An international film competition for children and youth is currently underway at the Children’s Cultural Centre Kotilo, open until 31 August. The competition will culminate in November at the Frozen Nights Media Art Festival.
Children’s Cultural Centre Kotilo will organise a new media art festival for children and youth, Frozen Nights, on 10–13 November 2026. The event is part of the Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture programme and brings together young film and media art enthusiasts from Finland and abroad.
The four‑day festival offers a diverse programme: a film competition for works created by children and youth, workshops and masterclasses, a seminar for professionals, filmmaker visits, and film screenings. The event concludes with a gala evening on Friday, 13 November. Frozen Nights is organised in collaboration with the Oulu International Children’s and Youth Film Festival, which takes place during the same week.
Children’s Cultural Centre Kotilo has extensive experience in film education and has organised, among other things, the national Oskari competition for films made by children for over 20 years.
“As part of our work at the Children’s Cultural Centre, we have visited international festivals with young film enthusiasts, and films made by children from Oulu have been screened around the world. Thanks to the Capital of Culture year, we now have the opportunity to organise our own international event here in Oulu,” says Tommi Nevala, Executive Producer at Children’s Cultural Centre Kotilo.
“The first Frozen Nights event focuses on our strengths — film and animation — but with a slightly new approach. In the future, the aim is to develop the festival further towards a broader range of media art.”
Competition open until the end of August
The film competition held as part of the festival is open to children and youth aged 7–20. A wide variety of audiovisual works are welcome. The maximum length of a film is eight minutes, and submissions must be sent by 31 August 2026.
The Frozen Nights competition offers children and youth a unique opportunity to express their own voice through media art. More information about the competition, registration, and film submission can be found on Kotilo’s Frozen Nights page.
