email print share on Facebook share on Twitter share on LinkedIn share on reddit pin on Pinterest

FESTIVALS Czech Republic

The Zlín Film Festival awards films for children and young audiences

by 

- Heartstone, Heartstrings and Mountain Miracle – An Unexpected Friendship were among the winning movies at the gathering

The Zlín Film Festival awards films for children and young audiences
Heartstone by Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson

The 57th edition of the Zlín Film Festival, the International Film Festival for Children and Youth, has drawn to a close after screening 326 films, 152 of them in the various competition sections. The Golden Slipper for the Best Feature Film for Children went to the German-Italian co-production Mountain Miracle – An Unexpected Friendship [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, the sophomore feature by Tobias Wiemann. The jury appreciated the performances by the leading pair of actors, Mia Kasalo and Samuel Girardi, adding: “Solely focussing on the two young people, it succeeded in creating intimacy within the dazzling space of the lofty mountains”. Vanessa Szamuelová took home the City of Zlín Award for the Best Child Performance for her portrayal of a neglected daughter, Jarka, who takes refuge in her own little world after kidnapping two infants in Iveta Grófová’s Crystal Bear-winning Little Harbour [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Iveta Grófová
film profile
]
. Director Rebekah Fortune netted the Golden Slipper for the Best Feature for Youth, for Just Charlie [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
. “The script and the direction show a deep understanding of all of the characters – all with their own opinions and feelings – which helps you to comprehend your own emotions. A thoroughly important and touching film,” the jury explained as they justified their decision.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

“The vibrant atmosphere of the city and the painstaking animation revived the two trams, and the director managed to sensitively express the relationship between the older and the younger generations. She used an unusual artistic combination of two different techniques to visually emphasise the whole idea.” This was what led the jury to award the Golden Slipper for the Best Animated Film to the Russian title Two Trams by Svetlana Andrianova. Meanwhile, Fatih Akin charmed the children’s jury with his romp Goodbye Berlin [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 – so much so that they honoured him with the Main Prize for the Best Feature Film for Youth. Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson’s feature debut, Heartstone [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson
film profile
]
, emerged as the Best European First Film, while Amanda Kernell earned a Special Recognition for Sámi Blood [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Amanda Kernell
interview: Lars Lindstrom
film profile
]
Michel Boujenah won two prizes for Heartstrings [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
: the main children’s jury Award for the Best Feature Film for Children, and the Audience Award for the Best Feature Film.

As the festival called time on this year’s edition, which celebrated the 110th anniversary of the birth of Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren, the organisers were already thinking about the festival’s 58th edition, which will be devoted to Czech and Slovakian cinema in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of an independent Czechoslovakia. It is set to unspool between 25 May and 2 June 2018.

Here is the complete list of winners at this year’s edition: 

Best Feature Film for Children
Mountain Miracle – An Unexpected Friendship [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 – Tobias Wiemann (Germany/Italy)

Best Child Performance in a Feature Film for Children
Vanessa Szamuhelová – Little Harbour [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Iveta Grófová
film profile
]
(Czech Republic/Hungary/Slovakia)

Best Feature Film for Youth
Just Charlie [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 – Rebekah Fortune (UK) 

Best Youth Performance in a Feature Film for Youth
Daniel Huttlestone – London Town [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
(UK/USA)

Special Mention for a Feature Film for Youth
Goodbye Berlin [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 – Fatih Akin (Germany)

Best Animated Film
Two Trams – Svetlana Andrianova (Russia) 

Award for Young Artists Aged Under 35
Cloudberry – Polina Minchenok (Russia) 

Best Feature Film for Children
Heartstrings [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 – Michel Boujenah (France/Belgium)

Main Prize of the Youth Jury for the Best Feature Film for Youth
Goodbye Berlin – Fatih Akin

Best European First Film
Heartstone [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson
film profile
]
 - Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson (Iceland/Denmark)

Special Recognition
Sámi Blood [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Amanda Kernell
interview: Lars Lindstrom
film profile
]
 – Amanda Kernell (Sweden/Denmark/Norway)

Main Prize for the Top Film in the Zlín Dog Competition
Shujayya – Mohammed Almughanni (Poland/Palestine)

Genre Prizes

Best Animated Film
The Indigestion – Mathilde Remy (Belgium)

Best Documentary Film
The Unknown Soldier – Efim Graboy (Israel)

Best Live-action Film
The Silence – Farnoosh Samadi, Ali Asgari (France/Italy)

ECFA Award
Up in the Sky [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 – Petter Lennstrand (Sweden)

Ecumenical Jury Award
Half Ticket – Samit Kakkad (India)

Special Mention of the Ecumenical Jury
Railway Children – Prithvi Konanur (India)

Audience Awards

Best Feature Film
Heartstrings – Michel Boujenah

Best Short Animated Film
The Gift – Kohei Kajisa (Japan)

ČT:D Audience Award for the Best Short Animated Film
Peep and the Paperplane – Christoph Englert (Germany)

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.

Privacy Policy