+++ Visitor record: The Chemnitz film festival attracted about 24,000 visitors
+++ Main Prizes go to Spain, France and Great Britain

With the festive awarding ceremony on Saturday night, the International Filmfestival for Children and Young Audience SCHLINGEL experienced its highlight. Over one week, eleven juries had to determine their favorite films. Altogether, 19 prizes worth 64,000 Euros were awarded to the winners. The festival screened a total of 159 films from 51 countries.

CHILDREN’S FILM COMPETITION

European Children’s Film Award by the Saxon Ministry of Culture (12,500 Euro): initiated by the Saxon State Ministry for Science and Fine Arts

ZIP & ZAP AND THE CAPTAIN’S ISLAND | Spain 2016 | director: Oskar Santos

European Children’s Jury: 18 children from nine different countries

Justification: This year’s prize goes to a film which attracted us magically from the beginning. Together we encountered a world full of exceptional adventures and were surprised by unexpected twists. Simultaneously, the film underlines the importance of friendship and family.

Honorable Mention: Little Spirou


CHILDREN’S FILM COMPETITION / JUNIOR FILM COMPETITION

SLM Top Award (10,000 Euro):

JUST CHARLIE | Great Britain 2016 | director: Rebekah Fortune

Professional Jury Feature Film International: Beate Biermann, MDR; Egmont Elschner, lecturer; Cosima Stracke-Nawka, SLM; Stefan Pfäffle, KiKA; Felix Vanginderhuysen, general secretary ECFA

Justification: This film convinced with an emotionally touching story, which manages to realistically present how it feels, as a boy at the age of 13 to realize that one has lived in the wrong body until now and how he accomplishes to stand by his new, old “Me”, even though his family and friends initially do not empathize. Amazing how the actor of Charlie, Harry Gilby takes the audiences step by step into his new life and makes his wish finally to live as a girl comprehensible. Tragedy and comedy are closely intertwined and the audience goes through an emotional roller coaster. A strong story, big cinema, brilliant actors, a film, that we wish a great cinema career!

Honorable Mention: Hotel True Love


Award of the City of Chemnitz (5,000 Euro):

LITTLE SPIROU | France 2017 | director: Nicolas Bary

Professional Jury Feature Film International: Beate Biermann, MDR; Egmont Elschner, lecturer; Cosima Stracke-Nawka, SLM; Stefan Pfäffle, KiKA; Felix Vanginderhuysen, general secretary ECFA

What a fantasy! The director of this movie has pictured in a fabulous way some weeks in the life of a 12 year old boy. His future seems decided by destiny but thanks to his friends and a super grandfather he is able to change his future. A real family film with outstanding actors; as well adults as children, that often entertain in the right way and deserve to be seen on the big screen.


MDR Special Award (6,000 Euro):

HEARTSTRINGS | France 2016 | director: Michel Boujenah

Professional Jury Feature Film International: Beate Biermann, MDR; Egmont Elschner, lecturer; Cosima Stracke-Nawka, SLM; Stefan Pfäffle, KiKA; Felix Vanginderhuysen, general secretary ECFA

Justification: A film with a big soul, humor and many small secrets. Bull’s eye for sensitivity and realization of the book template. Adorable actors, who work with an incredible joy. In addition to that the dialogues have incredibly much esprit. The wonderful moments show us where kids get their power, energy and fantasy from and why they never give up to achieve their dreams. The film is a plea for the first delicate love and the magic of music.


Award for the best Child Actor (DIAMANT – bicycle of the renowed Diamant Fahrradwerke Hartmannsdorf):

JULIAN RAS (Hotel True Love) | Netherlands, Germany 2017 | director: Ineke Houtman

Professional Jury Feature Film International: Beate Biermann, MDR; Egmont Elschner, lecturer; Cosima Stracke-Nawka, SLM; Stefan Pfäffle, KiKA; Felix Vanginderhuysen, general secretary ECFA


Junior Film Award (unendowed):

JUST CHARLIE | Great Britain 2016 | director: Rebekah Fortune

Junior Jury: Students of Sportoberschule Chemnitz

Justification: This film shows how difficult and important personal changes can be and how the reaction of our fellow human beings influence us. We chose this film, because it may contribute to open people’s eyes and advertise tolerance.

