Animal by Cyril Dion (France) has won this year’s Young Audience Award (YAA). The winner was revealed during the online award ceremony, streamed live November 13 on the YAA website. The Award honours European films aimed at an audience aged 12-14 and has been an official category of the European Film Awards since 2012.
The winner was chosen by young juries from 42 European countries watching the three nominated films online as well as in over 50 movie theatres throughout Europe. Altogether, over 3,000 participating young people and 77 partner organizations were involved.
The November 13 ceremony marked the highlight of a week dedicated to European film culture for young people. From Monday 7 November hundreds of young film lovers watched the nominated films across Europe, EFA writes. Over the weekend more than 50 European cinemas entered the ring and organized screenings, Q&As with film makers and workshops. At the same time, the ceremony kicked-off of the newly introduced Month of European Film, initiated and coordinated by the European Film Academy. The grand finale of the four-week long celebration of European cinema will be the European Film Awards on 10 December in Reykjavik.
The Award is “a unique opportunity to build bridges between cultures and raise awareness of important social issues. It empowers young film enthusiasts to be catalysts for positive change and supports a greater understanding of their European neighbours. Last but not least, it provides the experience of being an active member of the European community in a democratic voting process,” write organisers. The YAA is also part of the “European Film Club”, a film platform and network across the continent for young people to come together to watch and discuss European films.
The nominations were chosen in a two-step procedure: For the first time an international committee consisting of five film experts – Joana Domingues (Academy Board, producer/Portugal), Andrey Hadjivasilev (producer, director/Bulgaria), Faridah Nabaggala (ECFA representative, festival director, author/Norway), Stavros Pamballis (artistic director/Cyprus), Claudia Schmid (festival director/Switzerland) – and a group of four representative young people – Hena, Madara, Maria Beatriz and Myrto – pre-selected eight films. Then, a jury of five 13 to 14-year-old former YAA participants – Aifric (Ireland), Natalija (Montenegro), Tin (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Christina (Greenland) and Riana (Kosovo) chose the three final nominees.
The Young Audience Award is organised and presented by the European Film Academy and the European Film Academy Productions with the support of Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung (MDM) and Creative Europe Media.
