Official release of VPRO Cinekid Top 100 children’s films

The VPRO Cinekid Top 100  2023 has been officially released. Compiled by a diverse committee of film and media experts, the list features the 100 must-see Dutch and international children’s films such as E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial by Steven Spielberg and Tow Truck Pluck by Burny Bos. This year’s edition includes six films by Burny Bos, in honour of the iconic children’s filmmaker. These are joined by twelve new films, five of which were screened at Cinekid Festival 2023, including the opening film Jippie No More! and the Best Dutch Children’s Film Kiddo. 

Hidde de Vries, Head of Film and Series at Cinekid: ‘It’s a fantastic experience to produce this authoritative list of films with a team of passionate professionals. We’re thrilled to see some more amazing homegrown films make it into the Top 100, which again demonstrates the excellent, timeless quality of Dutch children’s film. The list features important films that often cover urgent topics and stand out in terms of their form. There’s so much material to explore next year!’ 

Twelve new children’s films
The VPRO Cinekid Top 100 features both Dutch and non-Dutch titles, counting 68 international films from 21 countries. Twelve new films have been added this year, two of which – Mini Zlatan & Uncle Darling and Tales of Franz – were screened during Cinekid Festival 2022. Also featuring in this year’s list are Sea Sparkle, Kiddo, Jippie No More!, Dancing Queen, and Belonging, all of which were shown during Cinekid Festival 2023. Jippie No More! opened the film festival and won the Youth Jury Award as well as the Public Award for Best Dutch Children’s Film. The feature film Kiddo won the Cinekid Lion for Best Dutch Children’s Film, and Dancing Queen took home the Public Award for Best Children’s Film. The other eight films are Close from Belgium, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, and Promises from the US, and My Neighbor Totoro from Japan. 

Selection committee
The list is compiled by a committee of film and media experts. Sitting on this year’s eight-member committee are the industry professionals Els Kuiper (NPO), Erik Mund (SEENL), Signe Zeilich-Jensen (freelance film and media adviser), Sebastian Korteweg (producer at Topkapi Films), Tibor Dekker (VPRO Cinema), Noa Johannes (VPRO Cinema), and Hidde de Vries (Cinekid). 

You can view the full VPRO Cinekid Top 100 at www.cinekid.nl/top100.