Honorable Mention: Behind the Blue Door


YOUTH FILM COMPETITION

Youth Film Award (1,000 Euro):

CANOLA | South Korea 2016 | director: Chang

Justification: “What is bigger, the sky or the ocean?” This question seems just as essential for the film as the sky, which builds up a connection between mind-blowing landscapes and busy big city life in South Korea. Through creating an engaging atmosphere and the sensible use of stylistic elements, the audience finds themselves in a truly heartwarming experience. The film’s soundtrack, its love to detail and the profound plot make it easy to dive right into the story and lose track of reality. The deeply moving relationship of Hey-ji and her grandmother is supported by the excellent work of all actors. Especially secondary characters have a main influence on the development of Hey-ji’s personality. Their relationship is in danger after the young girl reveals one of her greatest secrets. This twist ends up being one of the hardest and most emotional moments the audience has to deal with throughout the film. Skillfully the film describes the differences in lifestyle and what Young and Old expect from life. It focuses on honesty and understanding and the importance of these moral traits for our conscience. It also shows that trust and togetherness is essential within a family. The coherence and the fabulous pictures turns the film “Canola” into a fantastic masterpiece.

Honorable Mention: Scaffolding


FOCUS GERMANY

DEFA Sponsorship Prize (4,000 Euro):

AXOLOTL OVERKILL | Germany 2017 | director: Helene Hegemann

Professional Jury Feature Film National: Marc Guschal, Goethe Institute Munich; Sunčica Šido, Goethe Institute Belgrad; Sabine Söhner, DEFA-Stiftung; Dr. Schyryngul Suchai, Goethe Institute Almaty

Justification: A drama that unsettles, polarizes and therefore not only triggers the audience’s good will. The same counts for the main actress, who seems rebellious, uncompromising, uninhibited and unrestrained. On the other hand she is sensible, insecure and vulnerable. A girl trapped in the vortex of parties, drugs and sex, the obsessive affair to an older girl as well as a complicated family constellation. The girl at the threshold to adulthood is presented by Jasna Fritzi Bauer who masters all facets of an unadjusted game. It is noteworthy that the soundtrack is as well inspiring and harmonious.

Youth and Children’s Film Prize of the Goethe Institute: The prize includes the acquisition of the non-commercial rights and the subtitling of the films into a minimum of five languages

THE LEGEND OF TIM THALER OR THE BOY WHO SOLD HIS LAUGHTER | Germany 2016 | director: Andreas Dresen

Professional Jury Feature Film National: Marc Guschal, Goethe Institute Munich; Sunčica Šido, Goethe Institute Belgrad; Sabine Söhner, DEFA-Stiftung; Dr. Schyryngul Suchai, Goethe Institute Almaty

Justification: In the proper sense a fairytale but almost as in real life: The winner film underlines, that success and wealth alone cannot make one happy. People – and especially children – need friendship, family and joy for life. The film shows how children handle difficult situations in everyday life and how their parents may support them. This is conveyed with the help of humor, ingenuity and winks. It sets itself high goals, but also encounters a world full of magic and fantasy from the streets to the cinemas.


ANIMATION FILM COMPETITION

Jury Prize Animation (1,000 Euro), sponsored by Deutsches Institut für Animationsfilm, DIAF:

URFIN AND HIS WOODEN SOLDIERS | Russia 2017 | directors: Fjdor Dmitriew, Darina Schmidt, Wladimir Toroptschin

Professional Jury Short and Animation Film: Susann Arnold, illustrator, film animator; Jana Endruschat, Filmverband Sachsen; Sabine Scholze, dramatic advisor, author; Ines Wolter, Chemnitzer Filmwerkstatt

Justification: Content-related American classic “Wizard from Oz” and the emerald city books by Sergej Wokow were godfathers of the film from the Melnitza Studio. We retrieve the complete personage of its templates in this film, which does not limit itself to citations, but gives its figures an independent and adventurous personality. Altogether a successful animated movie was created, that played with all creative and technical possibilities of the genre and used them perfectly. The suspense of the action and the visual design convince not only the young audience.


