Youth Cinema Network Award
The annual Youth Cinema Network (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
* age 15 – 19
* age 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.
Youth Cinema Award 2024
THE YCN AWARDS 2024 WERE PRESENTED DURING AN ONLINE CEREMONY AT THE BEGINNING OF DECEMBER.
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’ 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.
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 film 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.
Youth Cinema Award 2023
THE YCN AWARDS 2023 WERE PRESENTED DURING AN ONLINE CEREMONY AT THE END OF OCTOBER.
Ages 0 – 14: Viktoria
Filmmaker: "Aniděti"
Ukraine, Czech Republic / animated documentary
Nominated by A-FilmTeensFest, Czech Republic
Synopsis: From Eastern Ukraine to Prague. Why did Viktoria come to the Czech Republic years ago and how did she settle in the Czech Republic over the years?
Ages 15 – 19: As You Are
Filmmaker: Daisy Friedman
USA / fiction
Nominated by NFFTY, USA
Synopsis: When an interabled queer couple spends the night together for the first time, they must confront their complex relationships with desire, sexuality, bodily autonomy, and what it means truly to love another person.
Ages 20 – 27: Wall to Wall
Filmmaker: Linda Lövgren
Sweden / fiction
Nominated by Novemberfestivalen, Sweden
Synopsis: The film is about a mute girl named Lo, who does anything to avoid social contact. One day, she receives a package delivered to her home, which contains a microphone, the contents of which lead her to contact her strange neighbor. They begin to communicate with each other through the wall and become friends. A friendship that means more than they can imagine.
Workshop category: Our Dreams
Filmmaker: a group of authors
Czech Republic / documentary
Nominated by A-FilmTeensFest, Czech Republic
Synopsis: The film was created by children from the Children's Home in Duchcov as part of the documentary workshop Adonai for people, which is also sponsored by the A-FilmTeensFest festival. It offers a heartfelt look into their lives in the orphanage, highlighting their unwavering determination and remarkable talents.
Youth Cinema Award 2022
THE YCN AWARDS 2022 WERE GIVEN OUT AT NOVEMBERFESTIVALEN IN TROLLHÄTTAN, SWEDEN.
Ages 0 – 14: Take Heart
Filmmaker: Lilith Jörg
Germany / animation
Nominated by FiSH - Festival im StadtHafen Rostock, Germany
Synopsis: The barriers are in the mind. Leonhard sticks to his usual daily routine. He is fearful and overly cautious. Until one day he decides to hike to a mysterious waterfall he read about in the newspaper…
▶ WATCH HERE
Ages 15 – 19: Runaway
Filmmaker: Wilma Sjögren
Sweden / fiction
Nominated by Novemberfestivalen, Sweden
Synopsis: Naomi suffers from social anxiety which has long isolated her from the world outside her small apartment. For the first time in her life Naomi dares to face her anxiety and run away with her best friend Pan, out into the night.
▶ WATCH HERE
Ages 20 – 27: Heart Failure
Filmmaker: Will Wightman
UK / fiction
Nominated by BFI Future Film Festival, UK
Synopsis: Heart Failure follows Frank and his relationship with Lizzie. From the one-night stand where they meet to the day she tells him she loves him; from the week she ignores his texts to the moment she says they need to talk.
▶ WATCH HERE
Workshop category: Autonomy
Filmmaker: a group of authors
Norway / fiction
Nominated by NUFF - Nordisk Ungdom Film Festival, Norway
Synopsis: A mom and her daughter are on a hiking trip, when the daughter disappears. The mother quickly falls into a panic searching for her, and runs around desperately. Even in reunion, their experiences of the events remain different.
▶ WATCH HERE
Youth Cinema Award 2021
THE YCN AWARDS 2021 WERE GIVEN OUT AT NORDIC YOUTH FILM FESTIVAL IN TRØMSO, NORWAY.
The YCN Award for film made in the framework of a short-term workshop was given to
Oida
Country of origin: Austria
Nominated by: YAAAS!, Austria
Synopsis: During the Crossing Europe Filmfestival 2021 40 young people in four teams realized videos with the help of a mentor. The theme was "My sweetest taboo - from the temptation to break boundaries". This is one of the four stories.
