Three European films in the running for Young Audience Award

Three films – two feature films and one documentary – have been selected by film experts and teenager from all over Europe in a two-step awarding procedure to be in the running for the Young Audience Award 2022. The Award honours European films for an audience between 12 and 14 years and has been an official category since 2012. The unique thing about it is that the winners are being chosen by young juries in 42 European countries watching three films online as well as in over 60 movie theatres in more than 70 European cities.

The nominated films are:

Animal – Dir. Cyril Dion, France

Comedy Queen – Dir. Sanna Lenken, Sweden

Dreams are like Wild Tigers – Dir. Lars Montag, Germany

The award ceremony will take place on 13 November 2022 in Erfurt (Germany) and will also be streamed on the YAA website. On the same day the CICAE will organize the European Arthouse Cinema Day. Together, both events will kick-off the “Month of European Film” being the first of many events celebrating European cinema.

The grand finale will be the celebration of the European Film Awards on 10 December in Reykjavik. The YAA is also part of the “European Film Club”, a film platform and network across the continent for young people to come together to watch and discuss European films and make their own.

By actively involving young viewers to take responsibility, act as a jury, and vote for their favourite film, the YAA offers them the opportunity to discover European high-quality films. The Award is a unique opportunity to build bridges between cultures and raise awareness of important social issues. It empowers young film enthusiasts to be catalysts for positive change and supports a greater understanding of their European neighbours. Last but not least, it provides the experience of being an active member of the European community in a democratic voting process.

The nominations were chosen in a two-step procedure: For the first time an international committee consisting of five film experts – Joana Domingues (Academy Board, producer/Portugal), Andrey Hadjivasilev (producer, director/Bulgaria), Faridah Nabaggala (ECFA representative, festival director, author/Norway), Stavros Pamballis (artistic director/Cyprus), Claudia Schmid (festival director/Switzerland) – and a group of four representative young people – Hena, Madara, Maria Beatriz and Myrto – pre-selected eight films.

Then, a jury of five 13 to 14-year-old former YAA participants – Aifric (Ireland), Natalija (Montenegro), Tin (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Christina (Greenland) and Riana (Kosovo) chose the three final nominees.

These will now be screened from 7 to 13 November to juries of 12-14-year-olds in the following 42 countries across Europe and beyond, including the UK.