We know the winners!

The Golden Goats for the best feature film for children: CHICKEN FOR LINDA, dir. Chiara Malta, Sébastien Laudenbach

This visually exceptional animated film adeptly addresses the challenging theme of the loss of a loved one and the yearning for meaningful connections. It weaves a heartwarming narrative that explores the strength of building relationships, cleverly infused with a comedic twist.

The Golden Goats for the best short film for children: PIG, dir. Jorn Leeuwerink

The film takes a creative approach about human nature in repeating harmful cycles towards the environment and its sustainability. This complex subject is accompanied with a lot of visual humor, animal characters and lovable details which makes it easy to start conversations about it with kids.

The Golden Goats for the best feature film for youth: EMMA’S DREAM, dir. Germán Vilche

Award goes to the film “Emma’s Dream” for capturing the complicated, but beautiful relationship between father and daughter in a stunning rural argentina landscape. Special mention goes to the main actress from the film “Six weeks” for her strong portrayal of a deeply complicated character that fills the film with energy and longing.

The Golden Goats for the best short film for youth: BEFORE MADRID, dir. Nicolás Botana, Ilén Juambeltz

We enjoyed the film and its topic which has a big impact on young adults growing up: finding the first partner, falling in love and having first sexual experiences. We see the teenagers navigating through their awkward preparations and getting advice from their peers in a relatable and joyous way. In showing that not everything works as planned the film takes out the pressure of this sensitive topic and normalizes stories like that for young audiences.

The Marcin award for the best feature film for youth: FIREWORKS, dir. Giuseppe Fiorelli

For a flowing, multi-threaded story with an unconventional plot, creating an immersive and gripping experience. For the subtle brutality that tears apart the beauty of the Italian landscape. For the natural portrayal of love and family relationships, featuring nuanced and complex elaborate psychological profiles of the characters. For balanced and authentic dialogues. For cohesive editing and beautiful, mood-setting colors that infuse idyllic charm into the stifling provincial setting. A thoughtful and thought-provoking journey – this movie captivates the audience in the diegetic world until the very end. Fireworks!

The Marcin award for the best short film for youth: MADDEN, dir. Malin Ingrid Johansson

Madden – for finding magic in the seemingly ordinary moment, captured between the struggle and dealing with your own identity, and looking at mystical freedom.

The Marcinek award for the best feature film for children: DANCING QUEEN, dir. Aurora Gossé

This is the story of fulfilling dreams even in seemingly hopeless situations, about the difficult relationship between mother and daughter, and about building your own self-esteem. It shows that even the worst fights can’t ruin a true friendship, and that grandmas understand each other without words. It’s an amusing film, full of plot twists and evoking a broad spectrum of emotions, from excitement to sadness, that enchanted us and rushed us to dance. We have to remember that everyone has the right to be unique in their own way.

The Marcinek award for the best short film for children: THE SLEEPLESSNESS OF JUTKA, dir. Maria Görlich-Opyd

…for an interesting and based on facts’ story, diversified with mythical dreams, evoking true sympathy and allowing to identify with the main character, for the unease and unpredictability, and for engaging animation and drawings.

The Film Educators’ Award to the best full-length film for children: CHICKEN FOR LINDA, dir. Chiara Malta, Sébastien Laudenbach

How to understand a circle of life when you’re a child? This movie will help you!
This funny, energetic story, filled with lively, natural dialogues, talks about difficult topics with delicacy and tenderness.
The original artistic style serves as an extra language to express emotions and to connect. We can watch through the eyes of Linda the non-obvious and nonlinear process of grieving of a child. This perspective gives us an unique opportunity to empathize with this young protagonist.
A poetic, close to senses animation for children and adults, too.

ECFA Award for the best feature film for children: CHICKEN FOR LINDA, dir. Chiara Malta, Sébastien Laudenbach

In this heartwarming and fun film about reconnecting after a great loss and coping with grief, the ECFA Jury enjoyed the playful way the community supports Linda, our bird-loving little rascal. The script and the characters are rich, and the animation style is truly unique.
Linda wants a chicken so she can feel her father’s love again. And we feel that this is a film you can explore again and again, and again.

The Kamera Akcja Young Critics Award for the best short film: CRAB, dir. Piotr Chmielewski

Our jury faced the challenging task of choosing, in our opinion, the best film from a very broad and diverse selection, both thematically and formally. The creators of the film, which left an impression on all of us, helped us with this challenge.

We decided to award the work that touched us with its unobvious, but at the same time precise, ways of expression and tonal balance, resulting in an aesthetically pleasing experience. The film’s simple yet rich narration brings the viewer into a game where one frame can change the perception of the previous events. Thanks to the mindful change of perspective, the plot is not explicitly explained but developed in a gradual and consistent way. The film is also characterized by its ecologically sensible way of telling a big story from a perspective that is not anthropocentric. The authors created a hero with whom we can empathize despite his genetic differences. Their approach to storytelling, with its effective balancing between tension and expressions of unusual creativity, allows the viewer to become one with an animal. As a result, the film has high educational values without using intrusive didactics or moralism.

The Polish Filmmakers Association Award for the best full-length children’s film of outstanding artistic and educational value: GIRLS’ STORIES, dir. Aga Torzym

This documentary film shows the authentic and warm portrayal of the heroines, capturing them at a unique moment – on the threshold of adulthood where dreams and expectations are as vivid and sincere as they can be.

The Polish Filmmakers Association Award for the best Polish animated film of outstanding artistic and educational value: CRAB, dir. Piotr Chmielewski

We were impressed by this change of perspective in focusing on the viewpoint of a crab about to be cooked. There is a lot of attention to detail in the process of creating the puppets and the sets which made it easy to invoke empathy with the protagonist right from the start.

The ALE DEBUT! Award for the best directorial debut: LONGING FOR THE WORLD, dir. Jenna Hasse