We have 106 movies in this genre.
FOR A SMILE… The short-documentary „For a smile…” is a movie about the consequences of war traumas for children. For the documentary, the filmmakers accompanied four so called Clown Doctors of the organization Red Noses International on their trip to Kyiv. They worked there with traumatized children from the eastern parts of Ukraine. The movie […]
In Kuchenhimmel, a bakery, two love stories are in focus: Aurealia and Isidor’s – longtime friends – and Emilia and Rami’s – primary school teachers. The spectator will witness how their relationships reach the next stage. A love cookie serves as a catalyst here. Maria, Aurelia’s co-worker, embodies a kind of love goddes, who gives […]
TOT HET EINDE VAN DE WERELD. The eight-year-old Marie lives with her father Boudewijn in a small house at the edge of the city. Their world is full of play and imagination, and Boudwijn teaches her to dream. However, Marie has become aware of an unpredictability in her father. Because of his addiction, the warm, […]
XIAO JING ZI. In China, in the early 1990’s, a little boy and his family have just come to live in a large factory complex. As he explores his new surroundings, he comes across other boys his age playing ping-pong — and discovers that they are fascinated by a cute little girl who spends her […]
1979. Aurora, a small girl in the Bavarian Alps, undertakes a mountain trip with her beloved father Valentin to watch a shooting stars spectacle. Aurora wants to photograph the spectacle to show it to her distanced mother Sylvia, but up in the Alps, something unexpected happens that challenges Aurora’s inner world… Aurora is the psychological […]
GELATO – DIE SIEBEN SOMMER DER EISLIEBE. The 20th Century was still young when Italian mountaineers conquered Germany with a sensation: gelato! Tiny stalls developed into beautiful ice cream shops. But suddenly sunny days of childhood turned into dark years of war. The love story between Rosa and Paolo ended before the seventh summer had […]
I DON’T BELIEVE IN FATHER CHRISTMAS. A single mum is very sad as she isn’t able to afford to hire a Father Christmas on Christmas Eve for her children this year – a typical tradition in this family and parts of Germany. The brothers just notice that mum is unhappy as Father Christmas won’t be […]
In order to heal her grieving mother, Ana, a devout 9-year-old girl, pushes her faith to its limit in hopes of divine intervention.
Charlotte has got a new job as a second-grade teacher. One night she is attacked by a nazi and is severely injured. When she comes back to her students she discovers that one of her students is the son of that nazi.
CAT DAYS. Jiro, a little boy, feels sick. His father takes him to see the doctor. She diagnoses a harmless condition. But it shakes the core of the boy’s identity.
Carlos’ crisis seems to get worse when he gets home and finds out that his dog, Rocco, bit the neighbors’ son. Although his son, Luis, tries to prove his dog is not guilty, Carlos’ neighbors threaten him by the possibility of expelling the dog out of the building. It seems that Luis is the only […]
The old lady excitedly awaited her little girl at the train station. As time ticked by, there was still no sign of her daughter. Turned out she had got onto the wrong platform! To rescue her little girl, the old lady would have to get through the sea-like crowds and the mountain-high stairs— but her […]
Each year around 250 children lose their lives to cancer in the U.K. alone, and many of those who survive are left with life-changing side effects from their treatment. ‘Locks’ is a short documentary about three children whose separate lives are intertwined by the effects of cancer and its treatment.
You want to drink your coffee peacefully but instead you end up in a situation where people start to stir up hatred against refugees – what do you do? While waiting for her train in a café a young woman (Olivia) suddenly ends up in a situation where the barista chases away a begging girl […]
When Nancy suffers from a sudden cardiac arrest in a morning, her only chance of survival lies in the hands of her oblivious five years old son Asser.
