A pair of close twins longed for new shoes, but prioritized their grandfather's medical care over their own wishes in their straitened circumstances. Fate intervened when they discovered joining the jump rope team came with new sneakers. At the 2020 China International Children's Film Festival, audiences recognized a veteran coach: his rural school team of migrant workers' children had produced 33 world champions over nine years. Starry Road brought Guangzhou's Qixing Elementary jump rope team story to Zlín, moving audiences at the world's oldest children's film festival.
In 2023, Goodbye The Groundhog, a story of children and marmots in auspicious and plain Mosca, carried Chinese children’s goodwill to San Diego and Zlín. The film shares pastoral beauty and human-animal friendship with young audiences worldwide, framing childhood’s harmony with nature through authentic local perspectives.
In 2024, a story of "dreams carried by horses" returned from the Zlín Film Festival to the China International Children’s Film Festival, bearing an honor bestowed by European audiences. The crystalline Tibetan plateau, a place "closest to heaven," holds the director’s profound inspirations gathered during his teaching days by Namtso Lake, all woven into The Song Of Spring. When the award citation was read out slowly, "This film ingeniously depicts a herder child’s life and dreams, placing freedom at its core while crafting rich visual metaphors, portraying Tibet’s magnificence and its people through living fairy tales and endless hope", it became clear that children across nations understood dreams’ vital significance.
Chinese sages once spoke of the "oneness of all things," urging people to integrate ritual (礼) and benevolence (仁), as well as heaven (天) and humanity (人), into their knowledge and actions. For children, this seems instinctive—they are naturally one with the vibrant vitality of heaven, earth, and all things, often lending a unique wonder to children's films. As Feng Zikai described, sympathy and imagination are innate: "Thus, all people possess this ability; it is merely that artists retain it without losing it. Seeing a chicken or duck hung upside down evokes pity—this pity arises from empathy, from imagining the fowl as one's own kind. A vase with a narrow base stirs unease—this unease likewise comes from envisioning the vase as a person standing unsteadily. Extending this mindset, every object in the room comes alive: a hanging scroll resembles a human figure, a clock face gazes like a person, teapots and cups seem like mother and child, an ink bottle sits like an old monk, and foreign books line up like troops..." This is especially evident in children, who are born with the innate gifts of an artist.
Whether from plateaus or seashores, cities or villages, mundane routines or grinding hardships, children’s films sail as vessels of dreams, powered by empathy and imagination—a shared haven for young hearts worldwide. At the 2024 China International Children’s Film Festival, we spotlight nine films that explore children’s inner worlds: where they come from and where they’re headed. Across cultures and themes, these stories follow young explorers—embracing science, sports, music, family bonds, and social duty—celebrated at global festivals. Together, we embark on a cinematic voyage through diverse perspectives.
奇迹乐队
Miracle Band
China | Feature Film | 96 min
Director: Xu Chunling
Recommended age: 12+
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Synopsis
Six visually impaired teenagers dream of forming a "Miracle Band." They must overcome immense challenges to showcase their musical talents and interpret their unique world through music before finally taking the stage.
Awards
1. Selected as a "Shanghai Major Literary and Artistic Creation Project" by Shanghai Cultural Development Foundation
2. Media Attention Award at the 20th Media Attention Section, 25th Shanghai International Film Festival
3. Winner of the Golden Angel Award at the 19th Chinese American Film Festival
4. Best Director – Golden Orchid Award, 3rd Asia International Youth Film Festival (AIYFF)
5. Official Selection (Main Competition) – 15th Macau International Film Festival
Recommendation
Extraordinary musical talent
demands extraordinary trials.
This dream band of visually impaired teens
finds a vibrant world through music.
忠爱无言2
Love Without Words 2
China | Feature Film | 103 min
Director: Tan Yizhi
Recommended age: 9+
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Synopsis
A seven-year-old autistic boy meets a stray puppy—two lonely souls evolve from mutual fear to deep companionship. Their story of friendship, courage, and hope unfolds through shared hardships, revealing their complex pasts as they journey together on a heartwarming yet unpredictable adventure.
Awards
1. Nominated for Best Children's Film and Best Music at the 33rd Golden Rooster Awards
2. Selected by the Ministry of Education and the Publicity Department as one of the "Recommended Excellent Films for Primary and Secondary Schools" (40th batch)
3. National Film Excellence Program 2020
Recommendation
Through the eyes of a stray dog,
we glimpse a boy's loneliness — and his courage to embrace the world.
May we learn to perceive autistic children through a wider lens,
guiding them with warmth and patience out of life's shadows.
江米儿
The Song of Spring
China | Feature Film | 96 min
Director: Pan Chaofeng
Recommended age: 6+
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Synopsis
The film tells the story of a Tibetan pastoral boy who dreams of buying a pony.
Awards
1. Official Selection, Hidden Dragons Section - 6th Pingyao International Film Festival 2023
2. Official Selection - ARFF Berlin International Awards 2023
3. Nominated for Best Children's Film - 36th Golden Rooster Awards 2023
4. Official Selection - Jordan International Children's Film Festival 2023
5. Official Selection - Macau International Film Festival 2023
6. Winner: Best Feature Film - Ayodhya Film Festival 2023 (India)
7. Official Selection - Tokyo Lift-Off Film Festival 2024
8. Winner: Karel Zeman Award for Outstanding Visual Design in Children's Feature - 64th Zlin International Film Festival for Children and Youth 2024
9. Official Selection - Canada China International Film Festival (CCIFF) 2024
Recommendation
The Song of Spring waves Across the World Touching countless children's hearts –
Not just through the pure bond Between a boy and his pony,
but also through the wisdom Of highland people who teach us How to love life fiercely.
