Just Film: award for GLASSBOY and a Work in Progress

GLASSBOY, a brand new film by Samuele Rossi (Italy), not only celebrated its premiere at the Just Film Festival in Tallinn, but also took home the ECFA Award. Not a bad start!

 

 

Pino, suffering from haemophilia, has an unbridled desire for freedom and a boundless courage, embracing the world wholeheartedly and showing everyone that he can live his life like a normal kid. His passion must have charmed ECFA Jury members Julia Fleißig (Germany), Mike Tait (Scotland) and Mariella Harpelunde Jensen (Denmark). “This film stands out for its exceptionally well-acted story of overcoming isolation, and for translating a person’s feeling of ‘otherness’. Despite his overprotective family, Pino is empowered to take control of his own path through life, while his family gradually learns to adapt. In a beautifully designed world, the storyline features friendship, courage and freedom.

 

Just Film’s programme was packed with challenging industry events. Coordinator Kärt Väinola: “We’re particularly proud about Just Films first panel discussion at the Industry @ Tallinn & Baltic Event on “Boundaries on the Cinema Screen – Content we show or choose to show the young audience, should it be regulated and if so, by whom?” In the panel, moderated by Per Eriksson (Swedish Federation of Film Societies), were director Jorge Cuchi (50 OR TWO WHALES MEET ON THE BEACH), Maciej Jakubczyk (New Horizons Association) and Kätriin Helena Huttunen (student). The panel received great feedback from festival programmers and film professionals.” (A report about this event will be published in the upcoming ECFA Journal.)

 

This year, Just Film’s ‘Works in Progress’ presented four International projects: A BUTTERFLY’S HEART (Lithuania), THE SLEEPING BEAST (Estonia, Latvia), THIS IS MY MOMENT (Belgium) and NEW WONDER (Russia). Jury members Per Eriksson, Olaf Wehowsky and Guy Davies gave the ‘Best Pitch Prize’ (endowed with €1000) to THE SLEEPING BEAST. Kärt Väinola: “Reaching out to 1000 online viewers with our Works in Progress is proof of the great interest this festival awakes towards children & youth content.”