25/11/2025 - We take a deep dive into the five children’s and youth film projects presented in this segment of the Industry@Tallinn forum

Office of Magical Forces by Dmytro Avdieiev

The Just Film Works in Progress session held at this year’s Industry@Tallinn offered a first glimpse of five children’s and youth projects from Europe and Latin America. The Just Film Youth and Children’s Film Festival, part of the overarching Tallinn Black Nights framework, remains one of the most important platforms for family-orientated films. The €1,000 monetary prize was awarded to the project Suiza by Maria Fernanda Gonzales (see the news), as decided on by the jury, comprising Marjo Kovanen, PhD, head of the Unit for the Promotion of Audiovisual Culture at Finland’s KAVI/National Audiovisual Institute; filmmaker Meel Paliale; and Veerle Snijders, head of Netwerk Filmeducatie at the Netherlands’ Eye Film Museum. The project also received the most audience votes.

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Here, we take a closer look at the five projects presented this year:

Suiza by Maria Fernanda Gonzales

Suiza – Maria Fernanda Gonzales (Peru/Argentina)
Producer: Norma Velásquez (Lucuma Salvaje, Suena Peru)
Suiza is a coming-of-age drama set during a sweltering summer in Lima, Peru, following three teenage girls – Lucía, Pilar and Alejandra – who are barely surviving, living off petty thefts and illegal hustles, and enduring the brutal violence that surrounds them. Haunted by past abuse and moral dilemmas, the friends make a single, fateful choice that will alter the course of their lives forever. Directed and written by Maria Fernanda Gonzales, the film draws on the director’s own experiences and blends raw social realism with intimate storytelling. It is seeking post-production services, gap financing, and a sales agent to complete the final stages and bring the movie to festivals and international audiences.

Office of Magical Forces – Dmytro Avdieiev (Ukraine)
Producer: Oleksii Komarovskyi (Komarovski Films)
Office of Magical Forces is a family adventure film set in Kyiv, where an ancient evil awakens beneath the city. Weary hero Mamay, his immortal friends and an 11-year-old boy, Yurko, must join forces with a teacher-turned-schoolgirl, Miya, to save Kyiv and prove that legends never truly die. The story blends fairy-tale magic, humour and heart, exploring themes of friendship, courage and the quiet heroism of children. Directed by Dmytro Avdieiev and written by Yurii Mykulenko, the film is a modern fairy tale that combines the mythic grandeur of old Kyiv with the rhythm of contemporary urban life. The project is currently almost fully financed and is seeking private funds, banks, public funds (national, regional and international), foreign broadcasters and gap financing to complete post-production, particularly the visual effects.

Morten by Ivan Pavljutškov

Morten – Ivan Pavljutškov (Estonia/Lithuania)
Producer: Anneli Ahven (Kopli Kinokompanii, Fralita Films)
Morten is a coming-of-age youth film following 15-year-old Morten, a humble boy living with his uncle in a crumbling farmhouse near a forest village. His mother works in Finland to save for their future home, and he has never known his father. One spring, Morten’s life changes when two girls enter his world: Emilie, the first person he dares to truly open up to; and Miia, a girl who, against all logic, seems to care for him. Directed by Ivan Pavljutškov and based on Reeli Reinaus’s award-winning novel, the film intertwines everyday adolescent romance with subtle magical realism, set against the contrasting backdrops of a rural swamp village and modern Tallinn. The project is fully financed and is seeking festivals, sales agents, broadcasters and distributors.

The Little Reaper – Katja Benrath (Germany)
Producers: Christoph Menardi, Philipp Schall, Torben Struck, Hamid Baroua (NEOS Film, in co-production with Tellux Film)
The Little Reaper is a family fantasy-comedy about 11-year-old Samuel, who never leaves home, because the world feels too dangerous. One afternoon, Frida, a nine-year-old Grim Reaper-in-training, shows up at his door, insisting on teaching him about life. Reluctantly, Samuel steps outside and discovers friendship, courage and the thrill of being alive for the first time. When fate tests their bond, the two learn that even Death cannot stop a true friendship from changing everything. Directed by Katja Benrath and written by Anne Gröger, the film combines humour, heart and adventure to address fear, mortality and the value of embracing life. The project is fully financed and is seeking streamers, gap financing, foreign broadcasters and festival exposure.

Tanit by Pep Garrido

Tanit – Pep Garrido (Spain)
Producers: Xesc Cabot, Xavier Crespo (Atiende Films, Dacsa Produccions)
Tanit is a children’s and family flick with supernatural and dramatic elements, following young Tanit, who becomes the apprentice of Grandma Perona, an enigmatic witch living in the Montseny forest. While learning the secrets of the woods, Tanit must face the death of the baby sister her family was expecting, a loss that forces her to grow up too soon. Directed and written by Pep Garrido, the film is an adaptation of Núria Albó’s book Tanit and blends fairy-tale elements with social realism, emphasising the importance of transmission, dialogue and emotional growth for young audiences. The project is seeking distributors, sales agents, festivals and broadcasters, including foreign broadcasters to support its international launch.