FURTHER AWARDS (cross-competition awards):

Award of the European Children’s Film Association ECFA:

MOUNTAIN MIRACLE – AN UNEXPECTED FRIENDSHIP | Germany, Italy 2017 | director: Tobias Wiemann

ECFA Jury: Mia Desroches, Montréal; Rok Govednik, Ljubljana; Prof. Dr. Cecile Sandten, Chemnitz

Justification: “I never run” is what the 13-year old protagonist, Amelie says. But this is what she just does: she is constantly running away – from herself, her life-threatening chronic illness asthma. The film that we award is “Mountain Miracle – An Unexpected Friendship” a German-Italian coproduction, directed by Tobias Wiemann, screenplay by Natja Brunckhorst, with a most excellent Mia Kasalo as Amelie, and Samuel Girardi as 15-year old Barth. It is especially Mia Kasalo’s acting which is very genuine and convincing. She is able to present a wide range of emotions with a strong and variegated expressive repertoire. Samuel Girardi as Barth ideally complements Mia Kasalo’s acting as he is the more quiet, rather mysterious young man who is, on the one hand, attracted to Amelie, on the other also a little bit appalled by her; their love for each other grows slowly, thus their acting comes across as most authentic and credible. The story line is designed in accordance with a “walking” road-movie that is important for the two main characters’ psychological and emotional development. In addition to the well-written film script, the depiction of the landscape, the Italian Alps in South Tyrol, is breath taking and filmed in great variety and honesty toward this landscape, and also fits nicely with Amelie’s state of mind, conflict, and mental and emotional growth. We award “Mountain Miracle” because it is a beautifully written story – with many witty dialogues – in which important issues such as the problem of a life-threatening chronic illness, the parents’ separation, friendship, trust, and the belief in one’s own strength are most convincingly depicted. A focus is put on the significance of Amelie’s courage with which she fights for her right to take her destiny into her own hands. However, it is not just courage that the film presents but it is also the idea of eventually reaching out after an extreme situation – to a friend, family members and the clinic staff that makes the film most valuable for children and young adults. There is a moment of learning for the girl that is inspiring, yet not clichéd, sincere, but not kitschy.


Prize of the FIPRESCI Jury:

COLOURS OF INNOCENCE | India 2016 | director: Manas Mukul Pal

FIPRESCI-Jury: Bettina Hirsch, Berlin; Viera Langerová, Prag; Iryna Marholina, St. Petersburg

Justification: The director Manas Mukul Pal draws a poetic picture of a poor family, in which the 10 year old Gopal with his younger brother bravely try to help their family after a stroke of fate to escape this difficult situation. It was touching to see how in contrast to Central European children’s fates may look like.


Prize of the Ecumenical Jury:

ON WHEELS | Brazil 2017 | director: Mauro D’Addio

Justification: Atmospheric images transport us to the dusty roads of small-town Brazil. On Wheels takes us on an inspiring journey of self-discovery with classmates Lais and Lucas, two equally charming and well-developed main characters. Aided by the trust they place in each other they are able to overcome adversity and build resilience to the challenges life throws at them. Lucas may not regain the ability to walk and Lais may not find the father she has never met, but along the way, they nevertheless become empowered through the development of an open and loving relationship to each other. On wheels portrays with a refreshing lightness the importance of resilience in life and seeing beyond the outward limitations of others.

Honorable Mention: Sugarsand


Lichtenauer Audience Award:

BEHIND THE BLUE DOOR | Poland 2016 | director: Mariusz Palej



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Press Contact

Christin Franz M.A.
Public Relations
International Film Festival SCHLINGEL

Phone: +49 371 4 44 74 41
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press@ff-schlingel.de
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