FeKKIDS: The Long Hot Summer

Long, Hot Summer
However, the programme Long, Hot Summer reveals that life is not always as idyllic and that how we choose to spend our summers says a lot about our social standing. The selection of films demonstrates how perceptions of a careless summer vary across the globe, as does the way in which people’s “trivial concerns” materialise. The programme, which consists of just four films, tackles a wide range of socially conscious issues, such as poverty and cultural diversity, the importance of friendship, teenage rebellion, and the evaluation of parental authority. By composing a light and humorous programme, I wanted to demonstrate to the public that carefree summers are a sign of privilege and that most people throughout the world do not have carefree childhoods. The films all set in summer to aid the audience in recognising different social and economic circumstances of the individuals’ summers.
The first film of the programme, A Short Film about Kids (2023), follows three friends from the Bethlehem refugee camp who decide to visit the sea for the first time in their lives. Next up is the animation Summer ’96 (2023), in which Paul and his family and friends venture on a traditional picnic on Callot Island but get caught by the sea. In Rizoo(2024), we meet a teenage protagonist who must decide whether to wear her hijab or not for a class portrait. The final film in the series, Death to the Bikini! (2023), features another rebellious protagonist dealing with growing up in a western culture.
The concept for the programme was that, in the midst of wars, inflation, genocide, and growing hate, I looked for something that could help me understand what I believe to be the core of the previously mentioned complex symptoms of the crumbling society—the issue of intolerance and misunderstanding of others. The programme thus aims to instil in at least a few children the ability to accept and be curious about other cultures, so that we might all enjoy the long summer days.
Jelena Radić Recommended for children 8+ as it contains Slovenian subtitles