The European Children’s Film Association (ECFA) will present awards for the best films of 2023 in three categories at the 74th Berlinale. Two Slovak co-productions, Even Mice Belong to Heaven and Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light, have been nominated for the 2024 ECFA Award as well. The winners will be determined by the members of the Association.
The film Even Mice Belong to Heaven (dir. Denisa Grimmová and Jan Bubeníček) tells the story of two outsiders whose vastly different personalities and ways of thinking help them overcome enormous obstacles. After an unfortunate accident, two mortal enemies, a Mouse and a Fox, meet in animal heaven. There, they lose their natural instincts and become best friends. Longing to stay together upon their return to Earth, their wish is fulfilled in an unexpected way: they are reborn in each other’s bodies. Through the power of their friendship, they overcome even the seemingly impossible. This tale of hope, love, courage, and overcoming prejudices and past pains won the ECFA Award at the Smile International Film Festival in New Delhi.
The film Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light (dir. Filip Pošivač) employs the stop-motion animation technique. Eleven-year-old Tony has something very unique about him: he has been glowing since birth. His overprotective parents, seeking to shield him from the outside world, keep him confined at home. However, Tony’s world is turned upside down with the arrival of the mysterious Shelly in their apartment building just before the Christmas holidays. He forges his first real friendship with her and embarks on an adventurous journey to uncover the source of the enigmatic dark wisps draining sunshine from their building. Celebrating themes of friendship, fantasy, light, and darkness, this film won the ECFA Award at the Athens International Children’s Film Festival.
More info: www.ecfaweb.org
