Shorter Kids’n’Teens 2023 – selection and jury

20 shorts are selected by the 11 Selectors, the group of selected ‘Kids’ (6 – 10 years old) and ‘Teens’ (11 – 15 years old), film enthusiasts from primary and secondary schools in Trieste and Gorizia, in competition in the Shorter Kids’n’Teens section of the 24th ShorTS International Film Festival, curated by Manuela Morana.

Works from France, Croatia, Germany, Portugal and Canada -to name but a few of the countries of production – with 5 national premieres covering animation, fiction, and documentary, which can be viewed and voted on Tuesday 4 and Wednesday 5 July at the Teatro Miela in Trieste by the large jury of children and teens who are to register for the special call.

At the centre of the short films proposed in the ‘Kids’ category is the theme of nature and the environment: Naissance des oasis by Marion Jamault (France 2022), a gem of an animation short film, brings to the screen the friendship born between a cold-blooded snake and a warm-blooded camel; Pisma na kraju sume by Jelena Oroz (Croatia 2022) stars a group of forest animals grappling with learning to write; a tale of individuality through the experience of fear is a feature of My Name is Fear by Eliza Płocieniak-Alvarez (Germany 2021) in which one of the most uncomfortable emotions for a child reveals its secrets; the sisterhood outlined by the protagonists of Entre deux soeurs by Anne-Sophie Gousset and Clément Céard (France 2022) features in a delicate story of growth and inclusion.

The ‘Teens’ category also reflects on the facets related to the environment: PLSTC by Laen Sanches (The Netherlands 2022) is a kaleidoscopic portrait of our reality transfigured by plastic; Pink noise by Martin Wiklund and Arthur Lemaitre (France 2022) is a sort of visual mandala made of shapes and colours that generate continuous wonder.
Attention is also paid to the theme of disability, present in the story of twin brothers struggling with their adolescence entitled Oasis by Justine Martin (Canada 2022), and then to the relationship between parents and children, as portrayed in the moving Ice Merchants by João Gonzalez (France, Great Britain, Portugal 2022).
Of a different narrative register is the absurd and grotesque tale of a typical day at school punctuated by the exclamation Aaaah!, the title of Osman Cerfon’s short (France 2023).

To become a member of the two juries that will decide the winner of the ‘Kids’ (6 – 10 years old) and ‘Teens’ (11 – 15 years old) categories of the Shorter Kids’n’Teens section, simply fill in the form at the link https://www.maremetraggio.com/form/giuria-shorter-2023/. After sending it to the Festival you will receive an email confirming your admission to the jury to be an active part in judging the screenings for ‘Kids’ on Tuesday 4 July and for ‘Teens’ on Wednesday 5 July.

In addition, until 13 June all young people between the ages of 11 and 15 can take part in Share The Future, the creative contest promoted by EstEnergy- Gruppo Hera, official sponsor of the Shorter Kids’n’Teens section, which this year invites them to use creative drawings to illustrate sustainable mobility and which offers an electric scooter and participation in workshops with a professional video maker as prizes. Info and registration at sharethefuture-estenergy.gruppohera.it