The International Film Festival for Children KinoKino and its second edition will present an overview of the finest films for children, and Zagreb’s Europa Cinema will again become the boiling point of children’s cinematic imagination, starting from Tuesday, 21 February, until Sunday, 26 February. The Festival opens with a treat for all generations, one of the most famous children’s films of all times – Richard Donner’s 1985 smashing hit Goonies.

The competition consisting of eight fiction films is presenting little heroines and heroes trying in their own respective ways to change the world: some are saving a Greek village from the financial crisis, some are unmasking dark secrets, and some are bringing back special laughter. The Boy Who Sold His Laughter is the latest film by one of the most significant present-day German directors, Andreas Dresen, an adaptation of the namesake book by James Krüss.

This year’s KinoKino Festival is all about the iconic children’s novels: apart from Dresen’s Boy, the fourth sequel of the Croatian hit serial based on Ivan Kušan’s popular novels about a boy named Koko will also be screened – Mystery of Green Hill, directed by Čejen Černić. Shortly before the official release, the KinoKino audience will get a chance to see Anka by Dejan Aćimović, based on the novel Anka Brazilijanka by Mato Lovrak.

The line-up includes Tsatsiki, Dad and the Olive War by Lisa James Larsson, about the Crete adventure of a boy named Tsatsiki from Stockholm, Master Spy by the famous Dutch director of children’s films Pieter van Rijn, and Fanny’s Journey by Lola Doillon, based on real event from Vichy France. The Dutch film The Day My Father Became a Bush by Nicole van Kilsdonk, a Croatian co-production, features several recognisable Croatian actors like Jan Kerekeš and Hrvojka Begović, and a touch of magic from the other side of the world comes with the Indian film Badminton by Mehran Amrohi.

Out of competition screenings include the award-winning animated hit film currently competing for an Academy Award – My Life as a Courgette by Claude Barras. The side programmes also feature First Time at the Cinema, a special line-up of films for the youngest audience, meeting the cinema adventure for the first time.

We have not forgotten about the parents or other grown-up company: all the generations will be able to take part in quiz shows, and the section 18+ features one older title, The Reader by the famous director Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot, The Hours, The Crown), and a more recent American indie film: Little Men by Ira Sachs.