Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Ojo de Pescado Int’l Film Festival for Children & Youth in Chile has positioned itself as a benchmark for youth film in Latin-America.
Publications
A strong profile for ATHICFF (Athens)
As became clear in the presentation by festival director Calliope Charalambous Krief during ECFA’s recent AGM, the Athens Int’l Children’s Film Festival (ATHICFF) has developed a strong profile in which one key element catches the eye: accessibility.
Inesa Kurklietytė about A BUTTERFLY’S HEART
“Set free to happily fly to the meadows”
“Can I touch your heart?” That is what Rugile asks her new friend Juozapas, who was born with a bizarre condition: the boy carries his heart outside of his chest, protected by a special armour. Always cautious, what Juozapas likes most is spending time in a deserted mansion, where he keeps his collection of bugs, beetles and butterflies, a secret he shares with nobody but Rugile.
Mark Verkerk about THE SCHOOL GARDEN
“Happily digging their hands into the soil”
In school gardens in Amsterdam children take care of beds full of vegetables, as the beating heart of a bigger social movement. These green oases are also a surprising habitat for all kinds of wildlife. Anyone who has seen THE SCHOOL GARDEN will immediately feel the urge to start working in the garden or sinking their teeth into a fresh carrot.
Olivier Pairoux about SPACEBOY
Me and my Rubik’s cube
12 year old Jim is passionate about all things space travel. His father is an astrophysicist who might soon take off on a space mission. But Jim has his own project: building a hot air balloon with his school friend Emma. Though when competing for first prize at a competition for young scientists, unexpected obstacles arise.
Pan Nalin about LAST FILM SHOW
“A station that was nobody’s destination”
Once 9 year old Samay has picked up the taste of film, he sneaks inside the theatre every day. He even infects his gang of friends with the cinema virus, and together they try to construct a film projector. LAST FILM SHOW invites you into an Indian countryside cinema, where the audience – chanting and clapping – actively takes part in every screening.
Work in Progress BIRTA
“Single parents might easily be forgotten”
One day Birta, a strong and responsible girl with a passion for handball and playing guitar, overhears her mother on the phone, telling that she is so totally broke that there might be no Christmas this year. She simply can’t afford it in times of financial crisis. Birta, shocked by the news, wants to start raising money through various adventurous methods. But that’s not easy when you’re only eleven.
Venice Atienza about LAST DAYS AT SEA
“Somehow I wish I could be more like him“
LAST DAYS AT SEA closes in on 12 year old Reyboy, living in Karihatag, an isolated village in the south of the Philippines at the frontline of climate change. In 2014 Venice Atienza visited the region with her camera, documenting how local people survive devastating storms. When she heard Reyboy would leave Karihatag at the end of summer to go to high school in the city, she decided to film the life he was leaving behind.