/12.