JAPAN PRIZE 2016 Prize Winners

The Best Work in the Pre-school Category
< The Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Prize >
The Boy on the Bicycle
Entering Organization Drummer TV
Country/Region United Kingdom
Media TV
(By Loes Wormmeester)
In this documentary, children are taken on an unprecedented and fascinating guided tour by 16-year old Syrian boy, Ahmed, through one of the biggest refugee camps in the world – Zaatari in Jordan. Ahmed cycles through the camp introducing us to his friends and giving us a unique view into the community that has formed in this camp. He shares his hopes and dreams along with those of the children in the camp. Very informative, but at the same time in a very poetic way, we are invited into the lives of the different children in the camp: from the boy who works in the bakery to support his family to the girl who loves football and wants to become an architect one day. The diverse stories are heart-warming and powerful; surprising and captivating. Despite the adversity of living in a refugee camp, children make the best of the situation and show their resilience. The jury was impressed by the bonds formed between children and their families. This documentary can teach viewers around the world to better empathize with the refugees and helps eliminate some of the stereotypes about refugee and life in refugee camps. Ahmed speaks from his heart telling us the freedom he feels when riding his bike but still his last line is: “Syria I miss you so much.”
(By Rachel Drummond-Hay)
Winning the JAPAN PRIZE is a huge honor for us at Drummer TV. It’s fantastic to be recognized on such a prestigious international stage, and very humbling for our film to be chosen as the best in the Primary category given the strength of the other entries. We set out to make Boy on the Bicycle for children in the UK, but the success of the film has been overwhelming and we are thrilled that now the film is now reaching a truly international audience. The stories of our characters are so important to tell, highlighting the terrible effects of war on children, but also their incredible resilience, bravery and strength of human spirit. Whilst the situation of these children and their families is tragic, they still make room for laughter, optimism and simply being a child. Thank you for watching and for your recognition of our film.

← Prize Winners 2016 Announced

TOP