10/03/2021 - Pinocchio, The Crossing and Wolfwalkers are vying for the award, to be decided by audiences of 12- to 14-year-olds across Europe

Pinocchio by Matteo Garrone

Even in difficult times like these, with cinemas closed in many countries, the European Film Academy's EFA Young Audience Award invites 12-14-year-olds across Europe to join the international jury, watch three nominated films and vote for the winner of the 2021 award. The three nominees are Matteo Garrone's Pinocchio [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Matteo Garrone
film profile] (Italy/France), Johanne Helgeland's The Crossing [+see also:
trailer
interview: Johanne Helgeland
film profile] (Norway) and Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart's Wolfwalkers [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Ireland/Luxembourg/France).

The nominations were again chosen in a two-step procedure: an international committee consisting of EFA Board Member Graziella Bildesheim (producer/Italy) and experts Levan Dvali (Taoba International Youth Film Festival/Georgia), Nicola Jones (Goldener Spatz/Germany), Dimitris Spyrou (Olympia Children's Film Festival/Greece) and Annelot Tijs (Eye Film Institute/Netherlands) pre-selected eight films. A jury of 13-to-14-year-old former YAA participants Matteo (Italy), Marta (Croatia), Anissa (UK), Zofia (Poland) and Vasileios (Greece) then watched these eight films and chose the three nominations. The three nominated films will be screened to juries of 12-14-year-olds in 38 countries across Europe and beyond.

In all of these countries, the EFA Young Audience Award offers the young participants the opportunity to discover the films in cinema theatres where possible, online where not. Under the guidance of experienced film educators, they get to discuss and exchange their views, and to connect with their peers across Europe, an experience most of them will be making for the first time. And it is the young audience that will act as a jury and vote for the winner who will be announced in an award ceremony on 25 April, hosted again by former YAA jury member Ivana Noa (Belgium). The ceremony will be streamed live on yaa.europeanfilmawards.eu, a special website that offers further information about the nominated films and the participating cities.