On Saturday February 15th Europe’s leading children’s film organisation ECFA announced the winners of the three annual ECFA Awards for Best European Children’s Film, Best European Children’s Documentary and Best European Children’s Short Film. Winner of the prestigious Best Film Award was LARS IS LOL (by Eirik Sæter Stordahl, Norway), the Documentary Award went to TODD & SUPER-STELLA (by Mari Monrad Vistven, Norway), and the Short Film Award was taken home by YUCK! (by Loïc Espuche, France). Awards were handed out in Berlin during the Berlinale, in a festive ceremony, celebrated with the international young audience film community.
Director Eirik Sæter Stordahl received ECFA’s Best European Children’s Film Award for LARS IS LOL, produced by Nordisk Film Production AS. Amanda is reluctantly tasked with taking special care of her new classmate, Lars, who has Down syndrome. To her surprise, Amanda and Lars develop a unique friendship. But in her struggle to fit in, Amanda ends up betraying her new friend… The award was collected by Eirik Sæter Stordahl and producer Caroline Hitland.
Eirik Sæter Stordahl: “Being chosen the Best European Film for Children feels overwhelming; I am indescribably grateful. As a filmmaker, but also as an audience, I believe that the stories we hear, and the films that we see, have the potential to change and shape who we become. Therefore, the stories we tell are important. And the stories we tell to children are probably the most important ones of all. Because the stories we are told as children are the ones that influence us the most.”
The ECFA Doc Award for Best Young Audience Documentary of the year was handed out to TODD & SUPER-STELLA, by Mari Monrad Vistven, produced by Medieoperatørene. We follow Stella from four years old, looking up to her bigger brother Todd, who is soon starting school. He talks to Stella about his worries and the fear of leaving kindergarten. But Stella is too little to understand what he is talking about. The award was collected by Mari Monrad Vistven and producer Ingvil Giske.
Mari Monrad Vistven: “I am so happy that a film that emphasises normal feelings and challenges that all children meet, like a loose tooth, an argument, fears of water and pain, or the feeling of jealousy, gets given this acknowledgement. Making a film about your own children is not something I recommend, but I believe in telling real stories, showing the ups and downs in life, and taking children’s emotions seriously. That is why we made this film, to give children an alternative cinematic experience to films with superheroes and magic powers. I want to thank all the ECFA-members that voted for this film, and I also want to thank my producer Ingvil Giske and the crew, and Todd and Stella for being so patient and brave and letting me film them over so many years.”
The ECFA Short Award for Best European Young Audience Short Film of the year went to YUCK! (aka BEURK!), directed by Loïc Espuche and produced by IKKI Films and Iliade et Films. Couples kissing on the mouth are gross. Little Léo laughs at them. But Léo has a secret: he desperately wants to give kissing a try. The award was collected by co-producer Manon Messiant.
Loïc Espuche: “Since the film’s international premiere, I’ve had dozens of incredible screenings with young audiences, full of laughs and “yuck”, with reactions that sometimes completely covered the film’s dialogues. There were also all those Q&A sessions, where children were able to talk about the taboo subject of kissing, tackling in their own words the themes like fear of the other people’s gaze, but also consent and homosexuality. These spontaneous feedbacks from the audience assured me that it was definitely worth spending five and half years making this film. And yet, in making it, I didn’t set out to make a film for children. And maybe that’s what appeals to them too. And now it’s my turn to thank you, the adults of today, the children of yesterday, for this reward, which makes my eyes shine with emotion.”
The ECFA Award is the only European children’s film award voted on by professionals, all 160 of them members of ECFA. The awards were handed out by ECFA’s President Pantelis Panteloglou.
Copyright pictures: Andrey Hadjivasilev