Tales of Us: “The little Fish and the Crocodile” is a fable from the rainforest in the Odzala National Park in the Republic of Congo told by the children of the Sanza Mobimba Kindergarden. In cooperation with the SPAC foundation and their teaching methodology, Tales of Us has journeyed to the Congo several times over […]
Sayid, a refugee doctor from Syria, has just received a Danish residence permit, and is about to embark on establishing a new life in rural Denmark together with his son Adnan. At the same time as having to learn a new language, he faces the challenge of maintaining his boy’s respect, in a situation where […]
THE NEW CHILDREN OF GOLZOW. Golzow is an eastern German village, running out of inhabitants. The mayor has an idea: Refugee families should bring new people to Golzow. That is why Fadi, Halima and their children now found shelter in the village. A film about an ambivalent integration experiment on the German countryside.
«The Dragons» is a documentary film (built on a succession of portraits and self- portraits) about the daily life of young autist pupils in their classroom. A microphone and a camera have been given to the six kids of the classroom in a total freedom and experimentation spirit. Each in turns (with handheld cameras), the […]
METASTASISES. Paul is 8 years old and his mom is ill. Nobody tells him that, but he knows for sure. In the forest, he has built his own world, through which he can escape the gloomy mood at home, at least for a short period of his spare time.
An Indian immigrant girl accompanies her father to a casting for a Mexican television commercial looking for an ‘exotic’ man.
Calais, refugee camp. Nadim, an afghan boy, is living in the camp with his family and helping his father at the shop held in the center of the jungle. But Nadim has a secret : he is a bacha posh (girl raised as a boy in Afghan culture). Nadim dreams to flee and fight for […]
MESLE BACHE ADAM. Sara (a 24-year-old girl) is supposed to babysit Matin (a 6-year-old boy) for the day, while his mother is at work. In the morning Matin tells Sara a story of a fight with his mother from the night before, this leads to a series of events through the day which will change […]
An Arabian song prayer, Bismillah (in the name of God), sounds in a cramped room. Samira is singing the song. She’s 10 years old, Tunisian, she has curly hair and wide black eyes. This time she prays alone, her brother, Jamil (17), has been having stomach ache for two days. It’s strong, constant pain and […]
Escape, and two sisters from Afghanistan. To reach the border quickly, Wajma und Hana follow three men who know a short cut. To keep little Hana motivated, Wajma acts out a fairytale, even “pizza” is being made in the woods…
Summer of 1982. Teo claims he has found a wormhole. His brother Óscar does not believe him – at least not for now.
EL MÁS FUERTE DE LOS SILENCIOS Mara, who lives with her grandmother, is initially excited when her mother comes to pick her up from school and take her to an appointment. But as the day goes on and the two spend more time together, Mara is reminded that her mother isn’t necessarily who she wants […]
Eliza and her brother Damian live in Toronto with their mother. After she suffers an accident, they must travel to Montreal to join their father. The story is centered on Eliza, a young teenager. Having to take care of her brother and their wellbeing, this trip represents her first outing into the world as an […]
As a 12-year-old girl prepares for her final test trying out for the traditionally all-boys Chinese youth Olympic weightlifting team, she makes an unlikely connection with the gym’s reclusive groundskeeper.
Qassem and Abdullah were children when their family fled Afghanistan in the 1980s, to arrive in Iran as refugees. Now after 30 years and with families of their own, Qassem is risking it all for a brighter future and waits in a refugee camp in Berlin, Germany. Abdullah remains behind in Iran to struggle on, […]
Carvalho, a bus driver in the outskirts of São Paulo, just bought his grandson a very special gift for their first Christmas together. In order to join the family’s celebration, he now must hope for his night shift replacement to turn up on time.
TOUCH THE SKY A Catalan who lives in Germany since 20 years and her daughter belong to the first catalan human-tower-group in Hamburg. She rediscovers her cultural identity and pass her roots on to her daughter. The events of Catalonia independence movement has been having a great effect on the human-tower-group in Hamburg.
THE BEST OF ALL WORLDS A kid´s true story of his life in the unusual world of his heroin addict mother and their love of each other.
