Cinekid Lions announced!
Press release, Saturday 20 October 2007
On Saturday October 20th, accompanied by an iconoclastic storm produced by VJ Eboman, Cinekid celebrated the announcement of the winners of the Cinekid Lions, the Cinekid Kinderkast prizes and the Cinekid New Media awards: the ten prizes awarded for the best productions made for children during the past twelve months.
Film
The Cinekid Lions are highly coveted. Each is sponsored by KPN / KlasseTV and accompanied by a prize of € 15.000, a sum large enough to inspire winners in the realisation of new projects, and to highlight Cinekid's role in supporting high quality films. This year the jury awarded the Cinekid Lion Jury Prize to Max Minsky and Me (Anna Justice, Germany, 2006). Germany is not well-known for its films for children, and the jury was pleasantly surprised by the originality of both the film's script and direction. Kidz in da Hood (Catti Edfeldt&Ylva Gustavsson, Sweden), is a hit. It is a story about a young girl who faces the world on her own as a refugee had already won the Dauphin d'Or, a CIFEJ-Delphis film prize for the best family film ($ 5.000), and was now awarded the KPN Cinekid Lion Audience Prize. Children awarded the film a 9.6. Another highly popular selection was the world's first real nature film for children, African Bambi (Alan Miller, 2007), filmed by Bert Haanstra's cameraman Anton van Munster.
New Media
In the new media competition this year was notable for the large number of simulation games: more than 25% of all submissions. The Cinekid New Media Award, jury prize (€ 7.500), went to Hello You! Game (Ranj Serious Games & Malmberg Publishers), an educative web game that takes children into a world with the atmosphere of a cartoon strip. They engage in games, expeditions and visual jokes while simultaneously learning English. The Cinekid New Media Award, audience prize went to FIFA 07 (XBOX360) from Electronic Arts Benelux, a much improved version of the game submitted last year.
Television
The Cinekid Kinderkast, awarded to a Dutch children's television programme, takes the form of a statue designed by Dutch artist and writer Jan Wolkers. During this year's Cinekid award ceremony there was a moment of silence to commemorate his death, and a screening from Jan Wolkers' Back Garden, itself a past winner of the Cinekid Kinderkast. The jury and the children selected different favourites. Only one programme was a favourite for both professional jury and audience: Outside!, Wendo Kroon (KRO). The Golden Cinekid Kinderkast, and € 7.500, went to Ties Schenk for Donkey Girl (VPRO), a story with a Mediterranean character about a girl and a donkey. The film is a product of Child and Colour, a Dutch Cultural Broadcasting Stimulation Fund project that aims to attract more colour to the television. The jury selected it as being the most original production from all entries in both the fiction and non-fiction categories. Last year Ties Schenk also received the Golden Cinekid Kinderkast, and is currently regarded as the new talent in television. Other prizes:
Cinekid Kinderkast, Audience Prize, fiction The Anubis House, Dennis Bots, (Nickelodeon)
Cinekid Kinderkast Audience Prize, non-fiction Anne Frank Special, Yvonne Smits (NPS)
Cinekid Kinderkast Jury Prize, fiction Adriaan, Mischa Kamp (KRO)
Cinekid Kinderkast Jury Prize, non-fiction Naked, Mischa Kamp (VPRO)
Not for publication: For further information: Tyche van Bommel, Head Marketing & Communication, Cinekid: t.vanbommel@cinekid.nl, 00 31 (0)20 531 78 90