Cinekid Festival theme 2024: “You do… you”

Cinekid Festival proudly presents the theme of the 38th edition “You do…you”. The theme invites makers and audiences to follow their heart. Headstrong makers and protagonists who choose their own path are festively celebrated. Children visiting the festival are also challenged to follow their own intuition. Cinekid’s children's committee investigated together with campaign agency Studio LamaLama what “you do… you” means to them. This year's campaign image is inspired by drawings and ideas from the children's committee. And of course, we have the Burny Bos Eigenwijsprijs, which is being awarded for the second time this year.

Two years ago, the Burny Bos Eigenwijsprijs was created in honor of Cinekid founder Burny Bos. Burny then awarded the prize to filmmaker Mascha Halberstad (Oink). Burny Bos passed away last year, this year we honor him again with the presentation of the Burny Bos Eigenwijsprijs. The prize winner is awarded during the Cinekid Festival in October. This year the three nominees are: Zara Dwinger, Jeanine Cronie and Lilian Sijbesma. Lilian Sijbesma directed the film Under the Open Sky. Zara Dwinger's film Kiddo premiered during the Berlinale in 2023. Jeanine Cronie wrote the screenplay for Saïd & Anna. Both Kiddo and Saïd & Anna participated in the Cinekid Festival program last year. The jury consists of: Tamara Bos, Mirjam Marks and festival director Heleen Rouw. Cinekid wants to encourage youth filmmakers with this prize to continue developing. The winner will receive 5,000 euros from the VandenEnde Foundation cultural fund.

In a world where we compare ourselves with others more than ever before, it is sometimes difficult to be yourself. But what does it mean to be yourself? How do you follow your own path and make your own choices. Discovering who you are by daring to be your wonderful self: “You do… you”. This year, Cinekid celebrates makers and films about characters who do exactly that: who think outside of the box, go beyond written and unwritten rules and challenge the opinions of others. People who color outside the lines and in this way also give color to their environment and society.

Cinekid invites makers who stand for who they are, for what they make, and dream. They show that it is worth leaving the beaten track. We choose makers who set an example with their projects and films about inspiring idiosyncrasy. In the KRO-NCRV documentary Van Binnen Stroomt Het, director Natalie Bruijns (WITFILM) goes offbeat by not using dialogues but portraying the thoughts and emotions of the main characters through dance and movement. Kyle McDonald & Lauren Lee McCarthy; makers who often exhibit in the Cinekid MediaLab are the creators of Voice in my Head. These headstrong makers explore the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, voice recordings and audio. After a short recording, you continue your way in the MediaLab with headphones and a little voice in your head, based on your own voice, unexpectedly whispering something to you. There is a good chance that you will be surprised by receiving instructions from your own voice that you would never have thought of yourself.

The opening film Benjamin Bat by director Patrick Raats (Storytellers Film & TV) fits in seamlessly with this year's Cinekid theme. Benjamin Bat makes his own plan; by overcoming his fears and following his passion. In the movie WOW! Report from Outer Space by Felix Binder (SamFilm GmbH), two perky children accidentally end up in a rocket heading to the moon. This film can be seen at all Cinekid locations in the country. In Cinekids MediaLab installation, Anouschka by Tamara Shogaolu (Ado Ato Pictures), the violin-playing Anouschka is told that she is not playing as she should. This is the starting point for her on a journey of self-discovery to make her own music by going back to her roots together with her grandmothers.

We celebrate self-will in the most positive sense of the word. In our MediaLab we challenge children to take the freedom to do and be who they want. All immersive installations, workshops and games are all about discovering things in your own way. XR Lab, a collective of Media College students in game development, game design and spatial design, developed the mixed reality experience Starborn. If you strictly follow the assignment, not much will happen, but if you decide to follow your own path, an adventurous world will open up for you. What do children do during the installation; Help! A bear in my tent (Leon van Oldenburgh & Marieke van der Burg)? Will they blindly follow the instructions of the bear helpline, or will they figure out themselves how to get the bear out of their tent? During the autumn holidays there is plenty of opportunity to discover and investigate what appeals to you during Cinekid Festival.