In some provinces in the Philippines, to this day, boys around the age of 10 are circumcised. But they aren’t cut in hospitals, like in the city, they are cut in a stream. The boys strip, jump into the water, line up, chew guava leaves, and then face the moment of truth: Will they be […]
Netta, a young Israeli woman wishes to immigrate to Berlin. Her father, the son of Holocaust survivors, is horrified by her decision to live in the land that killed her ancestors. He refuses to speak to her again if she leaves. Based on Daniella Koffler’s personal story, “Compartments” is the first German-Israeli animation co-production that […]
When gang leader Ole (11) and his buddies Marco (10) and Milan (12) nicked twelve year old Davie’s school bag, Ole would never in his wildest dreams have imagined that a short time later he would appear on stage with Davie at a school karaoke contest dressed as a princess with makeup on… neither could […]
Aysha and Michele are at the wall bars, climbing rope in hand. Kevin stands next to them, black socks against a dull blue floor, left hand in his pocket. We all start together on three. One, two, three. The camera frames the scene, directs the course of events, encourages active participation. It breaks things open, […]
Frustrated by their lack of connection, Patrick resorts to desperate measures to spend more time with his six-year-old son, but in a moment of truth he must make a decision that will determine their future together.
Many Dominicans of Haitian descent are facing harsh times since the conservative wing is pushing for a law which would have serious consequences for them: Denationalisation and deportation to Haiti. Julio and Alejandro are born and raised in the Dominican Republic, they speak Dominican Spanish, they love the Dominican culture, they feel like Dominicans. Yet […]
A scarecrow, a storm, a broken leg. The resonant sound of a sea shell. Leaving forever.
Jenny Loves Satan is a retro-inspired, horror-comedy about a 12-year old girl who rebels by becoming a Satanist… only to discover that Satan is real!
Somewhere in the early 20th last century. A father with his son visits a photographer in his studio. He wants the first picture taken of his son. During the session the struggle between the old fashioned father and his son, who ist much further in emotional issues, goes on. The son reflects during the session […]
“Only when a young mother fears her child is in danger is she able to take the first step away from codependency with her own alcoholic mother.”
Just like every morning a man unlocks the school gates. Just like every morning he starts his day with a strong tea. But today Khalid the school janitor experiences everything differently. On his walk through the empty school grounds he learns more about the student’s dreams, fears and memories than ever before. This documentary draws […]
“The Moon Is Essentially Gray” is a 3-minute CG animated short about a young child, her makeshift rocket, and her fantastic flight to the moon. The film explores the role escapism plays in the lives of children who suffer some form of neglect or abandonment by their caregivers, and is ultimately about the struggle to […]
In rural villages in Ghana, Clara faces the challenges of teaching, as her students discover the happiness of having wheels. This playful animated documentary shows how bicycling brings joy to a new teacher and independence to her students.
It’s the 5th of December — the one evening, when the children in southern germany are traditionally visited by Saint Nicholas and his grim companion Krampus, who gets to decide, whether the little rascals are to be rewarded or punished for their behaviour during the year. Three families are gathered in their living rooms and […]
Phil is too small for his age. This makes him the target of provocations by Samuel and his friends. When Phil unexpectedly receives support from lesbian girl Jo, Samuel isn’t happy. Phil is impressed by the somehow different Jo. However, they are not the only outsiders.
These are uncertain times. For empathetic and inquisitive seven-year old Lotte, a bubble of “childhood bliss” is not her reality. With her parents’ constant arguing, Lotte struggles to understand the source of the stress. One evening, Lotte sees her mother frantically stashing away cubes of bread and mutters in passing they are *for harder times*. […]
Don Ruperto is an old cynical man who does not care about other people’s feelings. Ruthlessly he cares just on his own interests. When he gets himself into trouble nevertheless he is helped by those he hurt.
Little Ami finds out her mother must leave on a business trip. Mom tells her a white lie to appease her mind while she is away. Find out what happens when the innocent lie turns true in a way neither of them expected.
In a small town in the north of Senegal, two young avid cinephiles Baba and Sembene are desperate to see a movie on the big screen of their local cinema before it closes its door forever.
