The 12th edition of Ukraine’s largest children’s film festival, Children KinoFest, will take place from June 13 to 22 in a hybrid format — in cinemas across 12 cities and online.
Screenings will be held in Kyiv, Lviv, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Dnipro, Lutsk, Odesa, Poltava, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi, Zaporizhzhia, and Chernihiv.
Attendance is free, but prior registration is required via the official link, which will open on June 6. For groups of more than five people, organizers recommend contacting local coordinators.
In cinemas across 12 cities, audiences will be able to watch films from the International Competition, with the winner to be determined by viewer voting. The lineup includes seven new films from various European countries for young audiences:
- “Smok Diplodok” (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia) – the largest 3D animation project in Polish history and a participant in the main program of the 2024 Annecy International Animation Festival. The story follows a young diplodocus searching for his missing parents with the help of a cheerful wizard, a quirky scientist, and a brave pilot.
- “The Bookwalker (Der Buchspazierer)” (Germany) – a comedy adaptation of an international bestseller translated into more than 30 languages and winner of the 2025 Bavarian Film Award. A touching story about the friendship between a reclusive bookseller and 9-year-old Sasha, who becomes his assistant.
- “Time Jump (¡Salta!)” (Spain) – a sci-fi comedy about two brothers traveling through time in a quest to save their family.
- “District No. 5 (Igrisca ne damo!)” (Slovenia, Czech Republic, Croatia, Serbia) – winner at the Locarno Film Festival and recipient of multiple Slovenian Film Awards. An adventure drama about teenagers who unite to resist a developer threatening to destroy their beloved skate park.
- “Maya, Give Me a Name (Maya, donne-moi un titre)” (France) – a prizewinner at this year's Berlinale, this animated film is by Oscar-winning director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Green Hornet). The film is dedicated to his daughter, who appears as the heroine in a series of whimsical adventures.
- “Lars. LOL (Lars er LOL)” (Norway) – based on a bestselling book, this film was nominated for a European Film Academy Award and won the Audience Award at Cinekid, Europe’s largest international children’s film festival. A sensitive drama about a girl who becomes a mentor and friend to a boy with Down syndrome.
- “The Last Time We Were Children (L'ultima volta che siamo stati bambini)” (Italy, France) – nominated for Italy’s prestigious David di Donatello award. This moving story takes place in the summer of 1943 and follows four children from different social backgrounds whose deep friendship is tested when one is taken by the Nazis. The others set off on a dangerous journey across Italy to rescue him.
The festival’s online cinema will feature a special program titled “The Most Precious of Cargoes”. This carefully curated selection of films explores the vital role of adults in protecting childhood — even during turbulent historical times:
- “The Most Precious of Cargoes” – a contender at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, directed by Oscar-winner Michel Hazanavicius. It tells the story of a woodcutter and his wife who rescue a Jewish girl during World War II.
- “When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit” – winner of the 2020 Bavarian Film Award. The film follows nine-year-old Anna from Berlin, who flees the Nazis with her family.
- “Zoo” – a family film about a group of friends trying to save animals from the Belfast Zoo during the German bombing in 1941.
