Tsatsiki, mum and policeman (1999)
Section: Days of Swedish Cinema
Directed by: Ella Lemhagen
Sweden, 1999, 91 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 4
Score:
Eight-year-old "Tsatsiki" lives with his mother, a rock singer, in Stockholm. He's never met his father, a Greek fisherman who doesn't even know he's got a son. Tsatsiki's dream is to go to Greece and find his father because he doesn't like his mum's current boyfriend, the group's guitarist. But when his real father's not around, is there someway for Tsatsiki to choose another one for himself?
Iris (2011)
Section: Days of Swedish Cinema
Directed by: Ulrika Bengts
Finland, Sweden, 2011, 90 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 4
Score:
The year is 1890. Iris is 8 years old and lives in Stockholm with her mother, who is an artist. Iris is precocious and experienced in the ways of the world. She feels at home among her mother´s modern artist friends. Now she is waiting for the big adventure; Ester´s exhibition in Paris. On the day of the departure, Iris is shocked to find out that she will not be going to Paris. When the proposed child minders cannot look after her as planned, she is sent by mail boat to Åland; a place she knows nothing about, but where she will learn to know her roots and become the child she has not been.
Rascals on the Road (2006)
Section: Welcome to Switzerland
Directed by: Michael Steiner
Switzerland, 2006, 100 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 2
Score:
Set in the 1960s, we follow 12-year-olds Eugen and Wrigley on their last summer of adventure. When Wrigley's parents announce their intention to pack him off to boarding school, the boys run away, hoping to find Fritzli Bühler, the "King of Rascals" in Zurich. But then Eugen and Wrigley bump into their Scouts group on the train and feel forced to join them to Ticino. From there they escape again and attempt to cycle back to Zurich, but the boys' disappearance is noticed and their parents get on their trail. As the boys continue their precarious journey over their Alps, they begin to doubt whether Fritzli Bühler really lives in Zurich and whether he actually exists at all.
Åke and His World (1984)
Section: Days of Swedish Cinema
Directed by: Allan Edwall
Sweden, 1984, 99 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 4
Score:
Set in 1929, the film follows the 6-year old son of a Swedish country doctor. Åke lives with his parents and his sister Aja in a small provincial town. His best friend is Kalle Nubb. Åke is very frightened of the janitor Bergström as well as the lunatic Anne-Marie, his cousin who lives in the attic. There is also the strict principal Godeman and the religious cobbler Ebenholtz.
Swallows and Amazons (2016)
Section: Panorama
Directed by: Philippa Lowthorpe
U.K., 2016, 97 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 1
Score:
Set over an idyllic English summer holiday, the four Walker children and their sailing rivals, the Blacketts, run amok in their boats against the stunning backdrop of the Lake District. The Walkers sail the agile Swallow and the Blacketts commandeer The Amazon, making camp on a nearby island. Their world is one of imagination – filled with pirates and canons, where boats are captured and the enemy has to walk the plank. But when family friend, Uncle Jim is revealed to be a spy, our motley crew are forced to put down their imaginary swords and band together to protect him from his Soviet enemies.
My Life as a Zucchini (2016)
Section: Welcome to Switzerland
Directed by: Claude Barras
Switzerland, France, 2016, 66 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 2
Score:
Zucchini is a rather unusual nickname for a 9-year-old boy and his unique story is surprisingly universal. After his mother’s sudden death, Zucchini is befriended by a kind police officer Raymond, who accompanies Zucchini to his new foster home, which is filled with other orphans his age. At first Zucchini struggles to find his place in this strange, at times, hostile environment. Yet with Raymond’s help and his new found friends, he eventually learns to trust, finds true love and at last a new family of his own.
Heidi (2015)
Section: Welcome to Switzerland
Directed by: Alain Gsponer
Switzerland, Germany, 2015, 105 min
Projection place: Aula
Score:
Heidi is an orphaned girl who spends the happiest days of childhood together with her friend Peter while watching a herd of goats, playing together and enjoying the freedom of the Swiss Alps, where she lives in a simple cabin with her grandfather. This all ends when Heidi is taken by her Aunt Dee to Frankfurt, Germany, where she's to provide company for a sick girl named Klara, who's from a wealthy family. The girls quickly become friends, but Heidi's longing for her grandfather, Peter and the mountains is too great...