A long time ago in Eastern Europe the turmoil following a revolt against Soviet occupation leads to the separation of a small child and her mother. While the mother is forced to flee the country, her daughter is raised by a bunch of precocious geese. After 5 years of separation the child gets on its […]
„The feeding habits of the common chameleon as never seen before“
The story of an encounter, the fulfillment and the fail of wishes and phantasies. Mishka and Fox – a white dot, a red line and the infinite darkness of the universe.
A sled brings together two boys from different countries and cultures and carries them through the winter woods of the Italian mountains, far away from their parents’ prejudices and isolation. Two children, one sled and a lasting friendship.
An audio visualization through manipulation and animation of video recordings in the city of Berlin.
From the team that brought you “The Lost Tribes of New York City” comes a new animated documentary. “149th and Grand Concourse” captures the diverse voices of the South Bronx against a backdrop of rapidly changing streets. An animated portrait of New York city life in flux.
Awesome Beetle’s Colors” is a 3.13 minutes long, fun and educative plasticine animation. The story goes: Awesome Beetles Color Dirty Elephant. Five Gorgeous Hippopotamuses Inspire the Jaguar. Kangaroos Like Marmelade. Naughty Octopuses Photograph the Queen. The Royal Spider Teaches an Unhappy Vampire. Wariors X-ray a Yellow Zebra. A nearly impossible story, supported by a catchy […]
Exit is a film about two women who left the ultra-orthodox community. Sara Murray became ultra-orthodox at the age of 17 when she moved to Israel from the US and met her future husband. She lived a strong religious and dedicated life before she couldn´t handle the rigidness of her faith any more. Leaving the […]
Elias is a shy boy who likes to talk to his bird rather than playing with other kids. When he meets the quirky artist Halim, a tender friendship develops between them but Elias’ mother does not approve. The unusual relationship comes to an abrupt end as Halim suddenly has to flee and it seems as […]
It’s quite plain to 7 year old Nori: She is a girl, because she has a girl’s heart. But her body is that of a boy … Five years ago: Each and every day mother and son argue about what appears trivial: the colours of pants and shirts suddenly matter, soon all he agrees to […]
Adapt or die? Following a young woman female tribe member of the only few remaining indigenous bushmen of Namibia, we get a uniquely personal and dramatic insight on her people’s story and their threatening situation of total extinction.
Athens, Greece. A heatwave. Stephanos is working out listening to rap, while his mother is planning a day out. After another fight between them, he is left alone to take care of his two younger siblings and Lucy, their family dog. Lucy is sick. Summery laziness among pizza boxes, adolescent flirt and a phone that […]
Tina, a fashion design child prodigy, attends the halloween costume contest dressed as a Penguin to lose the first prize to Princess Jasmine. Trying to track down the advantages of the winning costume, she comes to a life changing revelation.
In Exile is the story of a boy who lives with his grandmother in an Eastern European village. His parents are both working abroad, so the boy is left to his own devices. He fills his time by playing in an abandoned shed on the river bank. Inside the shed he toils away at a […]
BLOODY SOUR GRAPES, INDEED. It’s already been 18 years since David Foster Wallace built his epic novel Infinite Jest around a dystopian society ruled by a constant pressure to achieve and an obsession with efficiency.The film’s title Verflucht saure Trauben, fürwahr is a quote from the german version of the novel: on the search to […]
Clemens lives and breathes his grandfather’s stories. When his grandfather passes away, it is difficult for him to understand that it is now his turn to continue telling his stories. Story-telling becomes a way for him to not only keep the stories but also the memory of his grandfather alive.
A child is chased through the streets by a policeman after committing a robbery in an attempt to make ends meet for themselves and their mother. But what is the child really running from?
A cruel war has taken two brothers’ home. Their mother protects them under her arms and fosters the seed of their new life. Anxious her sons could come in danger if they leave the house. But the boys chase their dream to play a music instrument they’ve fallen in love with. A beautiful Oud. They […]
WOLF’S SKIN. Soo Min, a young South Korean woman, is struggling to find a balance between her family and her career as a cellist. After a long absence, it is hard for her to resume her place in the family and she feels she has to compete with her six-year-old daughter for her husband’s love.
