The jolliest film celebration in Greece; the only film festival in the country for children and young people starts on Saturday November 29 in the Greek cities of Pyrgos, Patras, Aegio, Lechaina, Zacharo, Missolonghi, Amaliada and Gastouni and is schedulled to run until December 6!

For a week, children leave their tablets aside, switch the television off, and by their enthusiastic attention, prove to us all that a good film can be both recreational and educational.

“We are by no means afraid to reveal the dark side of real life to the children, but our goal is to castigate violence, and there’s absolutely no room for intolerance or racism in the cinema theatres of the Peloponnese. All the films screened respect the principles set by UNICEF and UNESCO for children and young people’s cinema, and are therefore inspired by love for Mankind, Life and Nature, they help young people develop critical and creative thinking and to better understand and respect different cultures. All films that praise or promote violence, racism, war and sexism have no place in the Festival’s programme,” the organizers note in an official announcement.

During the Festival, a number of filmmaking workshops will give children the opportunity to make their own films.

The Opening Ceremony will take place on Saturday 29/11, and screenings will begin on Sunday 30/11 (at 11 am) at the Apollo theatre, the heart of Olympia Festival in Pyrgos, with the incredible animated silent film The Boy and the World (O Menino e o Mundo) by Ale Abreu from Brazil. The film will open as a special Greek avant-premiere in eight cities in the Western Greece region.

COMPETITION SECTIONS

There are thirteen films in competition at the Feature Films section, eighteen more at the Short Fiction Films section, while another nineteen are competing in the Animation Short Film Section for numerous awards, between them for ECFA and Cifej Award.

Six medium-length documentary films and twelve short ones compete for the KIDS & DOCS Awards. This section has its own five-person international jury as well as a large Children’s Jury. Additionally, hundreds of films by school children from all across Greece and Europe will be competing in Camera Zizanio.

Aside from the adults’ international juries, there will be a number of children’s juries that will decide on their own awards.