BFF: Conference 2026 – The Position of Children’s Films in Uncertain Times
The conference will be held in English to accommodate our international industry guests.
PROGRAM:
☕ 09:45 Morning coffee
10:00 Official opening by Camilla Jarlsby, Director of Culture
10:05–10:10 Festival Director Cathrine Sordal introduces the overarching theme of the conference and what to expect throughout the day
10:15–10:35 “From New Paths to Narrower Roads” with Adel Khan Farooq
In this personal essay, filmmaker Adel Khan Farooq reflects on his journey into the Norwegian film industry as a director with a minority background. Drawing on his own experiences—both from life and filmmaking—he explores the expectations that come with representing diversity, and the tension between who you are, who you are allowed to be, and who you are expected to be on screen. What happens when access to production funding becomes increasingly limited, while the need for new perspectives has never been greater?
🎤 10:35–10:45 Q&A
☕ 10:45–10:55 Short break
10:55–11:30 Panel discussion: How does diversity actually function in Norwegian children’s films when we move beyond percentages?
So far, discussions about diversity in the film sector have largely focused on statistics, percentages, and reporting. While numbers are important—especially in a publicly funded industry—they reveal little about how children and young people are actually represented on screen. Who gets to be the protagonist? Which experiences, families, and perspectives are considered universal? And how are these stories evaluated in development, production, and distribution?
Panelists:
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Iram Haq (director)
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Siljá Somby (producer)
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Thale Persen (Norwegian Film Institute)
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Youth representatives from a cross-cultural group
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Lene Hjertøy (Norwegian Film Distributors’ Association)
Moderator: Rania Iraki
🎤 11:30–11:40 Open mic
🍇 11:40–12:25 Lunch
💫 12:30–13:15 Keynote: Deanna Marsigliese
Deanna Marsigliese is an Italian-Canadian art director, character designer, and 2D animator based in San Francisco. She specializes in storytelling through character design and has worked at Pixar Animation Studios since 2012. Her credits include Inside Out 2 (2024), Luca (2021), Soul (2020), Onward (2020), and Toy Story 4 (2019). Her creative process was also featured in the acclaimed documentary series Inside Pixar (2020) on Disney+. She has been nominated twice for an Annie Award, is a member of the Academy, and gives workshops and keynote presentations worldwide.
🎤 13:15–13:25 Q&A
☕ 13:25–13:40 Short Break
13:40–14:00 Terez Hollo-Klausen, Head of Artistic Assessment, Development and Audience at the Norwegian Film Institute
The children’s film field is of great cultural importance, and children and young people are an audience that deserves long-term and well-considered initiatives. Terez Hollo-Klausen presents the work with children and young people in NFI’s new strategy and the priorities that follow from it.
14:10–14:50 Panel discussion: “Who Takes the Risk? Norwegian Children’s Film in a Pressured Industry”
Panelists: Terez Hollo-Klausen (NFI), Thomas Robsahm (producer), Thea Benedikte Karlsen (producer, Christian Lo (director), Cornelia Boysen (producer)
Moderator: Tonje Skar Reiersen
🎤 14:50–15:00 Open mic and closing remarks
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