The Australian Premieres of two features direct from the world’s leading film festivals for children and young people – Berlinale Generation and the Giffoni International Film Festival. Two short packages comprising global shorts and entries to the AFF Youth Statewide Schools Filmmaking Competition.
Dancing for the win in this total delight of a film.
Everything changes for 12-year-old Mina (utterly charming newcomer Liv Elvira Kippersund Larsson) when it-boy hip-hop dancer Edvin moves to town and wants to start a dance crew. The cool girls snicker at Mina’s frumpy fashion and lack of dancing skills – but she is brave and determined. And head over heels.
Suddenly, books, top grades, and even her glasses are cast aside as Mina pushes herself to master the steps and get the boy. With her fabulous and fearless grandmother as cheer squad and instructor, Mina initially ropes in best bud Marcus to help. But he is soon relegated, as the stakes are raised and she gets what she thinks is a real shot at dancing glory. A wonderfully joyous film about losing yourself to the rhythm, what it costs to be cool, and what you gain when you leave it all on the floor.
“… a feel-good flick about the importance of friendly collaboration over the pressures of competition, and the importance of discovering and embracing one’s identity in order to — quite literally — find the right moves to make in life.” (InReview Online)
Aurora Gossé
Aurora Gossé’s graduation film We who see in the dark won the Critics Award at The Short Film Festival in Grimstad in 2015 and was nominated for the Students Academy Awards the same year. She is celebrated for her music videos, family films and popular Casper & Emma TV series.
A poignant drama from one of France’s rising directorial talents.
Twelve-year-olds Max, Tom and Viv are more than just mates – they are an unbreakable band of brothers. Escaping the schoolyard drama of bullies and would-be girlfriends, the boys retreat to the woods to make music, swim and dream of attending a camp that seems painfully out of reach. As the town grapples with economic hardships, with industrial action and the imminent closure of the main employer casting a shadow over everyone, the boys’ financial struggles only amplify. Their juvenile attempts to raise funds through a door-to-door bake sale prove insufficient as the deadline for camp payment looms near. So when Max’s older brother comes home from jail, bringing mayhem with him, Max drags his friends into a high stakes cash-making scheme, putting them all at risk. With stellar performances throughout, this fresh French drama captivates as it tells a compelling tale of friendship, determination and the power of youthful dreams.
Michaël Dichter
Michaël Dichter has directed short films Pollux (2018) and Boys Feels: I Love Trouble (2021) prior to his first feature film The Fantastic Three. He has several acting credits including feature film Telle Mère, Telle Fille (2017) directed by Noémie Saglio, in which he plays the male lead alongside Camille Cottin and Juliette Binoche.