YOUTH FRIENDLY FILMS.012

For and about children and young people, this selection of international films shows us the magic of discovery and the struggle of being young as well as the power kids have to influence the world around them.

BAXU AND THE GIANTS

NAMIBIA

Baxu and the Giants 16-9

Directed by Florian Schott
Written by Florian Schott & Girley Jazama
Produced by Andrew Botelle, Girley Jazama & Florian Schott

Language: English, Khoekhoegowab & Afrikaans
Duration: 28 mins
Fiction   

Baxu, a 9-year-old girl, lives a peaceful life with her older brother Khata and an alcoholic grandmother in rural Namibia until strange men show up and cause a change in the village.

Instagram: @baxuandthegiants 
Facebook: facebook.com/baxuandthegiant
Website: baxuandthegiants.com

Suggested Age Rating: PG

BUBBLES

UK

bubbles-still-04

Directed & Produced by Meg Dupont

Language: English 
Duration: 3 mins
Animation // Student  

Made during the UK’s national lockdown in 2020, Bubbles brings together real pen-pals to read their real letters, conjuring up the memories of adolescence, innocence and honesty that became the building blocks to great friendships.

Website: megdupont.com

Suggested Age Rating: U

MARIA CAMILA’S GIFT

COLOMBIA

Maria Camila's gift 16-9

Written, Directed & Produced by Andrés Molano Moncada

Language: Spanish
Duration: 12 mins
Fiction   

In a park, 9-year-old Maria Camila gives passersby a sheet of paper that she’s written on. Immediately after reading the paper, people start to impersonate different animals. What power does Maria Camila have to transform them?

Facebook: facebook.com/elregalodemariacamila

Suggested Age Rating: U

NO COMMENT

IRAN

No_Comment_2

Written, Directed & Produced by Zhivar Farajzadeh

Language: Kurdish
Duration: 4 mins
Fiction // Student

Written and directed by 14-year-old Zhivar Farajzadeh, we see what life for the “garbage children” in Tehran is like in this age of Covid. Though the government says it is helping protect these children from the disease, the reality may be different.

Suggested Age Rating: PG

OH MOON, WHAT ABOUT BREAD

LEBANON

Oh moon_16_9

Written, Directed & Produced by Lynn El Safah

Language: Lebanese Arabic
Duration: 6 mins
Experimental // Student  

The main character gets bombarded with thoughts and memories. She takes a long stroll in the park to look for some peace of mind.

Instagram: @lynn.sa 

Suggested Age Rating: 12 (some short sequences of real life footage of rioting and violence)

SNAKE

MACEDONIA

Snake_1

Written & Directed by Andrey Volkashin
Produced by Elena Stanisheva

Language: Macedonian
Duration: 20 mins
Fiction // Queer  

A bitter-sweet story about the friendship between a 9-year-old daredevil Mario and an eccentric gay man, Borche, as they are challenged by the prejudices and hatred simmering in a small and remote Macedonian town.

Instagram: @shortfilmsnake

Suggested Age Rating: 12A (images of violence by children to children and adult to children & discriminatory language)

THE FLEXED ARM HANG

CANADA

The Flexed Arm Hang Cropped (1)

Directed & produced by Findlay Brown
Written by Findlay Brown & Adriano Magnifico

Language: English
Duration: 6 mins
Fiction // Student

A young boy attempts to get a silver medal in the most daunting of middle school tests: the flexed arm hang.

Website: www.theflexedarmhang.com

Suggested Age Rating: U

WHITE NIGHT

ALGERIA

White_Night_5 Cropped

Written, directed & produced by Issam Taachit

Language: no dialogue
Duration: 7 mins
Fiction / Animation

Snow covers everything, accumulating in the trees until three snowballs form to begin a magical journey down the mountainside in this wintry Algerian animation.

Facebook: facebook.com/Film-White-Night

Suggested Age Rating: U