The Norwegian film Lars is LOL, directed by Eirik Sæter Stordahl, was awarded the MICHEL Film Prize MAJA, endowed with 10,000 euros, at last year’s MICHEL Film Festival.

The decision was made by the MICHEL jury, which consists of seven children and young people between the ages of 12 and 16. The South Korean film It’s Okay! also received an honourable mention. The jury’s statement read: “The Norwegian film Lars is LOL should win this year’s Maja Prize. What we liked: In our opinion, this film won because it deals with a serious topic such as bullying, which was presented in a realistic and child-friendly way. Through this film, we learned how people with Down syndrome live and are treated. We could also identify with the main character, as she does not do everything right, as in other films, but also makes mistakes and learns from them. Many of us also liked the South Korean film It’s Okay, so we would like to mention it as well. We could fully empathise with the main actress because all the emotions were there. It was nice to see how people who were so different ended up living together and learning from each other. Both films show that even if not everything in life goes perfectly, we can learn from challenges and make new friends.”