The Florianopolis Children’s Film Festival has a worldwide impact on cultural diversity through film

Florianopolis Children’s Film Festival is considered the main event of the seventh art dedicated to children in Brazil. Tell us a little more about the event and your festival.
Florianopolis Children’s Film Festival was the first film festival for children in Brazil. Our goal at the beginning was to make an event that gives to the kids the access to the national film production and to the productions done worldwide beyond the major  studios.

The festival was born to show to our audience productions from all over the world. In the first edition it was clear the absence of Brazilian productions for children and we realized that we needed work more to it’s development. It’s because that Florianopolis Children’s Film Festival is much more than a film festival, it is a booster agent for the domestic and international film market.

Each year are held meetings with directors and government officials, talks to professors, chat with filmmakers after exhibitions, workshops and debates to discuss the film market facing the childhood.

Florianopolis Children's Film acts politically to strengthen the sector by promoting a wide circulation of short films.

In partnership with other entities, the event managed to sensitize the Brazil Ministry of Culture to the childhood issues, and have collected important results as the national edict of feature films production as well as the creation of a commission that will regulate the law 13.006 (national constitution) which obliges the Brazilian movies to be displayed during school year.

Florianopolis is aimed at social inclusion and citizenship building through the cinema. What impact does this have on the local film community?
The event takes place annually for 14 years promoting discussions, workshops and showing different and wonderful films for kids as well as itinerant exhibitions for the city of Florianopolis, film clubs and other festivals in Brazil and in the world. The quality of the event just enticing local filmmakers and today we can say that the state of Santa Catarina has excelled in the production of films to this audience.

In which ways does The Florianopolis Children’s Film Festival open the window to the world cinema? 
We display sessions of national and international films. Sometimes we can not show recent films because they haven’t already been dubbed. We offer so sessions with live dubbing, a great differential of the event.

Florianopolis Children’s Film Festival wants to open for cultural diversity, showing children that the world is made of differences. We conduct partnerships with national and international festivals to bring what is being done of best quality outside world for our audience.

What impact does Florianópolis have with other festivals in Latin America, especially when it comes to adolescent films? How has Rede Ciniño, Association of Latin American film festivals for children and young people, contributed to your festival?
We believe that the Florianopolis Children's Film operates in strengthening the network of festivals in Latin America. We are members of Ciniño Network and we want to continue contributing so all Latin American countries can have a strong look at the film production for children. Participating the Ciniño Network opens doors to works carried out these countries, which are very culturally rich. Exchange experiences strengthens us, because Latin America share the same problems, and together we build outs and creative options for some questions in addition to the entertainment offered .

Please tell us about the Best Film of Competitive Exhibition.
Our action is based on Short Films Competitions. Until last year the competition accepted only National productions and this year we are expanding and also opening up to international entries to the International Competitive Exhibition. The National Competitive Exhibition is regulated in a partnership with 'TV Brazil ' and offers a purchase award for the winners. At the International Competitive Exhibition the winners will receive a live dubbing session of the film during the event, in addition to receiving the Children's Film Friend Trophy .

Where do you see the Florianópolis Children’s Film Festival in 5 years?
We expect Florianopolis Children’s Film Festival to be strengthened and become increasingly important around the world. The festival that follow leading posts of the children, showing that it is possible to live in a world of harmony, peace, love, happiness and full of differences!