44th Oulu International Children's and Youth Film Festival presents
5th Oulu Children's Film Forum
Wed 19th of November
The 44th Oulu International Children's and Youth Film Festival will organise the international section of the the 5th Children's Film Forum on Wednesday 19th November 2025. It will be a unique international event for film professionals and public audiences in Finland, addressing the state and future of both feature and short films for children and young people.
5TH OULU CHILDREN’S FILM FORUM
Wednesday 19 November 13:00—16:00
International programme: in English
Moderator: Aino Isojärvi
13:00—13:05
OPENING GREETINGS
Festival director Mika Anttolainen
13.05—13.30
Mikk Rand from the Estonian Film Institute presents Estonian children and youth film classics, which have been recently digitalized. He draws us a picture of current children’s and youth film productions and takes us for a ride on a Cinema bus.
13.30—13.55
THE JOYS OF MAKING DOCUMENTARIES
Directors Margit Lillak (BECOMING ROOSI) from Estonia and Sigrid Klausmann (GIRLS DON’T CRY) from Germany present their films and discuss together the joys and sorrows of making documentaries. Both films are full of girl power.
13.55—14.20
THE JOYS OF MAKING FICTION
Finnish director Visa Koiso-Kanttila and producer Tiina Pesonen present their dramatic film DEFIANT, which is based on true stories.
14.20—14.35
ABOUT FILM EDUCATION IN POLAND
Kaja Łuczyńska from Poland presents her organization ZEF Zespół Edukatorów Filmowych and film education work.
14.35—14.55
NOVEMBER FOG IN OULU
Director Anna Lena Höhne and distributor Patrik Büchting present their powerful film and talk about distributing children’s and youth films in Germany. Is it easy or even possible for a non-German-language film to get distribution in Germany?
14.55—15.30
A TASTE OF SPECIALITIES
Director Maija Hirvonen from Finland presents her touching documentary NEUROTYPES, which shows that the actions of one single person do have a meaning.
BOOM!
Latvian director Andra Doršs presents her film and reveals the tricks of directing children and keeping them happy.
Producer, script writer Annalisa Schmuckli & editor, visual effects artist Pierre-Louis Umdenstock present FEET UP, a Finnish-Lithuanian joyful short film. We will try to get them to open up their magic toolbox and let the audience see how the magic was created.
15.30—16.00
A panel discussion:
THE FUTURE OF AI IN FILM MAKING AND IN FILM EDUCATION: DANGERS AND POSSIBILITIES
Free admission.
Programme subject to change.
Watch the video recording of last year's forum: