Young Filmmakers Showcase

Don’t miss the opportunity to virtually celebrate young auteurs from across the globe with the Young Filmmakers Showcase! Starting February 1, you can stream this incredible program of animated and live-action shorts made by kids, for kids, featuring crafty rats, bookish ghosts, a candy-loving prince, and more fun heroes! 

Stream for free on BAM.org starting February 1

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My Superpower (micro)
Dir. Maxwell William Andrews (age 11)
New Zealand

In his search for his superpower, nine-year-old Maxwell discovers that his words have power.

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My Straw Hat
Dirs. Erik Čevka, Lejla Ikić, Tinkara Kušar, Lili Meglič, Pij Meglič, Albert Moldovan, Tina Polc, Lan Ploj, Rok Resnik, Ella Tomažin & Norman Vidic (ages 9—12)
Mentors: Andreja Goetz, Meta Kos & Lina Steiner
Production: Društvo Slon, Kulturni dom Franca Berika
Slovenia

This animated film explores the origins of straw hat craftsmanship in Slovenia, focusing on the town of Domžale. As a tribute to this tradition, all the characters in the film are creatively crafted from straw.

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Padovec
Dir. Sara Majnarić (age 13)
Mentors from the Film Creative Studio Vanima
Croatia

A short animated tribute to Ivan Padovec, the Croatian composer, guitar maker, and virtuoso who invented the ten-string guitar and achieved global fame. Created by 13-year-old Sara Majnarić, the film is inspired by Padovec’s Polonaise in A major. Using traditional hand-drawn animation, it features hand-colored depictions of Padovec’s double-neck guitar and contrasts the simplicity of black-and-white visuals with the richness of his music, offering a subtle animated illustration of his composition.

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Beware of Garbage!
Dirs. María Cano, Eva Gutiérrez, Raimondo Galli, Laura Hidalgo, Carolina Lozano, Celeste Marie, Emma Míguez, Baltasar Muñoz, Rafaela Muñoz & María Ortega (ages 7—11) 
Spain

A group of kids go on a picnic in a park and leave garbage everywhere! They have no respect for nature or other citizens. They should be very careful about what they do with garbage... life might surprise them!

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Shapes
Dirs. Lea Penović, Tara Pavlović, Leon Hudoletnjak, Bela Bračun, Maks Malekoci, Karlo Džepina Bajić, Lara Hukman, Alaiah Dapoma Blažak Momori &  Lovro Lazanja Ages (ages 9—10)
Croatia

A story about everyday forms that come to life and go through different journeys and metamorphoses.

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On Vacation
Dir. Tatyana Vorobyova (age 12)
Mentors: Marina Gorskaya, Elena Makarenko
Russia

The cats are packing their bags and getting ready for the purr-fect vacation!

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Godina/Year
Dir. Klara Nagy (age 13)
Mentors from the Film Creative Studio Vanima
Croatia 

A short, poetic description of the four seasons as seen through the eyes of a girl, made using the classic drawing animation technique by hand and hand-colored.

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The Bad Cat
Dirs. Sara Biškup, Karmen Bijelić, Leona Marku & Magdalena Raković (ages 10—11 )
Croatia

The bad cat causes all kinds of problems… especially on the TV!

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Perception
Dirs. Lily Mai Cashman & Michaela Lynch (ages 10)
Ireland

A boy needs help with his school project on "Technology in the Future." Lucky for him, Grandad can explain how we use technology every day—but there's a twist! Grandad gets carried away with some super-advanced tech, and now it’s up to his grandson to save him! 

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Vacations
Dirs. Petar Mavrin, aleksandar križnar, Martin Soldat, Kiara Friščiċ, Mura Hozmec, Asja Bosilj  (ages 8—12)
Croatia

The tree is frustrated by life in the suburbs and decides to go on vacation to the seaside.

