2024 Junior Co-Production Market Projects Announced

Cinekid is proud to support the continued development of projects that have participated in our training programmes. One of the works in progress I Accidentally Wrote a Book, set for release next year, was developed in the 2020-21 Script LAB and the 2022 Directors LAB, and pitched in development at the Junior Co-production Market in 2021 where it received the Eurimages Co-production Development Award. Kittens and Rosanna, Jaris, and the Otherworld both participated in the 2024 edition of the Directors LAB.

Submissions came from a wide range of regions; new participating countries include Estonia with Rise of the Water Fox by Carlos E. Lesmes, Time Skipper from Nigeria, directed by Somto Ajuluchukwu and My Home is in the Hills, a Nepalese production directed by Arun Fulara whose short film Shera is also a part of the festival selection this year. We’re also excited to include the new project of Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light (JCM 2018, part of the festival selection in 2023) director Filip Pošivač, The Axolotls. Projects from the Netherlands, in addition to I Accidentally Wrote a Book, include Kittens by Nova van Dijk; in this Christmas rendition of the popular Dutch series, as well as two co-productions; Belgian-supported Scrumple, written by Tijs van Marle, responsible for a number of classic Dutch children’s films such as Mister Twister and the Mees Kees series, and directed by Jamille van Wijngaarden. In addition to that we will present Millie and the Secret of the Crocodile by Esben Toft Jacobsen, a co-production between Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands.

Many of the stories we are presenting this year take us on adventures of (time) travel in this selection of the Junior Co-Production Market. In Time Skippers four friends discover a time machine which sets off their adventure; in The Sorcerer's Eye a girl travels through the world of art via history’s most celebrated paintings; and in Lina’s Friends, Lina manages to bring back a magician and a knight from the past. Environmental issues are addressed in Sissi & Caesar; in this stop-motion animated series rainbow penguins travel the world with a mission: to restore the lost colours of nature.

For the first time this year, Cinekid is participating in the pilot programme for Series Co-productions launched by the Council of Europe and therefore gets to award one project with the Council of Europe Series Co-production Development Award, worth €50.000. This initiative aims to facilitate independent producers’ access to series development funding and foster creative collaboration as foundations for future co-productions. In addition, there are three other awards that will be awarded to projects from the selection. The best feature film project with European co-production potential intended for cinema release will receive the prestigious Eurimages Co-Production Development Award worth €20.000. The PUBLIKUM Audience Awareness Award is worth €9.000 and given in services of the Danish business consultancy Will & Agency, how also hands it out. Lastly, the Filmmore Post-Production Award comes with a €5.000 prize and will go to the best live-action project and awarded in services of the postproduction house. The winners for the different awards will be announced on Thursday, 31 October.

The Axolotls (film/ animation) 8+
Directed by Filip Pošivač
Written by Stepanka Ansorge
Production Companies: Bionaut
Produced by Bára Chaberova
Production Countries: Czech Republic

Billy & the Boingo Band (series/ animation) 4+
Directed by Shabnam Rezaei
Written by Ravi Steve Khajuria, Claire Handley
Production Companies: Big Bad Boo Vienna, Paper Owl Films
Produced by Paddy Gillen, Grainne McGuinness
Production Countries: Austria, Canada, Northern Ireland

Caramel's Words (feature/ animation) 8+
Directed by Salvador Simó
Written by Salvador Simó, Eligio R. Montero
Production Companies: Les Films du Cygne (FR), Sygnatia (ES)  
Produced by: Alexandre Charlet, Xosé Zapata
Production Countries: France, Spain

Crunch Crunch Farm (series/ animation) 3+
Directed by Olha Yevtieieva
Written by Damien O'Connor, Doireann Langton
Production Companies: Distillery Films
Produced by Jonathan Clarke
Production Countries: Ireland

Hunnic Summer (feature/ live action) 9+
Directed by Nedeljko Kovačić
Written by Kristina Đuković
Production Companies: Magnus production
Produced by Maja Cenic
Production Countries: Serbia

