Cinekid announces the selection of the 5th edition of the Directors LAB
Seven projects heading towards pre-production will participate in Cinekid’s Directors LAB. The week-long programme takes place annually in April in Amsterdam with hands-on training for directors with a children’s project in late development.
Cinekid Directors LAB will take place in Amsterdam for the fifth time in April 2025. The selection includes seven directors with projects from nine countries of production, including Colombia, marking the first non-European project in the Directors LAB.
Phillip Donnellon will take part with The Reef, a German-Estonian-Irish co-production; director Viko Nikci will work on the popular Irish theatre play adaptation Holy Mary; Swiss director Natascha Beller will work on her pool-side Splish Splash Forever!; whilst the Nordic region will be represented by Norwegian director Liv Karin Dahlstrøm, who participates with her coming-of-age drama Sanna.
For the first time the Directors LAB selection includes a project from outside Europe, Colombian director Giselle Geney will work on her project The potato flower, having developed the script during the Cinekid Script LAB (2021-2022).
The continued support of projects that have participated in Cinekid for Professionals’ programmes is a key factor in the selection. Other former participants include: the Serbian feature Hunnic Summer, directed by Nedeljko Kovačić (Junior Co-Production Market 2024) and the upcoming Dutch feature Movies showing nowhere directed by Martijn de Jong (Script LAB 2024-25).
Heading into its fifth edition, Cinekid Directors LAB provides vital, specialised training in filmmaking for young audiences. With a special focus on casting working with child actors under the personalised guidance of a directing coach, the LAB has proven an essential programme for directors of children’s content.
Over the past five years, the LAB has established itself as a productive hub for independent children’s cinema, developing some of the genre’s most celebrated recent festival successes such as: Sea Sparkle (dir. Domien Huyghe, Directors LAB 2021, premiere Berlinale Generation 2022), Kiddo (dir. Zara Dwinger, Directors LAB 2022, premiere Berlinale Generation 2023), and I Accidentally Wrote A Book (dir. Nora Lakos, Directors LAB 2022, premiere Cinekid 2024). Of the 25 projects that have been workshopped in the LAB so far, over half have been released or are in production or pre-production.
“Directors LAB has become a go-to space children's filmmakers for the shoot, giving them hands-on training in casting and working with children on set. It’s a unique programme that really focuses on the practical side of things, whilst helping the director explore and apply their own artistic voice and approach. We’re thrilled to hit this milestone and can’t wait to keep offering this support with help from our partners.”- Head of Studies Esther van Driesum
About Cinekid Directors LAB
During Cinekid Directors LAB, an international group of acclaimed and upcoming filmmakers will focus on the final steps needed prior to pre-production, coupled with the specific skills required for working with children. Above all, the program offers hands-on tailor-made coaching. More information about Lab activities can be found on our here.
The workshop is co-funded by Creative Europe MEDIA Programme and is supported by the Netherlands Film Fund and Norwegian Film Institute.
The call for entries for the upcoming edition of Cinekid for Professionals will open on March 4 2025. Keep an eye on this page, subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram.
The next Cinekid for Professionals programme will take place from October 21 – 24 2025 in Amsterdam.
Full list of participating projects and directors:
Holy Mary (film / live-action / 8+)
Participating director: Viko Nikci
Written by: Viko Nikci and Eoin Colfer
Produced by David Collins and Eamon Hughes (Samson Films, Ireland)
Hunnic Summer (film / live-action / 8+)
Participating director: Nedeljko Kovačić
Written by: Kristina Đuković
Produced by Maja Cenić (Magnus Production, Serbia)
Movies showing nowhere (film / live-action / 10+)
Participating director: Martijn de Jong
Written by: Laura van Dijk and Martijn de Jong
Produced by Floor Onrust (Family Affair Films, Netherlands)
Nominated by: Netherlands Film Fund
Sanna (film / live-action / 12+)
Participating director: Liv Karin Dahlstrøm
Written by: Maren Skolem
Produced by Vilde Wingerei Hylleseth and Sigurd Mikal Karoliussen (Nordisk Film Production, Norway)
Nominated by: Norwegian Film Institute
Splish Splash Forever! (film / live-action / 8+)
Participating director: Natascha Beller
Written by: Sabina Gröner
Produced by Sarah Born and Rajko Jazbec (Catpics, Switzerland)
The potato flower (film / live-action / 9+)
Participating director: Giselle Geney
Written by: Johnnier Aristizábal and Giselle Geney
Produced by Sonia Barrera (Viso Producciones, Colombia)
The Reef (film / live-action / 9+)
Participating director: Phillip Donnellon
Written by: Jytte-Merle Böhrnsen
Produced by Daniel Ehrenberg (Eyrie Entertainment, Germany),
Co-produced by Evelin Penttilä and Johanna Maria Paulson (Stellar Film, Estonia), Margaret Schmueck (Split Second Films, Ireland)
The still in the header is from the film I Accidentally Wrote a Book, which was part of the Cinekid Script LAB 2020 – 2021 and Directors LAB 2022 selections, was pitched during the 2021 Junior Co-Production Market, and which premiered at Cinekid Festival 2024 © Daniel Reic.