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Stolen teddy bear
Una Dlugoš, Tara Dlugoš, Erika Kračun, Mara Pancirov Cornelisse, Lea Penović, Tara Pavlović, Lovro Lazanja, Leo Glibo, Irina Nikić & Lara Hukman (Ages 9—13)
Croatia

When the fox sees the bear's teddy, it's love at first sight. He decides to give him a new experience, but when the bear discovers that the teddy bear is missing, real drama begins...

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Rats of the Sewer
Dirs. Andrew Jones-Twiggs, Violet Racine, Lucy Spittler-Driver & Cat Wamsley (ages 12—13) 
US

Two crafty rats hatch a plan to get a piece of cheese. 

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Kaja and Kitty the Cat
Dirs. Eva Boras, Ines Himmelreich, Roko Karaula, Dora Klarić, Kaja Klarić, Jakov Klarić, Lili Klarić, Borna Škovrlj & Hana Švigir (ages 6—10)
Croatia

A short animated film based on a true event… so to speak.

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The Big Game
Dirs. Muhammad Eyad, Mohammad Elmahi & Syed Ali (ages 14)
US

Two best friends compete in a soccer match to prove who is the better player. 

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Ballerina Duo
Dir. Sheena Doser (age 11)
US

A stop-motion ballerina duet.

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Who are the freaks?
Dirs. Hugo Sánchez, María Ortega, Joaquín Moreno, Lucas Muñoz & Eva Gutiérrez (ages 9—12)
Spain

Julia suffers from bullying and confesses it to Ana, her best friend, who tries to help her—but it's not that easy. Who will be able to put an end to her situation?

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When I grow up I want to be...
Dirs. Alejandro Blanco, Andrés Almagro, Matteo Osborne, Pablo Almagro, Alejandra López, Miriam Domingo (ages 9—12)
Spain

Alicia's family is very clear that when she grows up, she will be a lawyer, following the family tradition. She feels the family pressure but is not sure. Her doubts may be resolved magically.

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The Fun Night
Dirs. Marta Mǐkulić Ganzer, Ira Horvat, Neva Hozmec, Jakša Megla & Tian Pustić Varšić (ages 8—9)
Croatia

The moon has a fun night with a lot of activities!

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How Črnomelj Got Its Name
Dirs. Aleks Buljan, Maša Boljkovac, Sofija Despotovič, Nađa Jovanović, Nuša Lamut, Pia Lovrenčič, Ameli Štefanič & Teja Tajčman (ages 10—12)
Production: Društvo Slon, Belokranjski muzej Metlika, Osnovna šola Črnomelj
Mentors: Jelena Dragutinović, Lene Lekše, Natalija Orlič & Alenka Misja
Slovenia

The story of how a small town in the south-east of Slovenia got its name, a fairy casts a spell on the miserly miller’s mill, causing it to grind only black flour. 

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Pure Water 
Dirs. Vsevolod Abrahamov, Nia Centeradze, Yana Godnyuk, Yana Godnyuk, Emma Ivanochko, Sofia Popovych, Oleksandr Rarenko, Ilana Rusnak, Zlatoslava Sribna, Nini Tsenteradze, Varvara Vasilieva & Maria Verenchanska (ages 10—12)
Ukraine

The prince loved two things more than anything else: listening to the sound of the sea and eating candy. He was so messy that he always scattered candy wrappers everywhere he went, and one day a wrapper fell to the bottom of the ocean…

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35,567 Yup'ik Stories
Dir. Magnus Shipe (age 12)
US

A middle school student creates his second film about his Yup'ik heritage by visiting a musical band from his tribe that has reached global success, and like him, shares their passion about their culture through the arts.

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Jean-Luc the Ghost
Dir. Alexandre, Arsène, Charlotte, Clément, Eléonore, Emile, Emilie, Héléna, Inès, Lucien, Maxime, Moly & Serena (ages 6—9)
Mentors from the Belgian Animation Studio
Belgium

Jean-Luc the ghost is 9 trillion years old. He is a successful writer whose novels are inspired by his nightmares.