The grand Jury from the XVIth edition of International Film Festival for Children and Youth, DIVERCINE 2007, have already announced the awards and special mentions to the best films and TV programs, in each category.
The Norwegian film Benny’s Gym by Lisa Marie Gamlem, got the Grand Award Gurí (a local word for “child”), and was chosen by the International Jury as the best fiction film, (members of the Jury: Felicia Krumholtz, from Brazil, Iñaki Sarasola, from Spain, and Andrés Nicolás, from Argentina). This film also received an special mention from SIGNIS .

Lotte from Gadgetville, directed by Estonian Janno Pöldma, won the award for Best Long Film by the Jury of Children from DENI Plan and the award for Best Long Animation Film from the International Jury.

UNESCO Uruguayan Office Award ( US$ 2.000) , was given to the director of the Best Latin America and Caribbean film or video, being then to Brazil director Jair Giacomini, for Leonel pé do vento, Best Opera Prima from the International Jury.

Argentina shared the Best Short Animation Film Award for Lapsus, directed by Juan Pablo Zaramella, Grand Award from SIGNIS and Best Short Film from the Jury of Children from DENI Plan.

Scotland won the Best Short Documentary Film with The Truth About Tooth, directed by Hazel Baillie and Ethiopia won for the Best Short Live Action Film Menged, directed by Daniel Taye Workou.

Brazil also won Best Long Film, UNICEF Award and Special Mention with The Year my Parents went on Vacation, by Cao Hamburger.

And Russia shared the Best Short Animation Film Award for Zhiharka, directed by Oleg Uzhinov, the major award of the Festival.

Best half-duration film awarded was Where is the New Year?, from Poland Janusz Martín and Robert Turlo, and Best Uruguayan Film Award (ANTEL) was Col el caracol: Bomba, by Pablo Pera.

The Best Film by Divercine Popular Jury was given to Girl Thirteen, a Chinese film by Michelle Chen Miao.

The Awards and Mentions Celebration took place in the closure of Divercine Festival, and prizes were given to diplomatic representatives of each country, in order to send them to all directors awarded in this Festival Edition. We might have a second thought when we see the countries all the awards went to. There are countries in which there is a special care about children’s education, may be too strict to our liberal eyes, but they do look forward to a definite project, with the support of their Government and the responsibility of its Officials. It’s a whole world of artists who dedicate their life to movie production for a very young public, very sensitive and extremely vital.

Boys and girls, young and adults participated of this event where TV and movies are the means of meeting, enjoying, feeling pleasure, looking into all cultures of the world –those who are far and the nearest- but always aiming at the quality of an art which is also a means of communication.