ZFF's eighth Bib for Kids program has attracted more than 3,000 children from as many as 32 elementary schools. Joining them were the film lovers from seven children's homes for whom we provided free transport.
For the first time in Bib for Kids program, Media Culture classes were organized daily, before every screening in MSU. A total of 324 children attended them. The classes included discussions on the film that was on repertoire that particular day. Young attendants then took part in the prize game for the best review of the film they just saw. The winner was Lana Kuretić from Luka Elementary School, who wrote a review on To Stars And Back, winning five tickets for Danijel Kušan's film Love Or Death and the publishing of her review on ZFF website and in the elementary-school monthly Modra lasta.
The third Bib for Kids Film Workshop – a feature film workshop for elementary school children conducted by Jura Troje – took place two weeks before the beginning of Bib for Kids program. Eight kids took part in it (Jelena Čumandra, Marta Voraček, Grgur Brčić, Vanja Francetić, Tamara Iveković, Lujo Petrović, Maksim Kale and Ana Matković) and they made a film together: Alone In A Cinema. It is a film about children who, having fallen asleep during a screening, wake up in the cinema realizing they are alone.
At the premiere in Cinema Europa on Saturday, the last day of Bib for Kids program, the participants received their diplomas. Two films made at earlier Bib for Kids workshops are still touring Croatia and the world. The participants of the last year's workshop are about to travel to Universal Kids Film Festival in Turkey where their film The Intrepid will be shown. We believe that this year's film will be equally successful.
Branko Schmidt's film Hang Up! premiered in Cinema Europa on Saturday, 25 October. Some of the film crew members attended it. It is a HRT children's film made as part of the EBU children's drama project. This is the fourth year in a row that its films are presented in Bib for Kids program. The film's co-writer Tanja Kirhmajer shares with us what thrilled her the most in the making of the film: "I am grateful to Zagreb Film Festival and Bib for Kids teams for inviting us again to present our project to Zagreb's young film lovers. My favorite part of the project was the fact that we worked with the best Croatian child actors in the past six years. Lucija, who plays Little Red Riding Hood in this film, has been active in our project for four years".
Dealing with a very topical subject, Schmidt's film inquires what is the secret connection between cell phones, children and their parents. If Little Red Riding Hood had a cell phone, would the story of the same title ever be written? Do cell phones make the world a safer place? Hm… Who is the Wolf and who is Little Red Riding Hood here? What is a family without a cell phone? These are but a few questions this film asks.
"After a long time I had an opportunity to work with such young actors and I must admit I loved it. I think I learned from them much more than they learned from me. Our intention was to make the audience ask themselves how cell phones affect us and can we actually function without them. I hope we have managed to do that", said director Schmidt after the screening. The film thrilled the youngest members of the film crew, Tin Zoltan and Lucija Paprika, who play "Mirko" and "Little Red Riding Hood", respectively: "We enjoyed working on this movie. We have just seen it for the first time and we are happy with how it looks". Barbara Đurić, who plays "Maja", was also excited: "This was my first film and I got to play the lead role. I had the jitters but the whole crew supported me and I am very grateful to them".