CALAMITY took home two awards from prominent juries in the Kristiansand Int’l Children’s Film Festival: the children’s jury and the ECFA Jury. What more could a film wish for?!
The 24th edition of Kristiansand Int’l Children’s Film Festival took place both online and at the cinema this year. The online programme for schools consisted of 74 titles, while the cinema programme was a last-minute opportunity, welcomed with open arms.
Several films were taking home awards, such as MISSION ULJA FUNK (Barbara Kronenberg, Germany – BFF Film Award), URSA – NORDLYSETS SANG (Natalia Malykhina, Norway – BFF Short Film Award) and ROCKS (Sarah Gavron, UK – Youth Film Jury). But the big winner was CALAMITY, A CHILDHOOD OF MARTHA JANE CANNARY (Rémy Chayé, France). The children’s jury spoke about “the film’s unique animation and absolutely gorgeous design”, while the ECFA Jury praised “this beautifully animated film set in a historical context. With its vibrant nostalgic depiction of nature and its distinct narrative style, the director is ready to put his mark on European children’s film. His film appeals to children of all ages, telling the story of a brave girl who dares to follow her own path, in the middle of the 19th century. By taking on and mastering tasks usually handled by men in that period, she struggles to gain respect in her own community. The story plays on values of following your inner voice, loving your family, but also daring to include new people in your heart. A timeless message so elegantly told.”
The ECFA Jury were Atle Hunnes Isaksen (Norway), Mariella Harpelunde Jensen (Denmark) and Kevin De Ridder (Belgium).