Films for Young Viewers: Many films as German or world premieres

The Nordic Film Days children's and youth film programme presents a vast range of genres, and hosts many of the films as German or world premieres. "Ricky Rapper and the Bicycle Thief" is a musical film from Finland. Highlight of the Icelandic detective story "The Big Rescue" is its cast of grown-up actors in the roles of children. Both films are having their world premieres in Lübeck.

The Norwegian crime story "East End Angels" features three very different girlfriends on the tracks of a criminal. And the Christmas fairytale "Magic Silver", also from Norway, is suitable for a very young audience. Denmark's children's films are particularly ambitious this year. In "Karla & Jonas", the third part of Charlotte Sachs Rostrup's Karla series, Karla falls in love for the first time and must vouch for another person. Birger Larsen's "Super Brother" tells the story of two brothers, of whom the elder is an autist. The film takes a very sensitive and imaginative approach to conveying this development disorder to children. On a similar note, the lovingly bizarre comedy "Simple Simon" - Sweden's Oscar submission - depicts the relationship of two brothers, one of whom suffers from Asperger syndrome.

Sweden is strongly represented in the youth programme. "Sebbe" is about a difficult mother-son relationship. NFL is the first festival in Germany to show "A Thousand Times Stronger", the up-tempo new film by Peter Schildt, about a school class that consists of the usual stereotypes from nerds to cool girls until a new schoolgirl arrives and turns everything topsy-turvy. The film is based on one of the most successful works of Swedish youth literature of recent years.

An important trend in Nordic youth cinema is the "novella film", which features here in two film programmes. The short feature films are 30 minutes long and tell problem-oriented stories while being long enough to allow for character development. Both programmes consist of three consecutive films that are compatible in content or style.

This year features short films suitable even for the youngest festival audience. There will be a one-hour screening of animated films on Sunday morning.