Todd & Super-Stella. Photo: Medieoperatørene
The children's films Todd & Super-Stella and Lars is LOL received awards from the European Children's Film Association (ECFA) on Saturday evening in Berlin. Additionally, the composers behind the drama series Power Play were honored with the HARPA award.
ECFA (European Children's Film Association) organizes a network of professionals in children's and youth film. Its goal is to strengthen and promote high-quality European children's films.
Each year, the ECFA Award is presented at the Berlin International Film Festival. It is the only European children's film award given by industry professionals.
The award is presented in three categories: Best European Children's Film, Best Documentary, and Best Short Film for Children and Youth. The nominees for the main prize, "ECFA Award 2025," are all winners voted for by an ECFA jury at a European children's and youth film festival in 2024. This year, Lars is LOL has been named Best European Children's Film, and Todd & Super-Stella has won Best Documentary. Additionally, the short film Iris by Jon Vatne was nominated in the Best Short Film for Children and Youth category.
“Mari has put in a tireless effort over many years to create a great film for the youngest cinema-goers. That makes it even more gratifying that the film is now receiving such international recognition from an organization dedicated to promoting children's films,” says Todd & Super-Stella producer Ingvil Giske.
Director Mari Monrad Vistven (second from the right) and producer Ingvil Giske (far right) accept an award in Berlin on behalf of their film Todd & Super-Stella. Photo: NFI
“It’s absolutely fantastic that Todd & Super-Stella is receiving this award and that sibling jealousy and painful loose teeth are engaging topics! This is a bit of a reward for Todd and Stella as well, who thought it was hopeless that I only filmed things they considered completely uninteresting in their childhood. Fortunately, they were wrong,” says director Mari Monrad Vistven.
Todd & Super-Stella is a unique documentary film made for and about children. Director and screenwriter Mari Monrad Vistven tells the story of a sibling duo: Stella is tired of being the youngest, dislikes pain, and struggles with everything she can’t do. It’s also incredibly annoying that her older brother Todd is bigger, better, and always wants to compete. But being the eldest isn’t easy either—Todd often dreams of selling Stella. Todd & Super-Stella is a true story about sibling relationships and the challenges of growing up.
The film is produced by Ingvil Giske for Medieoperatørene and premiered in Norwegian cinemas in October 2024.
The feature film Lars is LOL is based on the book of the same name by Iben Akerlie, who also co-wrote the script with director Eirik Sæter Stordahl. The film follows Amanda, who returns to school after summer break and is given a task she considers a social disaster: becoming a mentor for the new boy in class, Lars, who has Down syndrome. Amanda has a huge crush on her classmate Adam, is terrified of standing out, and is convinced that Lars will embarrass her. To her surprise, she and Lars become good friends. However, Amanda tries to keep their friendship a secret, and in her attempt to fit in, she ends up betraying both Lars and herself.
Caroline Hitland and Erik Sæter Stordal (in the middle) receiving ECFA-pris in Berlin. Photo: NFI
Producers Caroline Hitland and Sveinung Golimo created the film for Nordisk Film Production.Lars is LOL premiered in Norway in the fall of 2023 and has since won numerous awards, including the Barnfonden Prize for Best Children's and Youth Film at the BUFF Film Festival in Malmö and two awards at the Nordic Film Days in Lübeck.
The Norwegian composers behind the award-winning series Power Play, Makta in Norwegian, received the prestigious HARPA Award on Saturday evening.
Each year during the HARPA Nordic Film Music Days, held at the Nordic embassies in Berlin, the HARPA Nordic Film Composers Award is presented to the most outstanding Nordic composer of the year—highlighting Nordic talent and craftsmanship.
Prior to the award ceremony, national juries from each Nordic country reviewed, listened, discussed, and ultimately selected one of the 50 submitted compositions as their national nominee. This year, Norway’s nomination was Power Play, and it has now been decided that Kåre Christoffer Vestrheim, Andréa Louise Horstad, Kristoffer Lo, and Eivind Helgerød will receive the award for their work on the series' music.
This is not the first time Power Play has been recognized for its music. The series also won Best Music at Canneseries in 2023, where Kåre Christoffer Vestrheim and his fellow composers were honored for their contributions.
Manager International Relations, Documentaries
Manager International Relations, Feature Films
