Awards at KICFF 2011's closing night

Saturday night, four awards were handed out at the closing night of the 14th Kristiansand International Children’s Film Festival. Danish feature KIDNAPPET/LOST IN AFRICA (Vibeke Muasya 2010) was given The Film & Kino Children’s Film Award and the new ECFA Award. Icelandic feature JITTERS/OROI received the Don Quijote Award and the Audience Award went to Dutch feature MAGIKERNE/HET GEHEIM. The ceremony concludes the festival where, during five days, 98 titles have been screened of which 9 were world prmieres and 45 national premieres. Almost 15 000 tickets were sold and around 400 professional guests were present.

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The Film & Kino Award grants 75 000 NOK to secure Norwegian distribution of the film. This year’s jury was author and former film consultant Vera Micaelsen, head of programme and marketing at Stavanger/Sandnes Cinema Stig M. Pedersen and Film & Kino’s children’s film advisorTonje Hardersen. The award was given to LOST IN AFRICA (Denmark, 2010), directed by Vibeke Muasya (who visited the festival earlier in the week).

- This year’s award goes to an exciting film with a lot of moral dilemmas, where trust and consciousness is put to the test. Great instructions of amateurs and professional actors make this a strong and engaging experience. The story is both emotional and touching, and told with good cinematic esthetics.

The ECFA Award was handed out for the first time in Kristiansand. This award is handed out at selected European festivals, and the winners are competing for a yearly award for best European children’s film. Jury members Olufsen (Norway), Simina Banulescu (Romania) and Mikk Granstöm (Estonia) gave a special mention to Kooky (Czech Republic/Denmark 2010), before they too gave their award to LOST IN AFRICA with the following statement:

- The Jury is happy to award the ECFA Award on behalf of the European Children's Film Association to a production which approaches in an original way the subject through a great casting, story structure and truthful social portrayal. It does not only represent an example for European children's film production but it also manages to reach out its important message beyond the European borders worldwide to all children.

The Don Quijote Award for the best film in the Youth section is a plaque given by the International Federation of Film Societies (FICC). The award was given to Icelandic feature JITTERS (2010), which had also been chosen as the opening film in its section. I LOVE YOU VERY SO MUCH (France 2010) was given a special mention in the category. The jury, with Katrin Hoffmann (Germany), André Viane (Portugal) and Atle Hunnes Isaksen (Norway) said this about the winner:

- We were very impressed by the main character, the sixteen year old Gabriel, in search of his sexual identity after a short erotical experience with summer school friend Markus. In his debute film, the director manages to show us that it continues to be difficult for homosexualiy to be socially accepted, but he does it in a very positive way and we never doubt that Gabriel will end up accepting himself. Above all, this is a feature film with an important theme, told in a way which will certainly appeal to a young audience.

Finally, The Ludi Prize, selected by the audience and given by Kristiansand Zoo, was given to Dutch feature THE MAGICIAN (2010). Director Joram Lürsen and actors Java Siegertz and Thor Braun were present and most happy to receive the prize on stage at Fonix Cinema.