Juries 2023
Get to know this year's jury members.
BFF Industry Jury 2023
The jury awards the BFF FILM AWARD of NOK 50.000 to the Best International Kids Film. The prize money are awarded to the Norwegian distributor who imports the film to Norwegian cinemas. The jury also awards the BFF SHORT FILM AWARD to the Best Norwegian Short Film. The winning film will be shortlisted for the Amanda Awards.
Jury members
Former producer Filmbin Trine Lo
Trine Aadalen Lo has produced the feature films Best Friends, De Tøffeste Gutta and Los Bando, as well as a number of short films. What all the films have in common is that they are for children and young people, and have participated in a large number of film festivals. She graduated from UCA in England in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in film production. In 2017, she participated in the EAVE Producers Workshop. She was a producer in the production company Filmbin AS in Lillehammer from 2004 to 2018. In the autumn of 2018, she retired as a film producer after living with chronic pain since 2014. The Children's Film Festival 2023 is her first participation in the film industry in over 4 years.
Film Critic Roy Søbstad
Since 2013 Roy Søbstad has reviewed more than 850 films for Fædrelandsvennen, the largest newspaper in the region. He also reviews tv shows and music in the same newspaper, as well as reviewing comic strips for the website Empirix.no.
Additionally, he is a designer, illustrator, cartoonist, comic strip creator and freelance writer.
Programming director for Nordisk Film Cinemas office in Oslo Christin Berg
Christin Berg had previously studied media and culture before she started working at the offices of Oslo Cinematographers in the late 80’s. She has also worked in a production company called Oslo Film, and for some years as Director of Programming for the Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund. As she states herself ‘Once I got caught in the magic of the cinema, there was no way out’. She currently works as programming director for Nordisk Film Cinemas office in Oslo, which is the successor of the previously mentioned cinematographer
Jurymembers
Festival director of ANIMOK Ditte Lundsgaard Nielsen
Ditte Lundsgaard Nielsen has more than 15 years of experience working with children, animation and storytelling as part of the team behind the development center Animated Learning Lab at The Animation Workshop, VIA UC in Viborg, Denmark. For the past 7 years, Ditte has been the festival director of ANIMOK, an animation and game festival for children and youth, also located at The Animation Workshop, VIA UC, where she is passionate about giving children and youth strong film and game experiences that broaden their understanding of the world and helps them become creative creators.
Project Coordinator in Just Film Mirel Mesila
Mirel Mesila is a project coordinator at the Youth and Children’s Film Festival Just Film, the biggest subfestival of the A category Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Her journey started in 2014 when she was chosen as to be a young film critic for the festival. Shortly after, she was joined the official festival family as the youngest member of the programming team. Over the years, she has gained professional experience in journalism and media, international event organisation and film festival programming. She believes that films are powerful tools for visual communication, togetherness, and wider understanding.
President European Children’s Film Association Pantelis Panteloglou
Pantelis Panteloglou has studied Social Anthropology in Athens and has an MA on Social Exclusion and Minorities. He has been working in audiovisual sector, cinema and theater since 2003 in various creative and organizational positions. Since 2011, he has worked for Olympia International Film Festival’s for Children and Young People film selection, printed material, international relations and exchanges and translations. He is currently the deputy artistic director of OIFF. In February 2022 he was elected on the board of the European Children’s Film Association and since February 2023 he took over as president.
Jurymembers
Skuespiller Henrik Rafaelsen
Has appeared in around thirty Norwegian and Swedish films and series. Won the Critic's Award in 2005, received the Amanda Award for Best Male Lead Role in 2011. Won the Award for Best Male Actor at the Karlovy Vary in 2012, won the Kanon Award in 2017, was nominated for Amanda in 2017 and nominated for the prestigious Guldbagge Award in 2018. Has worked permanently at Kilden in Kristiansand since 2020.
International advisor Meetings on the Bridge/Acting Head of Programme Netherlands Film Festival Signe Zeilich-Jensen
Signe is a Swedish/Dutch script advisor and film curator with a long track record in film and media. She started her career at the Dutch film and television producer Bos Bros and later became a buyer and commissioning editor at the Dutch public broadcaster KRO and Nickelodeon Benelux. For the past five years she served the Netherlands Film Fund as a film commissioner with focus on children’s and family films. In 2021 she was a script editor trainee at the Torino, and she currently works as a Tutor at TFL and as an independent script advisor.
Signe has an extensive experience in curating and managing festival programmes and industry events, such as Cinekid and Holland Film Meeting. She is an international advisor at Meetings on the Bridge and is in 2023 the Acting Head of Programme at the Netherlands Film Festival.
Production advisor and information officer, Mediefondet Zefyr Ingunn Myklevoll Sjøen
Ingunn Myklevoll Sjøen is a production and information consultant at the Zefyr Media Fund. Ingunn has a long career in public administration aimed at the AV industry and also has many years of experience as a journalist and cultural director/cinema director. She graduated from the University of Sunderland in 2005 with a master's degree in media production. She also has a bachelor's degree in communication, culture and media studies from the same educational institution.
KICFF also includes a children’s jury which consists of jury members, aged 11-13 years old. They will present awards for Best Feature Film and Best Short Film. This years jury consists of:
Jurymembers
Harry Butterfield
Justine Osafo
Maram Teleb
Meher Kaur Panesar
Nanette Tornroos
The jury consists of students from Tangen High School, who are in their second year, taking courses in media and communication. The Youth Jury will present the UNG Award to the best film in the youth section. This years jury consists of:
Jurymembers
Julian Høydal
Camilla Angelina Ostojic
Emilie Tarina Trondsen Sheppard
Mari Aasaaren
