The Ladies’ Union of Drama – House of Open Hospitality implements the educational project “Mobile School Travels.” Through a wheeled, mobile facility, it tries to reach Roma children who live and work on the streets in the prefectures of Drama, Kavala, and Xanthi in Northern Greece, aiming at fighting dropout and illiteracy. The Roma children who access it learn to write, read, and draw, among numerous activities.
● Lucas Paleocrassas
● 12’
● Greece
Julie (10) is going camping with her little brother and her mother but she is dreading it. It is a vacation without her father and she misses him a lot. Her parents are separated now and she has to get used to this new reality. But it turns out Julie is not the only one; at the one-parent campground in France, all the children have the same experience. Her new vacation friends help Julie look at the divorce through new glasses.
● Milou Gevers
● 15'
● Netherlands
For the third year in a row, a group of cinephile students from the second and third grades of middle school is taking on the role of program curator. The student committee watched, discussed, and selected seven films for the lineup, covering a wide range of topics from autism to the first kiss
● 98'
Vilja (12) loves wrestling even though she's terrified of pain and loses every match. When her parents separate, Vilja’s feelings freeze. Then mum’s new boyfriend’s daughter Thea turns out to be the star of the wrestling club. Can Vilja overcome her fear of physical as well as emotional pain?
● Marianne Ulrichsen
● 17'
● Norway
Solveig, a 12 year old girl, falls in love with a fun and energetic guy from summer camp. But when she agrees to help him with a prank video, she soon finds herself entangled into a lie she doesn't want to be a part of. In her struggle to set things straight, she experiences the power of social pressure online. In the world of social media, we are all storytellers and free to construct whatever version of ourselves we want others to see. But how do we know when a correction of a video is okay and when do we cross the line into the manipulation of truth? This story explores how hard it can be to stay true to oneself in a world of multiple digital versions of our personality.
● Ola Martin Fjeld
● 16'
● Norway
The Festival is collaborating with the Hellenic Film Academy for a special screening of Greek short films aimed at a teenage audience, featuring emerging, award-winning filmmakers. A discussion will follow, addressing the films and the important themes they explore.
13-year-old Nastia, an elite gymnast from Kyiv. After winning the Ukrainian championship with her tightknit group of friends, Nastia is forced to flee to Germany with her grandmother due to war in Ukraine. In the unfamiliar town of Gelsenkirchen, Nastia must start over and cope with the uncertainty of whether she will ever see her parents and friends again. But when she joins a German gymnastics team, Nastia finds hope and begins to build a new life for herself. This moving story celebrates resilience, friendship, and the power of sports to bring people together.
● Simon Lereng Wilmont, Alisa Kovalenko
● 22΄
● Denmark, Norway
Sea, sun, beaches and family holidays. But what if the hotel isn't as stellar as promised, your room has a bit of a naughty view, the dinner is surprisingly exotic and your luggage travels elsewhere?
● Martin Smatana, Veronika Zacharová
● 11'
● Czech Republic, Slovakia, France
Once upon a time there was a little girl who was always distracted. With her eyes fixed on her phone, she couldn't notice the world around or who wanted to play with her.
● André Carrilho
● 8'
● Portugal
Η Ρόζι έχει την τέλεια ζωή: ζει σε ένα όμορφο σπίτι, έχει πολλούς φίλους και έχει μεγάλο πάθος για το ποδόσφαιρο. Σύντομα, όμως, θα αλλάξουν όλα, καθώς θα αναγκαστεί να μετακομίσει στην Ολλανδία.
● Ρέιμοντ Γκριμπέργκεν
● 90'
● Ολλανδία
Maura, a successful CEO confronts her worst fear when invited to give a public speech.
● Έφη Παππά
● 2'
● Ελλάδα
A tiny bark beetle enjoys simple life in the forest. However, after a fire breaks out, the forest burns down, she gets separated from her family and also loses her arm during the escape. She finds refuge in a children's school. Now lost and alone, she has to face the world of giants on her own.
● Eva Matejovičová
● 12’
● Czech Republic
In a winter wonderland two friends are having a blast ice-skating on a frozen lake when suddenly a strange and unfamiliar world cracks open underneath them. Now they must learn how to deal with the other kind, not letting the fear and preconceptions rule.
● Ignas Meilūnas
● 12'
● Lithuania
In a completely purple world, inhabited solely by triangular purple characters, a small orange circle arrives at school and immediately feels out of place. Through a blossoming friendship with a fellow pupil, he learns to overcome his feelings of inadequacy, anxiety and isolation.
● Peter Peake
● 4’
● UK
Moscow. 1957. Only a few days are left until the launch of Sputnik II, the first satellite in the history of humanity to host a living being: Laika. But Laika isn’t a dog like the others.
● Francesco Catarinolo
● 8’
● Italy