Henry, a talented but socially inept student, arrives at a boarding school dedicated to teaching music. His fascination for the organ turns to passion and a means of escaping his fellow students’ bullying. Yet the growing interest of his teacher, who sees how talented he is, does not go unnoticed by his peers, worsening interactions […]
CHIKA, THE DOG IN THE GHETTO. Chika the dog and the five-year old Mikasch are the heroes of this story which is set in a Jewish ghetto in an unnamed Polish city. The little dog helps Mikasch to develop as a child despite the persecution of the Jews and the threats of the 2nd World […]
In the summer of 2015 thousands of refugees arrive in Berlin. Amongst them are many children. Behind them lie long and, in some cases, difficult journeys. Friends and family are gone, everything is different, everything foreign. For Berlin based child and youth circus Cabuwazi it is immediately clear that something must be done. An independent […]
WHEN SPARROWS MUNCH Five-year-old Willi has a dog, a very special one. But because some grown-ups don’t seem to understand this, Schnuffi is thrown away. Willi knows: with fantasy everything is possible! And suddenly he has a sparkly new idea.
Goldfish. „Gertrud is on vacation“- said August always to his children. Through fake postcards August managed to satisfy his kid´s yearning for her mother for over a decade. But before his 60th birthday, he starts receiving postcards from her. She is planning a return. Better than no one he knows that´s just not possible. Or […]
Rise into being, mature, perish – Fruit tells a creation story. As the animated short film unfolds, it brings forth a play of shapes illustrating the dialog between two mythological forces – the West and the East. In it the vibrating entities of black and white are constantly being split apart and reconciled by red, […]
Tilda is shy and lives surrounded by her dolls. The only contact to the outside World is Pastor Krause. She starches and irons is ruff but would never dream of looking him in the eye. One day during communion, when the pastor spills wine on his freshly stached collar everything changes.
A family portrait told through Super8 footage and old tapes from 1975-77. In it’s essence the question about belief. A boy and his dilemma to stand between the wish for freedom, struggle in adoleszenz and strong urge for Christian enlightenment from his family background. At the same time the few back on death of parents […]
THE SMALL GRAIN OF RICE It’s the story of a special encounter between two strangers in the town Daegu in South Korea. The true story of a great inspiration leading to the formation of the first SOS-Children’s Village outside of Europe.
LITTLE HERO Doug is a 12 year old boy, who has terminal cancer. He lies in hospital, full of fear of the unknown. He feels lonely , because of his mother, who can’t take it anymore to visit him at this state. The hospital staff is busy with their work too. But then the mysterious […]
JACOB, a nineyearold shy dreamer, falls instantly in love when MAILIN (11) and her father move into the apartment across the yard. Although his best friend advises him against it, he tries to get in touch with her. After a failed attempt and romantic insight from his mother, he wins her attention with a letter. […]
Like many 8 year old boys, Miko often wakes up in the middle of the night. Haunted by the creatures of his nightmares, he jumps out of his room and sneaks in to his mother’s bed to hide under her blanked, were he is safe from the monsters… In Miko’s nightmares it’s zombies, who totter […]
KARMAACCOUNT A man is heading ruthlessly towards his goal and loses connection to what he once was: A child!
LOOKS tells the story of a gray lynx that doesn’t quite fit into a world of colourful animals. He’s being excluded and bullied by the coloured animals. On his search for acceptance and belonging he finds himself resorting to drastic measures… The film deals with social exlusion and bullying and aims at children from 4 […]
THE BATHTUB The brothers, Georg, Alexander and Niklas, are preparing an original present for their mother. But the idea to re-enact an old bathtub picture from their childhood is way too stupid for the oldest one. Little by little they bare all and three brothers remain who have grown apart in the meanwhile.
SPARROWS AND SNORKELS Ivan meets Paolo, little Jonas meets Ida, another Jonas meets Sandra and Annina meets Jonas – in july, at a campsite by a river.
