This year’s Cinekid for Professionals, the industry strand of the Cinekid Festival, has held its traditional industry party and awards ceremony at Amsterdam’s Oedipus Brewery. The event (21-24 October) is still running alongside the festival itself, which is taking place from 11-26 October, and has once again recognised some of the most promising international projects for young audiences.

The Eurimages Co-Production Development Award (worth €20,000) went to Dreamscape, written by Saar Ponsioen and directed by Margien Roogaar. Produced by Juliet at Pupkin, the project was praised by the jury – Ilse Ronteltap (Netherlands Film Fund), Nicholas Sando (Filmbin, Norway) and Valerie Yendt (Gebeka Films, France) – for its “innovative blend of hybrid animation and live-action fiction” and its exploration of “a powerful family secret revealed in an unexpected location”.

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Next, the Filmmore Post-Production Award for the best live-action project in development (worth €5,000 in post-production services) was claimed by Crawlers, helmed by Mirjam Sveinbjörg Thorkelsdottir, written by Benedicte Kolberg and produced by Handmade Films in Norwegian Woods. Jury members Asta Stuhr (Tall and Small, Denmark), Gillian Cooper (Wildcard, Ireland) and John Blaak (Filmmore, Netherlands) described it as “an original concept; it excites the jury to see it come to fruition in cinemas both locally and internationally”.

Meanwhile, the PUBLIKUM Audience Awareness Award, a €9,000 customised audience research prize, was presented to Acorn’s Adventure, directed and written by Filip Mašek, and produced by Pure Shore and Fabian&Fred. The jury – Rikke Flodin and Maria Villadsen (Will & Agency/PUBLIKUM, Denmark) and Niklas Teng (LevelK, Denmark) – highlighted the project’s “strong concept and clear target-group understanding”, noting that its characters, “inspired and partly created by the young target audiences”, lend it both authenticity and appeal.

In the main festival competition, the Cinekid Lion for Best Children’s Film was awarded to Honey by Danish helmer Natasha Arthy, produced by Toolbox Film, while the Cinekid Lion for Best Dutch Children’s Film went to Twinkle Twinkle Little Elephant by Meikeminne Clinckspoor, produced by 100% Film.

Earlier in the week, the short-film competitions also crowned their winners. In the Sparks section (for audiences under nine), Dog Bridge by Jorn Leeuwerink took home the Amarte Best Dutch Short Film Award, whilst Lola and the Sound Piano by Augusto Zanovello triumphed as Best International Short. In the Flames section (for audiences aged nine and above), the Amarte Best Dutch Short went to Blin Fiducie by Luka Kluskens, with Autokar by Sylwia Szkiłądź taking home the Best International Short gong.

Here is the full list of this year’s winners:

Cinekid for Professsionals

Eurimages Co-Production Development Award
Dreamscape - Margien Roogaar (Netherlands)
Producer: Juliet at Pupkin

Filmmore Post-Production Award
Crawlers - Mirjam Sveinbjörg Thorkelsdottir (Norway)
Producer: Handmade Films in Norwegian Woods

PUBLIKUM Audience Awareness Award
Acorn’s Adventure – Filip Mašek (Czech Republic/Germany)
Producers: Pure Shore, Fabian&Fred

Cinekid

Cinekid Lions 2025

Best Children’s Film
Honey - Natasha Arthy (Denmark)

Best Dutch Children’s Film
Twinkle Twinkle Little Elephant - Meikeminne Clinckspoor (Netherlands)

Sparks Shorts (under nine)

Amarte Best Dutch Short Film
Dog Bridge - Jorn Leeuwerink (Netherlands)

Best International Short Film
Lola and the Sound Piano - Augusto Zanovello (France/Poland/Switzerland)

Flames Shorts (9+)

Amarte Best Dutch Short Film
Blin Fiducie - Luka Kluskens (Netherlands)

Best International Short Film
Autokar - Sylwia Szkiłądź (France/Belgium)