November 14 – 20, 2022
Co-production | Athens International Children’s Film Festival AMKE – MMA
As it was
But not the same
“What frightens you? / What threatens me?
Nothing, but nothing anymore / We sing of life
Fear is now gone / Fear has vanished
Nothing can defeat us / Because friendship / Gives us wings / Beats everything.”
Lyrics from the film ‘Yuku and the Flower of the Himalayas, 2022
The journey of the 5th Athens International Children’s Film Festival begins with a song that celebrates friendship and love. From November 14 – 20, the Festival will welcome youngsters, teachers, parents and cinema lovers to a grand celebration of fellowship at the Athens Concert Hall, the Municipal Theatre of Piraeus, and at Kifissia 1 & 2 Cinemax and DANAOS cinemas.
Tickets will go on sale on October 19. The program is available at www.athicff.com (download the pdf with the detailed program here).
The 5th edition of the Festival hosts 100 short and feature films from 34 countries that capture the richness of childhood and adolescence through unique stories of friendship and acceptance. The films’ heroes and heroines, no matter where they come from, how they look like and irrespective of the lives they lead, can inspire children and adolescents searching for their own identities.
The 5th Festival will feature, among others, 10 + 1 exceptional feature films:
- How I Learned To Fly (2022): the story of 12-year-old Sofia comes like a summer postcard from the Dalmatian coast. Through selfies, dream sequences, CGI insects and other tricks that narrate the hyperactive daily life of adolescence, we watch Sophia live the summer of her dreams and discover the historical past of the Balkans.
- Mironins (2022): Can three drops that come to life in a Miró painting take us on a journey into the world of art and creativity?
- The Path (2022): France of 1940s. The 12-year-old Rolf and Nuria – two friends from different worlds – form an outstanding bond in a touching story set against one of Europe’s darkest periods.
- Comedy Queen (2022): 13-year-old Sasha wants more than anything to make people laugh, especially her dad… A film about her search for identity and her journey from sadness to reconciliation.
- A Butterfly’s Heart (2021): A boy, an oversized sweater, a huge secret, a thick suit of armour and the courage that springs from a new friendship. An original approach to bullying and the healing effect of true friendship.
- Far.Go.Bots (2022): A true story about breaking down stereotypes and the value of education. A documentary about the first Roma robotics team that managed to travel to the USA and change the lives of its members forever.
- Captain Nova (2021): 2050 – Planet Earth – A Dry Place. The brave pilot Captain Nova will travel back in time. Will she reverse the past? Will she save the future world from environmental destruction? A call for environmental protection. Hollywood standards, stunning effects in a breathtaking film for the whole family!
- Oink (2022): A clear dietary message through the story of 9-year-old Babs, who hates meat and loves summer holidays! Twists, mischief, humour, laughs, and suspense in a delightful stop-motion animated movie that opened this year’s Generation Kplus youth section of the Berlin Film Festival.
- Yuku and the Flower of the Himalayas (2022): a magical experience that combines cinema screening with a live performance by Nadia Kontogeorgis. A journey to the highest peak on Earth full of music, songs and beautiful friendships.
- Rookies (2022): can hip hop save lives? In the heart of Paris, a high school undertakes a bold mission: to break the chain of school failure for kids from working-class neighbourhoods through hip hop. The documentary follows this unique experience: dance becomes an educational springboard that helps students regain their self-confidence, experience the benefits of inclusion and see schooling in a positive light.
- Olga (2021): Olga, a teenager from Ukraine, is living in exile in Switzerland, where she is preparing for the next gymnastics championships. When the Euromaidan breaks out in Kyiv, and her loved ones are in danger, Olga will face a dilemma between personal ambition and her duty to her country. The film is courtesy of Tanweer.
This year’s Festival includes three special tributes:
- Our Neighbourhood
The Festival opens a window into the everyday life, joys, adventures and challenges of children and young people in the countries of the Mediterranean and South-Eastern Europe close to Greece, promoting thus cooperation and presenting the richness of narratives and unexpected similarities of all these places, temporarily erasing lines and borders from the map. Because our screens should not speak only one language nor represent only one culture.
- Environment
The Festival brings the next generation closer to natural beauty and the vital importance of the environment and its ecosystems through the power of cinema. The films included in the program optimistically and passionately contribute to the mission of preserving the natural world, talking to children about the threats faced by the planet and aspiring to transform viewers into tomorrow’s responsible citizens and active defenders of the future of us all.
A series of award-winning and timely short films by young Greek filmmakers are presented at the Festival, which, every year, has an equal representation of male and female directors in its program. With their unique look at youth, the films – beyond coming-of-age stories – make an outstanding record of family and friendship relationships in Greek society today.
The Festival’s themes by age:
0-3 Baby & Me
Against the backdrop of a short-form animated program, babies will be able to crawl, walk or run around in a specially designed room with soft surfaces, friendly lighting and low sound, enjoying their first cinematic experience.
2 – 7
A worm with superhero powers, an unlucky cat, a hungry baby dinosaur, and paint drops on a famous artist’s canvas hide funny, adventurous, original animated stories that will warm children’s hearts and spark their imagination (Little for the Little 1 & 2 & Lively Friends). The program includes a favourite screening with live dubbing and actors on stage playing the fun characters from the films.
8-12
The grown-ups may have settled on a worldview, but surprises and twists still lurk around us. With their unique perspective, children can gain valuable insights from film journeys (Around the World in 80 Minutes) or realize early on the need for action to save the planet (Green) or even shape the world the way they want it to be through their choices (Kids’ Picks). The films accompanying them on these discoveries range from a desert in Chile to the mountains of Kyrgyzstan and from a residence in Greece to the skate streets of New York City and are sure to be unforgettable.
13-18
Real, fictional, virtual, creepy, everyday, emotional, divisive, but above all youthful: the films in the teen program reflect the experience of the most fantastic period in a person’s life in real-time, without being afraid to treat its beautiful and ugly moments equally. Bursting with energy, realistic stories from Greek filmmakers (Greek Shorts), teen curators’ unique approach to identity, choices and the meaning of family (Teens’ Picks), adulthood filtered through social media (Digital Etiquette), and the horror section Night Fright construct and deconstruct all the expectations one may have about what is relevant to teenagers today, speaking only one language: that of cinema.
As always, the Festival includes screenings accessible to all: With the collaboration of TheHappyAct, Liminal and HandsUp, the Festival audience will watch films adapted for people on the autism spectrum, with interpretation in Greek Sign Language and SDH subtitles for deaf and hard of hearing people and with audio description for the visually impaired (Lively Friends, Accessible Screening at the Athens Concert Hall).
Educational Workshops
Educational workshops accompany the Festival’s screening program for children of all ages and parents. Guided by renowned Greek and foreign creators, “watching videos” becomes a meaningful activity. We make our own animated heroes, create our first animation, shoot our first live-action shots and write the script of the world we would like to live in.
Advance ticket sales at the box offices of the venues and online at https://www.athicff.com/
For school screenings reservations, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Festival team at education@athicff.com and 210-7256579.