Young Audience Film Day: Kids Pick Top European Movies

Imagine sitting in a cinema hall, sharing popcorn, and laughing at the exact same scene as thousands of other children across 30 different countries! On 3 November 2024, young film lovers came together to celebrate Young Audience Film Day. This exciting celebration took place across 37 cities in Europe, alongside a synchronized online watch party for young viewers.

Organized by the European Film Academy and the European Film Club, the event brought children and teenagers together to enjoy cinema made specially for and by young people. It showed that stories shown on a big screen can easily connect people across different borders, cultures, and languages.

What happened?

Participating theatres screened a British comedy-drama called Scrapper, which was directed by Charlotte Regan. This popular movie previously won the European Young Audience Award in 2023, making it the perfect picture to share for this grand celebration.

The central event was held at the Bourbaki Panorama cinema in Lucerne, Switzerland. Three young European Film Club ambassadors hosted the programme: Anissa from the United Kingdom, Hena from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Luka from Serbia. The hosts led a live-streamed question-and-answer session with Scrapper stars Lola Campbell and Alin Uzun, answering questions sent in by young viewers from all over Europe.

During the event, organizers officially revealed the three nominated titles for the 2024 European Young Audience Award. The first nominee is Lars is LOL, a Norwegian-Danish drama directed by Eirik Sæter Stordahl about friendship and navigating life in middle school. The second nominee is The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, a Norwegian documentary directed by Benjamin Ree that explores the digital life and friendships of a young gamer. The third nominee is Winners (Sieger Sein), a German film directed by Soleen Yusef that follows an 11-year-old girl named Mona who finds her voice through school football.

Instead of grown-up film critics deciding the champion, a special 99-member youth jury composed of young film enthusiasts aged 12 to 19 will watch, discuss, and vote to choose the winning picture. Three young jury representatives will step on stage to present the award live at the 37th European Film Awards ceremony on 7 December 2024 in Lucerne.

Why does it matter to you?

Even though this festival took place across European cities, it carries an inspiring message for young people in India too. Whether you enjoy watching films in Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, or English, stories help us understand how other kids live, solve problems, and express themselves.

Most movie awards are judged entirely by adults, but this programme trusts young people to be the decision-makers. It proves that children and teenagers have sharp minds and important opinions about art, cinema, and storytelling.

Words to know

Ambassador: A representative chosen to speak or act on behalf of a group or organisation.
Documentary: A movie or show that tells a true story about real people, places, or events.
Jury: A selected group of people who judge a contest and pick the winners.
Synchronized: Happening at the exact same moment in different locations.

Did you know?

The entire winning film for the 2024 European Young Audience Award is decided by a youth jury of 99 young film fans between the ages of 12 and 19!

Think about it

If you were chosen to be a judge on an international youth film jury, what kind of story would you vote for: a movie about sports, an online gaming adventure, or a tale about school life?

Quick quiz

Which film won the European Young Audience Award in 2023 and was screened during the event?

Scrapper
Lars is LOL
Winners

See the answer

Scrapper

Sources

This story was prepared by the Kids Gazette news desk with the help of AI research and writing tools, using the sources listed above.

Author: Kids Gazette Desk.

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