Immediate Boarding (2003)
Section: Days of Swedish Cinema
Directed by: Ella Lemhagen
Sweden, 2003, 89 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 4
Score:
One day Julia and Martin accidentally meet at the Stockholm airport. They are indistinguishable; it's like looking into a mirror. Both are eleven and are sick of having to visit one of their divorced parents, so they decide to play an old well-known trick on their parents and swap places. Their new identities, of course, immediately plunge them into a series of comic situations. It also allows them to look a bit differently at their own real lives and problems.
Kalle Blomkvist - The Masterdetective Lives Dangerously (1996)
Section: Days of Swedish Cinema
Directed by: Göran Carmback
Sweden, 1996, 85 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 5
Score:
The story is about a boy named Kalle Blomkvist who solves crimes with his friends. They also play the battle between the red rose and the white rose. But everything changes when Kalle Blomkvist’s friend finds a dead man in a cabin and he and his friends must find the murdurer.
Little Harbour (2017)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films for Children
Directed by: Iveta Grófová
Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, 2017, 85 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 1
Score:
A story inspired by true events about two children whose innocent play will change their lives forever. For Lucia, Jarka is nothing more than a best friend. Ten-year-old Jarka doesn’t see it that way though. She would much rather have her mom try to be a mother instead. Jarka dreams of having a real family and a house by the sea. Left on her own, she stumbles upon twin infants abandoned at the train station and decides to take them in. Her grandmother’s enchanted garden becomes a safe haven where she can take on the role of a parent together with her neighbour Kristian, who himself suffers from overprotective parents. In an impressive manner, the two prove how loving true affection and an awareness of responsibility can look when individuals hold tight to their dreams without disappointing those closest to them.
Heidi (2015)
Section: Welcome to Switzerland
Directed by: Alain Gsponer
Switzerland, Germany, 2015, 105 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 2
Score:
Heidi is an orphaned girl who spends the happiest days of childhood together with her friend Peter while watching a herd of goats, playing together and enjoying the freedom of the Swiss Alps, where she lives in a simple cabin with her grandfather. This all ends when Heidi is taken by her Aunt Dee to Frankfurt, Germany, where she's to provide company for a sick girl named Klara, who's from a wealthy family. The girls quickly become friends, but Heidi's longing for her grandfather, Peter and the mountains is too great...
Tongue Cutters (2017)
Section: Documentary Films
Directed by: Solveig Melkeraaen
Norway, 2017, 69 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 6
Score:
Cod tongue is a delicacy in Norway, and the job of cutting the cod’s tongue is traditionally reserved for children. In this charming and whimsical coming-of-age story, 9-year-old Ylva dreams of following in her family’s footsteps and earning money by working a season in the fisheries of northern Norway. Leaving her big city Oslo life behind, she arrives in a small fishing village and meets 10-year-old Tobias, a highly skilled and ambitious tongue cutter who takes her under his wing and shows her the art. With slickers on and knives sharpened the joyful duo dive into their work. Over time a beautiful friendship is formed while knee-deep in fish heads.
The Eagle Huntress (2016)
Section: Panorama
Directed by: Otto Bell
U.S.A., Mongolia, U.K., 2016, 87 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 2
Score:
This film follows the story of Aisholpan, a 13-year-old nomad girl. Aisholpan is growing up in a patriarchal community in the Altai Mountains of Mongolia. She has a passion for hunting with golden eagles, an activity that for thousands of years has been entirely dominated by men. Her fascination causes consternation when she sets out to become the first female eagle hunter. Despite criticism from village elders, her father lends her his support. Her time spent on horseback learning the finer points of hunting with her father reveal the closeness of their relationship. Then comes the annual eagle-hunting contest. Aisholpan is the youngest participant, and also the only girl. Can she hold her own?
Zozo (2005)
Section: Days of Swedish Cinema
Directed by: Josef Fares
Sweden, U.K., Denmark, 2005, 103 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 5
Score:
It's 1987, and Zozo is a ten-year-old boy whose parents are struggling to flee Beirut as warfare in the streets accelerates. His grandparents have emigrated to Sweden, and his mother and father plan to follow as soon as their passports and exit visas are approved. On the day that their papers finally come through, Zozo's mother asks him to go outside and get something for her – and just misses being killed by the shell that hits into their home and kills his parents. He now has little choice but to fetch his passport and airline ticket and make his way to the airport on foot. With his pet bird and a young runaway girl named Rita for company, Zozo sets out on the first leg in his journey to a new home.
