Tue 06.06.2023 | 10:40Big Dreams (2023)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films in the Children’s Category (up to 10 years of age)
Directed by: Dan Pánek
Czech Republic, 2023, 98 min
Projection place: Aula
Score:
InfoThe year is 1998, in Nagano, Japan. The Czechs win the gold in Olympic ice hockey and the crowds go wild. All the kids want to be like Jagr or Hašek. Among them is Dom, an 11-year-old dreamer who looks up to his new idol. He would love to play hockey, but his parents don't have the money and doubt his abilities. On his grandfather’s advice, Dom and his friend Honza build a hockey team, calling themselves the Sabres after Hašek's home team in Buffalo. This team of disparate, underestimated kids focus on their great challenge – to defeat the Red Wings team from the next village and earn respect. After an initial defeat, the Sabres are taken over by the peculiar coach Karel, a former major league hockey player, and they gradually head for a rematch. This story of friendship, sport, pride, euphoria, and underdogs sends a message that children's dreams have many forms and that children need to be supported.
Tue 06.06.2023 | 11:30What the Finn?! - A Summer of Surprises (2023)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films in the Children’s Category (up to 10 years of age)
Directed by: Stefan Westerwelle
Germany, 2023, 95 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 6
Score:
Ten-year-old Finn is a floating child. Since his parents’ divorce, he's been traveling between his two homes by train. He feels lonely and forgotten. On his first unaccompanied trip, he is robbed by a man on a train. With no backpack, cell phone, or even train ticket, the conductor hands him over at the nearest station to two crazy police officers. When he is transported from the station, Finn chances to meet the energetic 12-year-old Jola. An wild trip begins on a stolen tractor to the Baltic Sea. Of course, the kids are wanted by the police, so they must hide and invent all sorts of deceptions. They overcome dangerous pitfalls, meet many interesting people, and most importantly, get to know themselves. A kind and funny road movie for the whole family about finding courage and self-confidence; it was adapted from the award-winning novel of the same name by Martin Muser. The film is presented in its world premiere.
Wed 07.06.2023 | 08:20Titina (2022)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films in the Children’s Category (up to 10 years of age)
Directed by: Kajsa Næss
Norway, 2022, 90 min
Projection place: Aula
Score:
A story of one of the greatest human adventures – the conquest of the North Pole in 1926 – seen through the eyes of an involuntary polar explorer, a small terrier named Titina. When Italian designer and airman Umbert Nobile finds a cute stray dog on a street in Rome, he's charmed so much that he takes her home. And because she’s a lady, he named her Titina. But a warm bed and regular food were not the only things awaiting Titina. The famous Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen approaches her new owner and hires his airship, from which he intends to conquer the North Pole. Of course, Titina would not miss it. With her, we follow the journey of the Italian crew and Norwegian polar explorers to the last undiscovered place on Earth. This exceptional achievement in the genre of animated film brings family entertainment to cinemas full of adventure, exciting moments, and educational elements.
Wed 07.06.2023 | 08:30Big Dreams (2023)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films in the Children’s Category (up to 10 years of age)
Directed by: Dan Pánek
Czech Republic, 2023, 98 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 1
Score:
The year is 1998, in Nagano, Japan. The Czechs win the gold in Olympic ice hockey and the crowds go wild. All the kids want to be like Jagr or Hašek. Among them is Dom, an 11-year-old dreamer who looks up to his new idol. He would love to play hockey, but his parents don't have the money and doubt his abilities. On his grandfather’s advice, Dom and his friend Honza build a hockey team, calling themselves the Sabres after Hašek's home team in Buffalo. This team of disparate, underestimated kids focus on their great challenge – to defeat the Red Wings team from the next village and earn respect. After an initial defeat, the Sabres are taken over by the peculiar coach Karel, a former major league hockey player, and they gradually head for a rematch. This story of friendship, sport, pride, euphoria, and underdogs sends a message that children's dreams have many forms and that children need to be supported.
Wed 07.06.2023 | 11:0012 Hours to Destruction (2022)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films in the Children’s Category (up to 10 years of age)
Directed by: Nanna Kristín Magnúsdóttir
Iceland, 2022, 89 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 5
Score:
In the summer of 1980, 11-year-old Hanna and her band try to track down the criminals threatening to destroy the school and, thus, the planned school concert. A great and crazy musical adventure begins, interwoven with the songs of the legendary Icelandic punk musician, rocker and children's book writer Dr. Gunni. Our fearless heroes fight evil, weave between disco and punk, and end up with love and unity. The film was inspired by the famous musical “Abbababb!”, created by Gunnar Lárus Hjálmarsson (aka Dr. Gunni), one of the key figures in Iceland's underground music scene of the 1980s. This unusual, colorfully stylized and playful film is very popular in Iceland. It enticed an unusual amount of moviegoers to cinemas and was the top film for several weeks.
Wed 07.06.2023 | 11:10Adventures in the Land of Asha (2023)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films in the Children’s Category (up to 10 years of age)
Directed by: Sophie Farkas Bolla
Canada, 2023, 89 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 4
Score:
In 1940, Jules and his family move to rural Canada. The boy soon realizes that he and his uncle, the local mayor, don’t get along. He takes him to the attic room, where Jules settles in to his satisfaction. He discovers a dusty book about native Americans, which he then almost never puts down. It opens a completely new world to him. After being expelled from school for fear of his rare skin disease, his only friend is the dog Sparky. When he visits the local forest, Jules meets an indigenous girl named Asha, strikingly similar to the one from the recently discovered book. Isolated from the outside world, the boy is given the opportunity to embark on an adventurous journey through the Canadian wilderness to find Ash's Mesquaki tribe and cure his illness. The film is not only a picturesque tale of courage, imagination and unusual friendship, but also an excursion into the lives of Canada's indigenous people.
Wed 07.06.2023 | 16:00Roi (2022)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films in the Children’s Category (up to 10 years of age)
Directed by: Rane Tiukkanen
Finland, 2022, 84 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 3
Score:
Valo, a schoolgirl, recently moved with her father to a new town, where she feels lonely because she has not yet made friends with the local kids. But everything changes when she rescues an abandoned German Shepherd, who she befriends and names Roi. A thrilling adventure begins after someone kidnaps a neighbor's little boy. Valo, Roi and their new friends embark on a great crime story. Will they be able to find the kidnapper and save their little friend? This great family film with a real criminal plot was based on the book by the famous Finnish author Jorm Kurvinen, who first published books in the 1970s, which were then also made into a popular TV series. An exciting and moving story about friendship, courage and the desire to help others, it won the award for the best children's film at the International Film Festival for Children and Youth in Oulu, Finland.