▶ WATCH HERE
Youth Cinema Award 2020
THE YOUTH CINEMA NETWORK AWARDS 2020 WERE
GIVEN OUT AT CAMERA ZIZANIO IN PYRGOS, GREECE.
The YCN Award in age group 0–14 was given to
Wavy Head
Filmmaker: Max Shoham
Country of origin: Canada
Nominated by: Enimation, Slovenia
Synopsis: When I was 9 months old, a team of doctors cut into my skull, removed my forehead, put my eye-sockets on a table, reshaping my face completely. This caused a year of tension and terror in my family, and gave me scars still visible today, yet I can’t remember a single thing about the whole ordeal. It was therefore irresistible to make a film investigating this personally life-changing event that seemed to only change the lives of my family.
▶ WATCH HERE
The YCN Award in age group 20–27 was given to
Tree #3
Filmmaker: Omer Ben-Shachar
Country of origin: USA
Nominated by: NFFTY, USA
Synopsis: After he's been cast (again!) as a background tree in his annual school play, an ambitious and imaginative immigrant boy leads a revolution on stage that his intolerant drama teacher will never forget.
▶ WATCH HERE
The YCN Award in age group 15–19 was given to
Pirates
Filmmaker: Cal Arnold O'Driscoll
Country of origin: Ireland
Nominated by: Fresh Film Festival, Ireland
Synopsis: In 1980s Ireland Pirate radio was huge. It's cheap, easy and will make you famous! That's why these three friends set one up in an attempt to beat the bullies and get the girls.
▶ WATCH HERE
Youth Cinema Award 2019
THE YCN AWARDS 2019 WERE GIVEN OUT AT ENIMATION IN SLOVENIA
AND UP AND COMING IN GERMANY.
The YCN Award in age group 0–14 was given to
Dragons of Maritten
Taiwan 2018 by Hok Key Dragon – Hsu
nominated by VAFI & RAFI
▶ WATCH HERE
The YCN Award in age group 20–27 was given to
Departures
Uruguay 2019 by Nicolas Morganti Patrignani
nominated by BFI Future Film Festival
▶ WATCH HERE
The YCN Award in age group 15–19 was given to
Der Junge mit dem Teddy
Germany 2018 by Alessandro Schuster
nominated by FiSH - Filmfestival im StadtHafen
▶ WATCH HERE
Youth Cinema Award 2018
THE YCN AWARDS 2018 WERE GIVEN OUT AT THE NextFilmFestival IN ODENSE, DENMARK.
The YCN Award in age group 0–14 was given to
I am Hitkoak
(Canada 2017) Tabitha Adine
▶ WATCH HERE
The YCN Award in age group 20–27 was given to
Calamity Falls
(USA 2018) Hadley Hillel
▶ WATCH HERE
The YCN Award in age group 15–19 was given to
Taste of Love
(Austria 2017) Paul Scheufler
▶ WATCH HERE
Youth Cinema Award 2017
THE YOUTH CINEMA NETWORK AWARDS 2017 WERE GIVEN OUT
AT THE REC-Filmfestival IN BERLIN, GERMANY.
The YCN Award in age group 0–14 was given to
Come Home
(Belgium 2015) KIDSCAM Animation Studio
▶ WATCH HERE
The YCN Award in age group 20–27 was given to
The Love Story
(USA 2015) Evan J. Grothjan
▶ WATCH HERE
The YCN Award in age group 15–19 was given to
Hana Hano Hanice
(Croatia 2016) Marko Bičanić and Karlo Vorih
▶ WATCH HERE
Youth Cinema Award 2016
THE YCN AWARD 2016 WAS GIVEN OUT AT
THE Wicked Wales Film Festival IN PRESTATYN, UK, TO THE FILM:
A GOOD CHRISTIAN
Directors:
Friday Opabajo, Francis Hoet, Marc Künker, Elia Dresselaers, Albi Allaraj, Pauline Geiermann, Melvin Berndt
produced and guided by
YOUNG DOGS and KIDSCAM (Germany/Belgium)
▶ WATCH HERE