Phillip Bergson

Just when you thought it was safe to cruise the canals in search of cinematic treats for younger viewers ,CINEKIDS- one of the largest international events showcasing productions  made for, by ,and with children-decided to celebrate its 20th Edition by uprooting the annual extravaganza from the heart of Amsterdam and relocate  most of its activities in a revamped  old gas factory,the Westergasfabriek, from 14-2I October, 2007. But the Dutch have a flair for making something new and practical out of the old and -admittedly assisted by the balmy autumn weather- this clutch of far-flung industrial edifices pulsed with visitors young ,adult and professional throughout the event,The complex now nestles in an attractive,verdant,canal-side park  in a residential suburb  where a variety of buildings provided ample exhibition space,offices, accreditation and welcome desks, cosy bars and cafes as well as purpose-built (apparently permanent) art-house cinemas, all on-site. For the many reps of foreign children's festivals (there seemed to be a particularly large delegation from Leeds) and TV and other buyers or programmers,as well as participants in a string of seminars on sundry related topics, there was an excellently-equipped Screening Club, again under the experienced and capable eye of Fred de Haas with an efficient and friendly team  who ensured that up to 200 productions could be viewed conveniently and comfortably on request on many monitors. .In the evenings, in an adjacent private bar, notes could be compared during congenial Happy Hours with the many professional participants

The quality and content of film and other media generated principally for children is an ever-more urgent concern as in certain European countries educational standards seem to be sliding disastrously and the appetites for film-literature(and classical music for that matter) seem not to be a priority to encourage in school-age audiences.Though the young are the apparent target audiences for much of the current dross being churned out by what remains of Hollywood,only such festivals as Cinekids- and Zlin  and various others held regularly around the world -seem to be championing the art of involving the child in us all, whether in the more obviously fantasy-led genres or the more contemporary slices of fiction that predominated in the entries prized at a hugely entertaining awards ceremony held in what- I presume- was  once a vast circular gas-container, now the scene for tabled guests to enjoy a cabaret-like show, presenting clips from winners of the Cinekid Lion Awards, sponsored by KPN/Klasse TV to a cash value of some 15,000 euros each. Various professional and juvenile juries  considered some 16 feature films,TV fiction and documentaries as well as New Media and videogames.The stage was awash with bouquets, but the recipients seemed genuinely grateful and ever mindful of their responsibility to young and growing audiences.

As I only attended the closing weekend I missed the General Meeting of the CIFEJ(International Centre of Films for Children and Young People),which has 150 members in 54 countries who seek to ensure quality in audio-visual media for tomorrow's audiences,as well as seminars on script-writing for children, pitching, and  as for the presentations by Al-Jazeera and the French  FillesTV, I have to draw a veil over those,helas.!But I did see one of the funniest features I have seen  at any festival all year, Razzle Dazzle (directed by Darren Ashton),set  Down Under  but with a splendid British actor Ben Miller straight-facedly playing the creative contortionist running 'Mr Jonathon's Dance Academy' as its diminutive, mostly-female members prepare to compete in Australia's most prestigious dance competition.An hilarious mock-documentary,as outrageous and perceptive as This is Spinal Tap it should be required viewing not only in theatre- arts , but film schools,too.

Impressive in a more conventional way was the feature from Finland, The Mystery of the Wolf ( handsomely directed by Raimo O.Niemi) which succeeds not only in placing its pre-teen protagonists in their  contemporary landscape credibly and attractively(and as the setting is Lapland you can imagine the photogenic vistas) but draws on the ample talents of two of Finland's top actors,Kai-Pekka Toivonen and Peter Franzen as well.

In fact the Jury Prize went to Max and I(by Anna Justice,German title Max Minsky und Ich), while Kidz in da Hood(or Forortsungar in its original Swedish) took the Audience Award.

Unfortunately, the Sunday following  the Ceremony was the date of Amsterdam's annual Marathon, which re-routed trams and buses and closed countless streets all day so out-of-towners had great difficulties to get  back to the Westergasfabriek for repeat screenings and not a little hassle to get out of the town altogether. Perhaps it was the Marathon that prompted John and Yoko to stage their lie-in in the Amsterdam Hilton many fond years before it became one of the guest-houses of the Cinekids Festival.I hope the Cinekids  2008 dates of  19-26 October will not  see Amsterdam streets-or canals-filled with Marathon-runners again!

PHILLIP BERGSON