Normal (2010)
Section: Welcome to Switzerland
Directed by: Bernard Weber
Switzerland, 2010, 60 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 5
Score:
A portrait of an extraordinary teacher and her class. She teaches children who are disabled, who have learning difficulties, and who are highly gifted together in one classroom. While the school administration worries about if and how a disabled child should be integrated into secondary school, we observe daily life in this exceptional class, where children philosophize about, for example, God and death. A portrait about how the classroom returns to normal by defining new norms. The children do not perceive their divergent abilities as a deficit, but rather as a chance and source of enrichment.
Summer 1993 (2017)
Section: International Competition of European First Films
Directed by: Carla Simon Pipó
Spain, 2017, 96 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 2
Score:
In the summer 1993, following the death of her parents, 6-year-old Frida moves from Barcelona to the Catalan province to live with her aunt and uncle, who are now her new legal guardians. The country life is a challenge for Frida – time passes differently in her new home and the nature that surrounds her is mysterious and estranging. She now has a little sister for whom she has to take care of and has to deal with new feelings, such as jealousy. Often, Frida is naively convinced that running away would be the best solution to her problems. Yet, the family does what it can to achieve a fragile new balance and bring normality to their life. Occasional family outings to a local fiesta or a swimming pool, cooking or listening to jazz in the garden bring them moments of happiness. Slowly, Frida realizes that she is there to stay and has to adapt to the new environment. Before the season is over, she has to cope with her emotions and her new parents have to learn to love her as their own daughter.
Boy on the Bridge (2016)
Section: International Competition of European First Films
Directed by: Petros Charalambous
Cyprus, 2016, 85 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 3
Score:
Spring has come to a Cypriot village, bringing with it an invitation for Socrates to indulge in his favourite pastimes: setting off homemade fireworks, tormenting local pensioners, hurtling through the village on a moped and defying his mother. As Easter looms, Socrates masterminds a plan to make the biggest firecracker of the year and set it off at midnight on Holy Saturday. The device explodes collapsing part of the church and burying an old man beneath the rubble. The spotlight shines briefly on Socrates before illuminating a more serious crime. A boy has been attacked and the village becomes a hotbed of gossip and finger-pointing. When a friend is arrested for the crime, Socrates, convinced of his innocence, is determined to find the real perpetrator. Behind the scenes in this seemingly idyllic backwater, an abused wife plots revenge on her husband, a scheming miser falls in love and a dangerous predator stalks the innocent. Spring brings a rude awakening to all the villagers and Socrates in particular.
Half Ticket (2016)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films for Children
Directed by: Samit Kakkad
India, 2016, 100 min
Projection place: Mala scena
Score:
A film about desires and the yearning for the unattainable, Half Ticket is a story of two slum kids who are fascinated with the arrival of a new pizza shop in their locality. Expensive beyond their means, they long to try one. But, fate has a different game in store for them. Weaving a story of myriad relationships in the world of the Have-Nots, Half Ticket interlaces the story of the kids' desires for a Pizza with a mother's desire to bring her husband back home and a low-rent thug's desire for easy money. The film also metaphorically shows the world of the 'Haves' and their desire for the little things in lives that elude them and the desires invoked by television, which teach us to salivate over things we never even knew existed. ln a world divided, the desires explored through the film showcase a world filled with expectations and aspirations – an entry ticket to an exclusive club.
Swallows and Amazons (2016)
Section: Panorama
Directed by: Philippa Lowthorpe
U.K., 2016, 97 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 3
Score:
Set over an idyllic English summer holiday, the four Walker children and their sailing rivals, the Blacketts, run amok in their boats against the stunning backdrop of the Lake District. The Walkers sail the agile Swallow and the Blacketts commandeer The Amazon, making camp on a nearby island. Their world is one of imagination – filled with pirates and canons, where boats are captured and the enemy has to walk the plank. But when family friend, Uncle Jim is revealed to be a spy, our motley crew are forced to put down their imaginary swords and band together to protect him from his Soviet enemies.
Kidz in da Hood (2006)
Section: Days of Swedish Cinema
Directed by: Ylva Gustavsson, Catti Edfeldt
Sweden, 2006, 92 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 5
Score:
Kidz in da Hood is the gripping and warm story of Amina, who came to Sweden with her grandfather three years ago. Amina has not yet received her residency permit and when her grandfather dies, everything seems to fall apart. She temporarily hides out with pierced and tattooed rocker Johan, who lives in a run-down suburb. The wild girl Mirre lives on the same floor as Amina and together they begin fighting for Amina to stay in Sweden and live with Johan.