The annual awards ceremony of the European Children’s Film Association (ECFA) takes place every year during the Berlinale. Owing to this year’s pandemic situation, the ECFA prizegiving ceremony was held in a studio at the Zlín Film Festival during the first part of the gathering’s 61^st edition (28 May – 1 June), which unfolded online (the festival is scheduled to continue as an in-person event from 9-15 September). The award aims to shine a spotlight on European children’s films and call attention to quality movies for a young audience.

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The Lithuanian film Matilda and the Spare Head by Ignas Milunas was voted as the Best European Short Film for Children. The title character wants to be the smartest person in the world, so her mother buys her a spare head to fill up with knowledge. “This is a story about parents’ ambitions, putting pressure upon children,” notes the director, adding: “It was my aim to search for similarities among the generations, and not to emphasise who was right and who wasn’t.”

French director Gilles de Maistre received the ECFA Doc Award for Forward: Tomorrow Belongs To Us [+lee también:
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ficha de la película]. The documentary follows seven young activists as they get involved in making a difference and creating social change, fighting against poverty, social inequality and climate change.

The members of ECFA voted Anca Damian’s animated feature Marona’s Fantastic Tale [+lee también:
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ficha de la película], about a street dog reflecting on its life during its final moments, as the Best European Children’s Film. “It might be unusual to start a film with the death of the main character already in the first five minutes,” says the director, “but this dog – inspired by a real dog that I adopted in 2014 – is teaching us a lesson in love and empathy. This film conveys an important message about happiness,” Damian adds.

“All of these films have the courage to embrace some darker aspects of young people’s lives, often with a light-hearted and colourful approach,” concludes Margret Albers, the president of ECFA, while discussing the winners. “The list of nominated films is yet more proof of the richness of the European children’s film landscape.”

Here is the full list of all ECFA 2021 winners:

Short Award for Best European Young Audience Short Film of the Year
Matilda and the Spare Head - Ignas Meilūnas (Lithuania)

Doc Award for Best European Young Audience Documentary of the Year
Forward: Tomorrow Belongs To Us [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] - Gilles de Maistre (France)

Award for Best European Children’s Film of the Year
Marona’s Fantastic Tale [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] - Anca Damian (France/Romania/Belgium)