FIRE WATER EARTH AIR AND TIME In a slightly surreal scene, two figures move through time, one forward and the other backward. Nevertheless, they communicate with each other and swap things. Ash turns to paper, water flows upwards. This all happens in a manner where the viewer can not always be sure in which direction […]
“Warm snow” is an animation short about the relationship between a father and his grown up daughter. It starts out in an ordinary situation with the father and daughter sitting at the kitchen table. The daughter is waiting for her food to get warm and is annoyed by her father’s questions and suggestions. The situation […]
Two orphaned teenage brothers leave their remote mountain village behind to seek their fortune in two separate major cities. Meanwhile, their young neighbors anxiously await the return of their father, a migrant worker who left the village a year ago. This is the story of four boys from the Chinese countryside, their hopes and dreams, […]
Six-year-old Nele has to cope with her mothers cancer. When her big sister Josi describes cancer as a “stupid disgusting thing that they have to remove”, Nele has a hopeful thought: Cancer is like a little rat and a rat can be killed…
*** ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE 2016 *** *** WINNER AUSTRIAN FILM AWARD 2016 *** A divorced father picks up his eight year-old daughter Lea. It seems pretty much like every second weekend, but after a while Lea can‘t help feeling that something isn’t right. So begins a fateful journey.
When he makes a special discovery on his way to the soccer field, a boy has no clue what he’ll face next.
Look away or intervene? When a black man is victim of unfounded, racial abuse in a packed bus, there is only one passenger who won’t ignore the situation like everyone else.
My grandpa’s past was always very present. It would break through in something he’d say or do, but he’d never talk about it. Only now, by revisiting his life and personality as I knew him, do I feel the weight of his inheritance.
After running away from an orphanage, 8-year old Emma believes to have found the perfect hiding place in the apartment of a blind woman named Evelyn then to her, Emma is invisible. But Evelyn is not oblivious to the strange noises in her apartment. She plays along with her little roommate’s silent game of hideand- […]
What is it like to grow up into a world, which is on the verge of disappearing? Descending from a long line of actors in an ancient Indian theatre tradition, the ten-year-old Sreehari, searches for a stage on which to perform his art, in a world which leaves tradition behind in its quest for modernization. […]
Forced to be alone: Whenever Lothar sneezes, nearby objects explode. To protect the world he locks himself into a subterranean home, isolated from the outer world. One day, an accident happens. Despite of all the care taken, he breaks his beloved toaster, an early gift from his mother. The broken toaster compels him to […]
The Black Forest in the 19th century: A young and poor charcoal-burner desperately wants to become rich. He trades his warm heart for a cold stone with the evil spirit of the forest. A cautionary tale about the effects of greed on the human soul, based on a darkly romantic German fairy tale.
MORITZ loves the nature and is full of discovery: he likes to play in the garden and toss the stones into the water. But what if his favorite toy is suddenly broken? Will MORITZ find a way?
“Goodbye Papa” is a touching drama about a boy coping with the death of his father and the grief that comes with it. Young Benedict is very attached to his father’s old set of medieval armor and it is the only thing that gives him any comfort. Trying to be a knight, he ends up […]
The poor yet smart trickster Si Lunchai triumphs over the cruel king. An adaptation of an Indonesian legend, inspired by the style of the Southeast Asian shadow puppet play “Wayang Kulit.
Ten year old Jonas lives with his ill mother in a small two bedroom apartment. One day he watches from his window as a circus troupe passes by. Later he comes across the troupe again. This time he follows them through the suburbs and is lead into a strange and fascinating world.
Where do you hide from danger, when you can´t hide anywhere? The kurdish girl Bahar believes she has found a way. „Bahar in Wonderland“ is the story of Bahar, a little girl, who given the circumstances she is in, is not able to be a child. She is escaping with her father from Syria to […]
Arne wants to kill himself. But once he is standing on the chair with the rope around his neck, he suddenly discovers a small child staring at him from the window of the building across the street. He starts communicating with the unwanted observer, not foreseeing what this encounter has in store for him… A […]
Juri is growing up under deprived circumstances in a small village in the former CCCP. When his father moves to Germany to earn money for his family he hast to come to grips with a life without a father.
