„How Can Film Criticism Grow Up with Its Audience? Current Challenges of Writing about Youth Cinema“.
Panel Talk hosted by Berlin Critics’ Week, the European Children’s Film Association (ECFA), Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique (FIPRESCI) and the German Film Critics Association (VdFk)
Saturday, February 14, 2026
1:45 PM – 3:15 PM
Thuringian State Representation in Berlin | Vertretung des Freistaats Thüringen beim Bund
Anton-Wilhelm-Amo-Straße 64
10117 Berlin
Films for young audiences are everywhere — yet film criticism rarely treats them with the same attention, depth, or seriousness as “adult” cinema. This panel takes a closer look at why that is, and why it matters. How do labels like “children’s film” or “youth film” shape public perception, media coverage, distribution, and cultural value? How are critical and viewing habits changing in the digital network society? And what gets lost when these films are sidelined in critical discourse?
The discussion brings together Carmen Gray, New Zealand-born freelance film critic, journalist, and programmer; Tobias Krell, former co-programmer of the Munich CineKindl Film Festival and television presenter/reporter/editor; and Axel Timo Purr, editor at the online film magazine artechock. Moderated by Marta Bałaga, film journalist based in Finland and Poland.
Together they explore where and how writing on children’s and youth films can be published today, how broader audiences might be reached, whether new forms of criticism are needed, and who film criticism should address in the future — parents, adults, or young viewers themselves. A conversation about visibility, responsibility, and the future of film criticism.
Welcome address: Gudrun Sommer (ECFA Board /DOXS RUHR), Ahmed Shawky (FIPRESCI President).