Film programme 2022

Avant Card (2020)

Section: International Competition of Short Animations for Children, Neighbourhood

Directed by: Stella Raith

Germany, 2020, 5 min

Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 5

Score:

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A figure on a postcard, Ernst watches as the other cards are eagerly bought. No one seems to be interested in his card.

Asteroid (2021)

Section: World Childrens Film Panorama

Directed by: Mehdi Hoseinivand Aalipour

Iran, 2021, 78 min

Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 6

Score:

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Ebrahim is twelve. He lives with his mother and five siblings of all ages in a two-roomed shack in the heart of desert, far away from the village. Aside from feeding the children and obtaining a birth certificate for them, the main preoccupation of Ebrahim and his mother is to build a house in the village so they don’t have to walk all the way back and forth all the time…

A Second Life (2021)

Section: International Competition of Feature Films in the Junior Category, Patron of Children Audience Award

Directed by: Anis Lassoued

Tunisia, 2021, 93 min

Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 2

Score:

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Twelve-year-old Gadeha enjoys a carefree life with his friends until he has a serious traffic accident. But his mother can't afford his medical treatment. The random people she meets at the hospital help her financially, and Gadeha survives. After his recovery, he and his family end up moving to the new home of their donors. There he discovers that their same-aged son Oussam was seriously ill, but he is now returning home. The boys quickly bond and have a great time together. Gadeha is able to stop worrying for a moment about his father, who emigrated from Tunisia to Europe and he hasn't communicated with for a long time. However, the secret that Gadeha's mother is keeping to herself begins to disturb this new life. It's a secret with implications for everyone.

The Pack (2020)

Section: Top Teen Ten

Directed by: Tomáš Polenský

Czech Republic, Latvia, Slovak Republic, 2020, 94 min

Projection place: Castle SVOBODY

Score:

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Ice skates cut the ice. Silhouettes of hockey players swirl in the spray of the frost, and sharp scratches remain on the ice behind them. Talented goalkeeper David (16) is joining a new team. He will do everything in his power to make a name for himself in the Wolves hockey team. But the position of the current goalkeeper Miky (16) seems unshakable. In addition, Miky is the son of a coach. David really doesn't fit in with the Wolves. Maybe it's the small plastic box that pumps insulin into his body. But David will not be defeated by diabetes. He is an outsider in the team and faces an avalanche of bullying. Those who do not attack also do no not help. David tries to fight, but the result is even worse. Pushes, injuries and humiliations pile on each other like the spiral scars of tracks engraved by ice skates. What will David do?

Tonight´s Homework (2021)

Section: World Childrens Film Panorama

Directed by: Ashkan Nejati, Mehran Nematollahi

Iran, 2021, 78 min

Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 3

Score:

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Abbas Kiarostami’s film Homework inspired the making of this film. The intention was to find out whether after three decades, students and parents are still faced with the challenge of homework – meaning assignments intended to be done at home. In this film we meet children whose life experiences that are significantly different from their peers; children who try to develop their talents and capabilities despite great difficulties.

Scheme (2022)

Section: Festival Laurels from around the World

Directed by: Farkhtat Sharipov

Kazakhstan, 2022, 74 min

Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 4

Score:

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The focus is on Masha, a teenager who, through a friend, gets caught in an opaque web of dependency and exploitation. In complex images that capture Masha's lack of anchors and connections, as well as her search for support, the film creates the multi-layered portrait of coming of age in new-rich Almaty, precise, vivid, dramatic and of universal relevance.

Hard Shell, Soft Shell (2021)

Section: Beyond the Childhood Horizon

Directed by: Emma Benestan

France, 2021, 100 min

Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 5

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Loved-up oyster farmer Az thinks he’s made it. But when an elaborate proposal goes awry and his girlfriend Jess breaks his heart, Az is forced to confront his understanding of what happiness really looks like – both hers and his own.

Two Friends (2021)

Section: Beyond the Childhood Horizon

Directed by: Prasun Chatterjee

India, 2021, 111 min

Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 6

Score:

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The aftermath of the Babri Mosque demolition and the Bombay blasts in India, 1992-93, found its violent echoes even in a remote village of West Bengal adjacent to the India-Bangladesh border where the story unfolds. A story of friendship between two little boys (Palash and Safikul) belonging to two warring religious communities, Hindu and Muslim.

Giant Little Ones (2018)

Section: Top Teen Ten

Directed by: Keith Behrman

Canada, 2018, 94 min

Projection place: Castle SVOBODY

Score:

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A heartfelt and intimate coming-of-age story about friendship, self-discovery and the power of love without labels. Adolescents face enormous pressure to make life-defining decisions every day and they want to lock in their identities sooner than later. All of this pressure is exacerbated by physical and social changes. Franky is under more pressure than most. His life was altered when his father left his mother for a man. Franky is left confused and angry toward his father for breaking up the family. Things are further confused for Franky when his wild birthday party ends in a sexual encounter no one could have imagined, including his best friend and girlfriend. As Franky's world crumbles, he and his friends are forced to decide what kind of people they want to be.

Once Upon a Time in Euskadi (2021)

Section: Festival Laurels from around the World

Directed by: Manu Gómez

Spain, 2021, 101 min

Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 3

Score:

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It’s the summer of 1985 in Euskadi. Marcos and his 3 friends, José Antonio, Paquito and Toni, anxiously await a promising summer break from the fresh view of a 12-year-olds who don't have a care in the world. They while away the hours in the maze life has prepared for them in the old Basque town of Euskadi. It’s a maze of painted walls of prefabricated concrete, where life and death no longer keep formal relationships.

Playground (2021)

Section: Festival Laurels from around the World

Directed by: Laura Wandel

Belgium, 2021, 72 min

Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 4

Score:

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Seven-year-old Nora and her big brother Abel are back to school in Belgium. When Nora witnesses Abel being bullied by other kids, she wants to protect him by warning their father. But Abel forces her to remain silent. Caught in a conflict of loyalty, Nora will ultimately try to find her place, torn between the worlds of children and adults.

My Brothers Dream Awake (2021)

Section: International Competition of Feature Films in the Youth Category

Directed by: Claudia Huaiquimilla

Chile, 2021, 85 min

Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 5

Score:

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Ángel and his younger brother Franco have been incarcerated in a juvenile prison for a year. Despite the difficulties, they have formed a solid group of friends with whom they spend their days sharing dreams of freedom. Everything changes when the arrival of a rebellious young man offers a possible escape: the only door to make those dreams come true. Inspired by many true events.

Girl Picture (2022)

Section: Festival Laurels from around the World

Directed by: Alli Haapasalo

Finland, 2022, 100 min

Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 6

Score:

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Mimmi, Emma and Rönkkö are girls on the cusp of womanhood, trying to draw their own contours. Over three consecutive Fridays, two of them experience the earth-moving effects of falling in love, while the third goes on a quest to find something she’s never experienced before… pleasure.

Známí neznámí (2021)

Section: Open-Air Cinema

Directed by: Zuzana Marianková

Czech Republic, 2021, 103 min

Projection place: Open Air Cinema

Score:

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