Press release15.02.2003The 53rd International Film
Festival in Berlin ended on Saturday 15 February with awards for two
Danish children's films at the Kinderfilmfest. Pia Bovin's "Wallah Be" was awarded the
prize for Best Children's Film by the international jury consisting of
three adults from the film industry; the same jury awarded a Special
Mention to Jannik Hastrup's animated feature "The Boy Who Wanted To Be A
Bear"."Wallah Be", released in Denmark last autumn, is
about twelve-year-old Aksel who lives with his mum in an area where cool
teenage youths with their gold neckbands and racing hubs are easier to
look up to than an absent dad. The film was produced by Louise Vesth and
Ib Tardini from Zentropa."The Boy Who Wanted To Be A
Bear", released in Denmark last week, is a moving, beautiful tale
about a Inuit boy who is brought up among the polar bears from infancy. As
a youth he encounters human civilization but concludes that he doesn't
belong there. The film is a Franco-Danish co-production, produced by Marie
Bro from Dansk Tegnefilm and Didier Brunnér from France.Three
Danish features and one short film took part in this year's Kinderfilmfest
programme, making Denmark the most heavily represented nation. On several
occasions during the festival it was emphasised that Denmark is the
leading country when it comes to children's films. This is partly thanks
to the respect for children that imbues these films and partly due to the
subsidy system that ensures that 25 per cent of film subsidies are
ear-marked for films for children and youth. The Danish entries were all
subsidized via the Danish Film Institute consultant
scheme."Wallah
Be": http://www.dfi.dk/dfi/english/featurefilms/wallahbe.html prefix = "o" ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
/>
"The Boy Who
Wanted To Be A Bear": http://www.dfi.dk/dfi/english/featurefilms/boywhowanted.html
Berlin
Film Festival:www.berlinale.de
An
overview of Danish children's films that have been selected over the last
decades to take part in the Berlin International Film Festival's programme
for children and young people. This programme is known today as
Kinderfilmfest. (Source: www.berlinale.de and the DFI - subject to
change)
1959
/ Hest på ferie (Horse on Holiday) / Astrid Henning-Jensen1982 /
Rubber Tarzan / Søren Kragh-Jacobsen / UNICEF Prize1984 / The Boy Who
Disappeared / Ebbe Nyvold / UNICEF Honorary Mention1984 / Otto is a
Rhino / Rumle Hammerich
1985 / The World of Buster / Bille August / UNICEF Prize og
CIFEJ Prize1985 / Granny's House / Frode Pedersen 1985 / Samson & Sally /
Jannik Hastrup 1986 /
Hodja From Pjort / Brita Wielopolska 1987
/ Ballerup Boulevard / Linda Wendel 1988
/ Subway to Paradise / Jannik Hastrup 1989
/ Shower of Gold / Søren Kragh-Jacobsen / Children's Jury, 2nd
Prize1990 / A World of Difference / Leif Magnusson / CIFEJ Prize,
Children's Jury1990 / Mie and Mama Mia / Erik Clausen / UNICEF
Honorary Mention1991
/ Dance of the Polar Bears / Birger Larsen / UNICEF Honorary Mention /
Rosaroter Propeller1992 / The Big Dipper / Birger Larsen 1992 /
The Hideaway / Niels Gråbøl / UNICEF Prize og CIFEJ Prize1993
/ Jasper's Ghost / Brita Wielopolska / Children's Jury Prize Best
Film1995
/ The Monkeys and the Secret Weapon / Jannik Hastrup 1996
/ The Flyer / Aage Rais / Special Mention1996
/ Belma / Lars Hesselholdt 1996 / Watch Me Fly / Vibeke Gad 1997 /
Eye of the Eagle / Peter Flinth1998 / On Our Own ... / Lone Scherfig
2001 / Circleen - Mice & Romance / Jannik Hastrup 2001 /
Miracle / Natasha Arthy 2002 / Catch That Girl / Hans Fabian
Wullenweber / Children's Jury Special Mention2002 / My Sister's Kids /
Tomas Villum Jensen 2002
/ Send More Candy / Cæcilia Holbek Trier / Kinderfilmfest International
Jury Special Mention2003 / The Boy Who Wanted to be a Bear / Jannik
Hastrup / Kinderfilmfest International Jury Special Mention2003 /
Someone Like Hodder / Henrik Ruben Genz 2003 / Wallah Be / Pia Bovin /
Kinderfilmfest International Jury Grand Prix
For
further information contact:
Danish Film Institute / Press &
InformationLars
Fiil-Jensen / c +45 2032 8121 / larsf@dfi.dkVicki Synnott / t +45 3374
3438 / vickis@dfi.dk