The Norwegian feature film Listen Up! received two awards, while the top development prizes for co-productions went to Nordic animations: the Swedish series Puck and the Swedish-Danish film Millie and the Secret of the Crocodile.

It’s a wrap for this year’s edition of Cinekid for Professionals (29 October-1 November), the industry sidebar of Amsterdam-based Cinekid Festival.

The event celebrated this year’s best youth films, series, and games by awarding ten Cinekid Lions and four Cinekid for Professionals Awards. During the ceremony held at the Skatecafé, the awards were handed out. Notably, this year marked the inaugural presentation of the Council of Europe Series Co-production Development Award and the triumph of three Nordic projects, which scooped four awards in total.

The first top prize, the Council of Europe Series Co-Production Development Award (worth €50,000), was granted to the Swedish series Puck, directed by Anna-Karin Garhamn and produced by Caroline Drab (Sweden). This prize aims to support independent producers across Eurimages member states by enhancing access to development funding and fostering creative collaboration. The jury praised Puck for its relatable storytelling, capturing “real life and the human imperfection of characters”.

The second highest prize, the Eurimages Co-production Development Award (worth €20,000) went to Millie and the Secret of the Crocodile, a Swedish-Danish co-production directed by Esben Toft Jacobsen and produced by Petter Lindblad. The jury commended the pic’s “optimistic adventure about friendship, overcoming fears, and believing in oneself”, noting its appeal to wide audiences.

Next, in the feature film categories, the Best Children’s Film Award went to Norwegian Listen Up! (Hør her’a!) produced by Motlys and directed by Kaveh Tehrani. The film was praised for its insightful look at family dynamics. The CJP Youth Jury Award also recognised Listen Up! for allowing audiences to experience diverse family life, as the jury emphasised the importance of showcasing different perspectives to young viewers. The film is supported by Nordisk Film & TV Fond.

Lastly, the Game Award went to WHAT THE CAR?, a Danish project created by Florence Bethuys. The fest catalogue bills it as “flipped-out adventure race game in which you do loads of things that have nothing to do with racing”.

The most prominent non-Nordic wins include the PUBLIKUM Audience Awareness Award, handed out to Hunnic Summer (Hunsko leto), directed by Nedeljko Kovacic and produced by Maja Cenic.(Serbia). The prize, worth €9,000, offers a unique research project that helps filmmakers better connect with their audiences.

The Filmmore Post-Production Award for best live-action project in development went to Kittens (Netherlands), directed by Nova van Dijk and produced by Maarten van der Ven, with a €5,000 post-production budget.

The Best Dutch Children’s Film went to Sweeties (Liefjes) (Netherlands), helmed by Natalie Bruijns and Anneke de Lind van Wijngaarden, which deeply moved the jury with its emotional resonance.

Here is the full list of this year’s winners:

Council of Europe Series Co-production Development Award

Puck – Anna-Karin Garhamn (Sweden)

Eurimages Co-Production Development Award

Millie and the Secret of the Crocodile – Esben Toft Jacobsen (Sweden/Denmark)

PUBLIKUM Audience Awareness Award

Hunnic Summer (Hunsko leto) – Nedeljko Kovacic (Serbia)

Filmmore Post-Production Award

Kittens – Nova van Dijk (Netherlands)

Best Children's Film Award

Listen Up! (Hør her’a!) – Kaveh Tehrani (Norway)

Best Dutch Children's Film Award

Sweeties (Liefjes) – Natalie Bruijns, Anneke de Lind van Wijngaarden (Netherlands)

CJP Youth Jury Award

Listen Up! (Hør her’a!)– Kaveh Tehrani (Norway)

Amarte Best Dutch Short Film Award 9+

Moustache – Idriss Nsangou Nabil (Netherlands)

Amarte Best Dutch Short Film Award 9-

Caterpillar (Rups) – Susanne Hagen (Netherlands)

Best International Short Film Award 9+

A Short Film About Kids – Ibrahim Handal (Palestine)

Best International Short Film Award 9-

Magic Candies – Daisuke Nishio (Japan)

Craftsmanship in a Series Production Award

Het Klokhuis about AI – NPO Zapp (Netherlands)

Most Original Series Production Award

Van Binnen Stroomt Het – Natalie Bruijns (Netherlands)

Game Award

WHAT THE CAR? – Florence Bethuys (Denmark)