SCHLiNGEL Abu Dhabi: day one

SCHLiNGEL is an international film festival for children that has been running since 1996 in Chemnitz, Germany, showcasing the most exciting new productions for young people. This year’s Abu Dhabi edition, the third, runs on 21, 23 and 24 October. The opening film for Friday 21 Oct is …

A Butterfly’s Heart dir Inesa Kurklietytė (2023)

This delicately-rendered coming-of-age narrative from Lithuania explores friendship, acceptance, courage and the importance of embracing one’s uniqueness. It follows a 10-year-old boy and budding entomologist named Juozapas, a sensitive soul who lives a sheltered and solitary life; while other children spend their days together, he devotes his time to his passion for insects and butterflies. Inside an abandoned mansion, he has created a remarkable world of his own filled with colourful beetles, crickets and delicate butterflies. Can Rugile, the fearless new girl in town, help Juozapas gain courage and acceptance to overcome exclusion and the insensitivity of the people around them?

This film also screens on 23 October at 4pm.