The festivals for children and youth are increasingly important, and represent a great opportunity for festival distribution.
Within this festival segment’s circuit, we could differentiate two types of competitions: those festivals exclusively dedicated to children and youth audiences, and other more generalist festivals that have sections dedicated to these audiences.
These latter types of sections are increasing year after year.
Youth Cinema at International Premiere Festivals
One of the best examples of sections for children and youth audiences in major festivals is the Generation section, which is part of the Berlinale and features two competitions: one for audiences aged 11 to 14, and another for those aged 14 to 18: the Kplus and the 14plus.
It accepts both feature films and short films (up to 20 minutes) and is a very good option for selection in Berlin.
This is one of the great advantages of segmentation: the competition is lower than in official competitions.
Furthermore, the premiere requirement also changes; while international or world premieres are necessary for feature film and short film competitions, such as Berlinale Shorts, a European premiere is sufficient for Generation.
By the way, if you are thinking of submitting your film to Berlin, hurry up, the deadline is today.
In this vein of important festivals that pay special attention to children’s audiences, we also find the case of the TIFF, Toronto International Film Festival. In addition to organizing the international festival in September, it organizes other festivals throughout the year, such as Next Wave, Human Rights Watch, and TIFF Kids, dedicated to children and youth audiences, which features sections for fiction, documentary, and animation cinema.
The success and gradual growth of this festival demonstrate the need for such initiatives. In 2017, it reached an audience of 30,000 children and young people.
It takes place from March 9 to 18, and the call for entries is open until November 24, for about $10 for shorts and $15 for feature films. In this case, there is no premiere requirement, which is a great advantage if you are currently distributing your film.
Specialized Festivals
When considering a festival distribution strategy for children and youth audiences, we must take into account the different sub-sections or categories adjusted to the age of the different audiences.
If Berlin has two categories, starting at 11 years old, there are other cases of specialized festivals where we can find many more, such as the Giffoni Film Festival in Italy, which has 6 different sections by age group:
- Elements +3 – 3 to 5 years old
- Elements +6 – 6 to 9 years old.
- Elements +10 – 10 to 12 years old.
- Generator +13 – 13 to 15 years old.
- Generator +16 – 16 to 18 years old
- Generator +18 – (films about childhood for older audiences)
Additionally, there is a specific section for documentaries related to childhood and youth. The jury is made up of children and young people from the different age groups themselves; in total, between 500 and 800 children usually participate in each category (Elements and Generator).
This Italian festival is one of the oldest in the circuit; its first edition was in 1971. In this case, its call for entries is scheduled to open today, November 15. The registration deadline is May 31, and it takes place in July, from the 20th to the 28th.
Sections in Major Short Film Festivals
In this type of festival, it is common for there to be no premiere requirement, as in Toronto or Giffoni, since the film’s suitability for the audience is prioritized.
This characteristic can allow us to participate in internationally prestigious festivals with premiere requirements, such as the Vila do Conde Short Film Festival in Portugal. It is one of the most important short film festivals in the world, with a very carefully curated editorial line, and a minimum requirement of a national premiere in Portugal, but where a world premiere is highly valued.
Participating in Vila do Conde can be very complicated, but in its program, we find the Curtinhas section, dedicated to children’s audiences. It has three categories, for audiences aged 3, 6, and 9.
In this section, there is no premiere requirement; therefore, if you are distributing a short film, you can consider Vila do Conde in your distribution strategy, despite having already premiered in Portugal.
The deadline for registration is May 25, with a fee of about €10 for its early deadline, before January 12.
There are also festivals for children and youth that qualify for the Oscars
These are the New York International Children’s Film Festival and the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival; both are on the Oscars list, and therefore also qualify for the Goya Awards. In both cases, they are a good opportunity to compete for one of these awards.
These two festivals cater to audiences from 3 to 18 years old and feature many activities that complement the screenings.
In the case of New York, it takes place from February 23 to March 18, and the first call for entries usually closes in September. Chicago takes place from October 27 to November 5, and the registration closes in May.
Documentary Cinema for Children’s Audiences
In the field of documentary cinema, there is also a great opportunity for this audience segment. Festivals like IDFA Amsterdam have a specific section: Kids & Docs, which mainly features documentary short films. In this case, there is an international premiere requirement, as in other sections of the festival. Along the same lines, the DOK Leipzig Festival has the Kids Dok section.
These sections are gradually growing; in its last edition, CPH:DOX in Copenhagen incorporated a new special section for children and young people, aged between 6 and 18. In addition to their cinematic value, special programs have been created for schools across the country, with the participation of primary and secondary school teachers.
This trend is in full growth, and I believe that every year we will see new documentary film festivals betting on specific sections for children and young people.
Are you distributing a film for children and youth audiences?
If you have already started distributing your film, keep these festivals and sections very much in mind. I have had recent experiences with the distribution of short films for children and youth audiences, and the results have been very good.
This is a very necessary and clearly growing segment; especially review specialized festivals and sections in major festivals, which are gradually becoming essential.
In addition to the festivals I have mentioned in this post, I leave you these others that close their call for entries in the coming months:
- PLAY – Lisbon’s International Kids Film Festival – Until January 11, 2018
- Mo&Friese KinderKurzFilmFestival Hamburg – Until February 10, 2018
- Plein la bobine – Until February 13, 2018
Whether you are a director or a producer, I hope this post helps you expand the festival segments in your distribution strategy. If you have questions about this type of festival, you can also contact me directly or comment below.