我要赢
Go Beyond
China | Feature Film | 88 min
Director: Lin Yi
Recommended age: 9+
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Synopsis
Two young footballers meet in a fateful match on the pitch. Striker Li Xiaobo, having endured his parents' divorce, lost games, broken friendships, and his coach's departure, as a perpetual perfectionist, takes out his frustration and despair on the pitch. In doing so, he grows distant from his teammates and loses sight of football's simple joys. Goalkeeper Mao Er plays with the promise that reaching the finals will secure his sister's admission to a prestigious secondary school. Determined to change her destiny, he faces mounting obstacles until false accusations of theft cost him his right to play. For these two boys, winning the match is only half the victory - the greater challenge lies in learning how to triumph in life itself.
Awards
1. National Film Administration's Excellence Program Funding Project 2022
2. Winner: Most Popular Child Actor, Chengdu Children's Film Week 2023
Recommendation
Go Beyond Is More Than Conquering Opponents on the Pitch.
This year's sport films Resound with one truth:
to win is to forge confidence, to weave teamwork,
to ignite comrades, to cling unyielding to dreams —
And all begins When you stare down your shadow.
校园神探
Schoolyard Sleuth
China | Feature Film | 92 min
Director: Yu Fei
Recommended age: 10+
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Synopsis
A scientific society's project mysteriously vanishes. After careful investigation, Xiangli uncovers the truth—setting off a chain of unexpected events...
Recommendation
Children passionate about science wield power beyond adult imagination.
Their relentless pursuit of truth unites them —
where club ideals and scientific curiosity forge responsibility and courage.
男孩提米尔
Timir
Russia | Feature Film | 90 min
Director: Nikolay Kolyakin
Recommended age: 12+
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Synopsis
A boy named Timir is going through the hardest time of his life - he has lost his dearest person, his mother. Child welfare services send him to live with his biological father, but from the very first day, Timir struggles to build a relationship with him. To make matters worse, he faces bullying at school. One day, while walking home through the forest, Timir meets a strange man whose similar experiences will lead him to spiritual redemption.
Awards
Audience Award of Excellence, 11th Transbaikal International Film Festival
Recommendation
A child's journey of the heart always begins with those closest —
the love of family, of father and mother, is the ground beneath their feet.
When they hesitate or falter,
let us, the adults, remember to leave them space to rest.
足球少女
Lioness
Netherlands | Feature Film | 86 min
Director: Raymond Grimbergen
Recommended Age: 10+
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Synopsis
When 14-year-old Surinamese girl Rosie is forced to relocate to the Netherlands with her mother, her entire world collapses. In this new environment, the annual high school football championship becomes her lifeline. Her passion for the game will open doors to a new life.
Awards
1. Official Selection-Competition, 40th Chicago International Children's Film Festival (CICFF)
2. Official Selection-Competition, SCHLiNGEL International Film Festival for Children and Young Audience 2023
Recommendation
A single mom and daughter struggle with their immigrant life abroad.
Even loving relationships can hide unspoken strains.
But sports may give them strength -
the hope of winning could repair their broken bond.
Coco农场
Coco Farm
Canada | Feature Film | 87 min
Director: Sébastien Gagné
Recommended Age: 10+
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Synopsis
Max, a 12-year-old entrepreneur, is forced to shut down his "business" and relocate to the countryside with his father. When he discovers free-range chickens in his cousin Charles' abandoned barn, a new venture takes flight.
Awards
1. SCHLiNGEL International Film Festival for Children and Young Audience
2. Best International Children's Film - MDR Special Award 2023
3. Best International Feature Film in the "Children's Cinema" category - Children's Film Festival Club 2023
4. Honorable Mention (Nominee) - Children's Jury Award 2023
Recommendation
An entrepreneur's journey of adventure Led the boy to realize that within his dreams,
there lay responsibilities far greater.
Beyond simply achieving the grown-up goal Of running a company,
these children came to see what adults So rarely show openly —
That vulnerability, that nostalgia, And that quiet kindness.
弗朗茨的故事2
Tales of Franz 2
Germany | Feature Film | 72min
Director: Johannes Schmid
Recommended age: 6+
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Synopsis
Franz is already ten years old. His best friend Gabi keeps fighting with his other best friend Eberhard, so they demand Franz make a choice - either Gabi or Eberhard. Soon after, Franz's scheme of splitting his schedule to secretly meet each friend separately gets exposed by both of them. Just as their friendship is on the verge of falling apart, they discover their mysterious neighbor Mrs. Berg might be connected to recent burglary cases. And so the three of them set out together on an adventure to solve the mystery.
Awards
1. Iran CIFEJ Film Festival (Screening)
2. India FCCI Film Festival (Screening)
3. New Delhi International Smile Film Festival for Children & Youth – Saphira Award (Children & Youth Category) (Screening)
4. Bavaria International Biennale (Screening)
Recommendation
Three Little Detectives from Germany got swept into big trouble by curiosity,
especially with their friendship constantly teetering on the brink of collapse.
We'll see Franz's naive imagination act as the glue holding them together,
while timely protection from family also teaches the children how to make society better through honesty and courage.
The 35 films for the 2024 China International Children's Film Festival have all arrived at cinemas in Chengdu and Jinan with screening schedules finalized. Through different countries and perspectives, we see the shared dreams and emotions inherent in children's films. This is not just a spiritual feast for children, but also a cross-temporal journey where parents, teachers and other adults meet and communicate with their inner selves. We will record children's unique expressions before and after each screening, sharing children's own voices. May the film festival open a door to caring for children, gathering more forces here to help children grow.