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English Titles B

Bluebird

Original title: Bluebird
German title: Bluebird
Netherlands, 2004

Director: Jong, Mijke de
Production company: Egmond Film and Television
Co-producers: NCRV Televion
Age recommendation: 10 years and up

Synopsis:
One day Merel (13) finds herself being bullied by her class mates for no apparent reason. We follow the emotions of this young girl as she gets lost between childhood and maturity while the bullying hardens her but eventually pulls her down.

For the new series of six Telefilms the socially engaged director Mijke de Jong chose the subject of pestering. Using an observing camera, the film follows Merel, a twelve-year-old girl, who from one day to the next falls victim to harassment at school. Not because she is shy, stupid or ugly - Merel sings in a musical, excels in all subjects and is a sports fanatic - but because she coincidentally becomes the butt of a power scheme. Initially, the badgering takes place surreptitiously, but then it becomes ever more frequent, open and especially violent. At home, she shows no signs of what is going on. Neither towards her parents, nor towards her adopted handicapped brother, with whom she spends a lot of time. As the harassment intensifies, Merel loses her childlike innocence and becomes ever more heartless. Even her brother gets it in the neck.

Comments:
"The winning film tackled a topic which is very current is many schools – mobbing. The story moved us, mostly because of the actors’ performances. The relationship between Merel and Kasper especially affected us. Besides, the directing and camera were excellent." Children's Jury Kinderfilmfest Berlin 2005

Festivals:
Berlin 2005 (awarded), Montreal 2005 (awarded), Sprockets Toronto 2005, Stockholm Junior 2005, Kristiansand 2005, Poznan 2005, Munich 2005, Tel Aviv 2005, Oulu 2005 (special mention), Stuttgart 2005, London 2005, BUFF Malmö 2006, Hannover 2006, San Quentin 2006, Vilnius 2006 (awarded), Discovery Dundee 2006, Cinepänz Cologne 2006, Duesseldorf 2006, Ciné-Jeune de l'Aisne 2006 (awarded)

World sales address/es:
Attraction Distribution (CDN)

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