Three Nordic projects set to shine at Cinekid for Professionals

The upcoming edition of Cinekid for Professionals (21–24 October), part of the Cinekid Festival (11–27 October) in Amsterdam, will highlight the imagination and reach of storytelling for young audiences. This leading industry platform for children’s film and media — gathering over 400 professionals each year — will feature three ambitious Nordic-involved projects: English Lesson, Handbook for Superheroes – Red Mask (Handbok för superhjältar - Røda Masken), and Crawlers, showcasing the region’s commitment to bold visions, international collaboration, and stories that resonate across generations.

English Lesson: blending memory, resilience and imagination

In English Lesson, Ukrainian filmmaker Ivan Tymchenko, working from a script by Julia Orlenko, explores how children use imagination to process chaos and reconnect. Eleven-year-old Tim reunites with friends in an abandoned summer cinema to hold an “English lesson”. Each child’s words open portals into animated dreamscapes — a boy chasing his Golden Retriever, a fearless scooter rider, a dinosaur who never lies. Tim’s story — of a rescued duck and a paper airplane that always finds its way home — completes this poetic anthology of friendship, resilience, and the power of play.

Produced by Svitlana Solovyova for Svitlofor Film (Ukraine) in co-production with Klipp & Lim (Norway), Beep (Czech Republic), A-Film (Estonia), and Hobab (Sweden), the hybrid project combines live action shot in Ukraine with animation produced across Nordic and Baltic countries. Backed by the Eurimages Development Award (Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event 2024), the CEE Animation Workshop Scholarship, and the Ukrainian Cultural Fund, the €2.2–2.5 million production aims for a 2027 release. Tymchenko, known for Beshoot (Ilovaysk 2014, 2019) and Oxygen Station (Kysneva Stantsiia, 2023), says it’s “a film not about explaining the world to children, but about letting children explain the world to us”.

Producer Solovyova adds: “Cinekid is the perfect platform to present English Lesson, bringing together people who care about meaningful stories for young audiences. Here we hope to build bridges with future co-producers and distributors.”

Handbook for Superheroes – Red Mask: a Nordic blockbuster in the making

Swedish director Patrik Forsberg, with co-writer Anoo Bhagavan, brings the Handbook for Superheroes universe to the big screen in Red Mask, an animated family adventure produced by Caroline Forsberg for Stiller Studios (Sweden) and co-produced with Qvisten Animation (Norway). Ten-year-old Lisa — new in town and bullied — discovers a book promising “101 superpowers”. When a gangster kidnaps the mayor to steal a mythical coin, Lisa becomes Red Mask, learning even heroes need allies.

Featuring a top Nordic voice cast including Elle Kari Bergenrud, Robert Gustafsson, Tousin “Tusse” Chiza, Malte Gårdinger, Suzanne Reuter, and Gizem Erdogan, the film merges humour and action with emotional depth. It has distribution through SF Studios, broadcasting from SVT, and funding from the Swedish Film Institute, the Norwegian Film Institute, and Nordisk Film & TV Fond.

Forsberg, whose credits include six features and the award-winning short Echo, and founder of Stiller Studios, says: “Handbook for Superheroes is an epic family adventure — at its heart, it’s about belonging. We want to entertain, while giving young audiences strength and hope.”

Producer Caroline Forsberg adds: “It’s about courage, empathy, and self-confidence — showing that even the quietest voices can be powerful.” Post-production is underway for the 46 million SEK film, set for 25 December 2025, promising a “Pixar meets Nordic Noir” sensibility.

Crawlers: a survival thriller with a psychological edge

The third Nordic project, Crawlers, directed by Mirjam Sveinbjörg Thorkelsdottir from a screenplay by Benedicte Kolberg, is a Norwegian live-action feature for audiences 12+. Near Bergen, socially awkward scout Lena discovers animal carcasses and eggs at summer camp. Her warnings go unheeded — until an infection turns campers into spider-like predators. Lena must rely on instincts to survive and save her best friend.

Produced by Einar Loftesnes for Handmade Films in Norwegian Woods, the €2.52 million project has early backing from Mediefondet Zefyr and Vestnorsk Filmsenter, and seeks international co-producers, broadcasters, and sales partners. Thorkelsdottir, an Albanian-Icelandic filmmaker educated at the Norwegian Film School, known for shorts screened at Toronto Inside Out, Chicago, and Nashville, calls it “a study of fear as both a threat and liberation — what happens when a young woman’s instincts become her only weapon.”

Producer Loftesnes adds: “We aim to connect with partners who share our passion for bold, character-driven genre stories for young audiences. Crawlers combines survival thriller pulse with Nordic emotional realism.”

From intimate animation to psychological horror and large-scale family entertainment, these three projects reflect the creative range and collaborative spirit defining today’s Nordic children and youth cinema, underlining the region’s role in shaping stories that empower, challenge, and inspire the next generation.