Press Release: The Children’s and Youth Films at the 60th Nordic Film Days Lübeck

Diverse subject matter, inventiveness, and an exciting variety of side-bar events

Lübeck, Oct. 18, 2018. “The selection of films for the Children’s section of the Nordic Film Days Lübeck has rarely been as serious, and yet so diverse and entertaining as it is this year”, says long-term section curator Franziska Kremser-Klinkertz. This year’s Children’s and Youth programme comprises 36 films, including 16 feature narratives and 20 shorts. The 11 German and international premieres among the features alone are impressive proof of the festival’s importance to the children and youth film industry. Numerous filmmakers have taken on serious subjects this year, tackling them in ways that make them accessible and tangible to young people. One example is the political-historical film “Paradise ‘89” (LV/GER 2018). Set in the summer of 1989, amid sea changes in Europe and Latvia’s pursuit of independence, it depicts events from the children’s point of view, and is a worthy complement to the NFL focus on the Baltic states this year. “Summer Children” (ICE/NOR 2017) also has an historical perspective, addressing a dark chapter in Iceland’s post-war history.From football to super-heroes with environmental leanings, all the way to science-fiction for kids, the palette of films covers almost everything that children’s films have to offer. Sometimes in animated form, and sometimes with formidable performances by young actors.

this year’s films for young adults are authentic and stirring. In “Money Problem” (SWE 2017), two girls think having enough will solve all their problems. It’s a dramatic journey as they learn just how wrong they are. This unconventional film by Swedish director Nikeisha Andersson is as much a milieu study as it is an absorbing story about friendship. “The Comet” (SWE 2017) and “Adam” (GER/ICE/US/MEX 2018), meanwhile, are proof that touching movies can be made on small budgets and with limited production facilities. 

Variety is also on hand in the short film programmes, targeting an assortment of age groups. “Shorts for Shorties” features films for children from four to six years old. The films in the programme “Stories of Meetings and Friendship” have been selected for children 10+, while the shorts for the 14+ age group deal with “Love, Death, and Togetherness”. 

Two prizes are awarded in the Children’s and Youth film section. The Children’s Jury is made up of four young people from Lübeck who decide on the winner of the prize for best children’s film endowed by the Radisson Blu Senator Hotel. For the first time this year, the winning film well be shown in a special NFL screening on Sunday, Nov. 4, at 1:15 p.m. at the CineStar 1.

The recipient of the Children’s and Youth Film Prizeof the Gemeinnützigen Sparkassenstiftung (regional savings bank foundation) is chosen from among all features in the section.This year’s jury includes director Thomas Heinemann (“Lola on the Pea”), up-and-coming actor Tristan Göbel (“Goodbye Berlin”, “Bright Nights”), and Marjo Kovanen, director of the Finnish school cinema association. 

Countless films and events for specific target groups ensure that children and young adults can participate in the festival. In addition to the school cinema programme, for the first time the NFL is presenting in day care, youth, and community centres. There is even a 360° children’s film screening in the Fulldome (“Lucia, the Secret of Shooting Stars”, FRA 2018).  

And on top of the passive movie-going moments, the festival also welcomes the participation of the youngest generation. A group of festival bloggers, ranging in age from 13 to 17, will be out and about doing interviews and critiquing films. And the international youth project Young Nordic Filmmakers, supported by the Schleswig-Holstein state cultural foundation (Kulturstiftung des Landes Schleswig-Holstein), brings together 14 participants from Germany, Denmark, and Finland to make their own documentaries. The resulting films will premiere on Nov. 4, 2018 at 12 noon in CineStar 1in a screening open to anyone who is interested. 

You can find the complete programme of the Children and Youth section here and it can be viewed after October 20 on the festival website.

Press photos for the festival films are now available for download, alongside information about the festival at www.nordische-filmtage.de, and on Facebook, Twitterand Instagram. Advance ticket sales begin on October 27 at 3:00 pm at the CineStar Filmpalast Stadthallecinema, online at the festival website, and at www.cinestar.de.  

Press contact:

Silke Lehmann, Charlotte Roggenbuck
Press and Publicity Department
Nordic Film Days Lübeck 
Schildstr. 12, 23539 Lübeck
presse@nordische-filmtage.de