The world premiere of Andrea Katzenberger's Der Mistkerl, which is handled internationally by Studio Hamburg Produktion, will open this year's edition of Berlin's Kinderfilmfest.

The line-up for the children's film festival has now been finalised by organisers Renate Zylla and Maryanne Redpath. Films confirmed to screen include:

  • Jannik Hastrup's animation film Cirkeline - Ost & Kaerlighed (Int'l sales: Trust Filmsales).
  • Twin brothers Andrea and Antonio Frazzi's adaptation of Lorenza Mazzetti's autobiographical novel Il Cielo Cade (Int'l sales: RAI Trade).
  • Iranian-Kurdish director Bahman Ghobadi's story of the struggle of five orphans in the mountains between Iran and Iraq in Zamani Baraye Masti Asba (Int'l sales: MK2).
  • Veteran filmmaker Masaru Konuma's adaptation of a 1960s comic in coming-of-age tale Nagisa (Int'l sales: Film City).
  • Gisli Snaer Erlingsson's Ikingut about a friendship between an Eskimo and a boy from Iceland, produced by Fridrik Thor Fridriksson's Icelandic Film Corporation which is also handling world sales.
  • Hector Barren's comedy Lloyd: The Ugly Kid (Int'l sales: Soho Entertainment).
  • Markus Imboden's modern remake of the children's classic Heidi (Int'l sales: Vega Film).

    • Previously, the Kinderfilmfest announced that it had selected John Hay's There's Only One Jimmy Grimble, Martin Duffy's The Testimony Of Taliesin Jones, Natasha Arthy's Mirakel, Nabil Ayouch's Ali Zaoua, Tapan Sinha's Anokha Moti and Andre van Durens' Mariken.

    In addition, the showcase of children's films will feature 12 shorts including Richard Goleszowski's Hooves Of Fire, Caecilia Holbek Trier's Susanne Sillemann and Kara Harshbarger's A Little Inside.