The annual YCN Award recognizes excellence in film made by young people. Established in 2016 as a single award, it is now presented to the best films in three age groups:
ages 0 – 14
ages 15 – 19
ages 20 – 27
In 2021, one more section was presented: film made in the framework of a short-term workshop.
YCN festivals nominate one film for each group, YCN members cast one vote per age group (a festival may not vote for its own nomination) and the films with greatest number of votes in each age category are declared winners. Every year the YCN awards are presented at a different festival. Starting with Wicked Wales Film festival, UK in 2016, the awards have been announced at REC, Germany (2017), Nextfilmfestival, Denmark (2018), Enimation, Slovenia / Up and Coming, Germany (2019), Camera Zizanio, Greece (2020), Nordic Youth Film Festival, Norway (2021) and Novemberfestivalen, Sweden (2022). For the last two years (2023 and 2024) Awards have been presented online – gathering all the shortlisted filmmakers to see who has won the precious award.
The list of the winners 2024 is as follows:
Ages 0 – 14: It Was Really Great
Filmmaker: Martina Inostroza
Czech Republic / documentary
Nominated by A-FilmTeensFest, Czech Republic
Synopsis: Short documentary experiment that presents life in a village in Smilovice, where the history of the author's family goes back through many generations...
Ages 15 – 19: Randleben
Filmmaker: Lilith Jörg
Germany / animation
Nominated by Fish - Filmfestival im Stadthafen & Up And Coming, Germany
Synopsis: "Randleben" tells the story of a nameless homeless woman living on the streets of a big city. Lost and marked by society's indifference, she struggles daily with her loneliness and desperately longs for a glimmer of hope. One day, her bleak life changes suddenly when she finds a lost smartphone and establishes contact with a young girl named Mia. An unexpected connection develops between the two women from such different worlds. A complex, contrast-filled, and socially critical film.
Ages 20 – 27: Wolke Z
Filmmaker: Janina Lutter
Germany / fiction
Nominated by Fish - Filmfestival im Stadthafen, Germany
Synopsis: To keep up with the experiences of her best friend, Mila dives into her first sexual encounter with a classmate. But when she realizes she isn't ready after all, it's already too late.
Workshop category: Flowers of Palestina
Filmmaker: a group of authors
Slovenia / animation
Nominated by Enimation - International Children and Youth Film Festival, Slovenia
Synopsis: The filma was made in a 22 hours workshop for youth age 17-22. They tried the animation for the first time: from finding the topic, story, character, animation up to editing.