I Accidentally Wrote a Book (feature/ live action) 9+
Directed by Nóra Lakos
Written by Nóra Lakos
Production Companies: JUNO11 Pictures, BIND (co-producer)
Produced by Claudia Sümeghy, Nóra Lakos, Tamás Yvan Topolánszky
Production Countries: Hungary, The Netherlands

Kittens (feature/ live action) 3+
Directed by Nova van Dijk
Written by Laura van Dijk
Production Companies: Studio Ruba, Kleine Storm
Produced by Studio Ruba: Layla Meijman, Maarten van der Ven and Kleine Storm: Machteld van Gelder, Brechtje Schaling
Production Countries: The Netherlands

The Legend of Salamanders (feature/ animation) 8+
Directed by Catherine Maximoff
Written by Catherine Maximoff
Production Companies: LES CONTES MODERNES
Produced by Patrice Nezan
Production Countries: France, Slovakia, Germany

Lina's Friends (series/ live action) 9+
Directed by Frederik Sonck
Written by Laurens Vanlandschoote, Leonard Muylle, Zita Theunynck
Production Companies: Eyeworks Film & TV Drama
Produced by Peter Bouckaert
Production Countries: Belgium

Millie and the Secret of the Crocodile (feature/ animation) 5+
Directed by Esben Toft Jacobsen
Written by Esben Toft Jacobsen
Production Companies: Snowcloud Films (SE), Vi Glæder os Preben (DK) and Viking Film (NL)
Produced by Petter Lindblad
Production Countries: Sweden, Denmark, The Netherlands

My Home is in the Hills (feature/ live action) 8+
Directed by Arun Fulara
Written by Arun Fulara
Production Companies: Underground Talkies Nepal
Produced by Anup Poudel
Production Countries: Nepal

Puck (series/ animation) 3+
Written by Anna-Karin Garhamn, Caroline Drab
Production Companies: BCD FILM
Produced by Caroline Drab
Production Countries: Sweden

Rise of the Water Fox (feature/ live action) 10+
Directed by Carlos E. Lesmes
Written by Elisabeth Kužovnik, Carlos E. Lesmes
Production Companies: Stellar Film
Produced by Johanna Maria Paulson
Production Countries: Estonia

Roc & Lola (series/ animation) 4+
Directed by Andrea Giro
Written by Samuel Dossi, Marta De Lorenzis
Production Companies: Primal Shape S.r.l.
Produced by Andrea Giro
Production Countries: Italy

Rosanna, Jaris and the Otherworld (feature/ live action) 6+
Directed by Sandra Moser
Written by Sandra Moser
Production Companies: tellfilm GmbH
Produced by Stefan Jäger
Production Countries: Switzerland

Scrumple (feature/ live action) 4+
Directed by Jamille van Wijngaarden
Written by Tijs van Marle
Production Companies: Lemming Film, Lemming Film BE
Produced by Leontine Petit, Tom van Blommestein, Erik Glijnis
Production Countries: The Netherlands, Belgium

Sissi & Caesar (series/ animation) 4+
Directed by Gabriela Villalobos
Written by Sebastian Bisbal
Production Companies: Pangur Animation, Tres tercios studio
Produced by Leticia Montalvá, Allan Bortnic
Production Countries: Spain, Chile

Small Dogs Bark Loud (feature/ live action) 9+
Directed by Nora Tvedt
Written by Nora Tvedt
Production Companies: LØV Film
Produced by Hege Hauff Hvaattum
Production Countries: Norway

The Sorcerer's Eye (feature/ animation) 7+
Directed by Aik Karapetian
Written by Tabita Rudzāte
Production Companies: Mistrus Media
Produced by Inese Boka-Grube, Gints Grūbe
Production Countries: Latvia

Time Skippers: Sankofa Squad (series/ animation) 4+
Directed by Somto Ajuluchukwu
Written by Kunle Popoola, Yamakasi Kiyindou
Production Companies: VX ANIMATION
Produced by Ekene Nwonye and Somto Ajuluchukwu
Production Countries: Nigeria

The still shown above is from 'The Axolotls', which will be presented at the Cinekid Junior Co-Production Market this October.