11/12/2013 - Kajsa Næss’ fully-animated short It’s Up To You awarded the Norwegian Ministry of Culture’s Human Rights Prize

Norwegian director Kajsa Næss’ fully-animated, 15-minute short, It’s Up To You, which has screened at more than 20 festivals, was yesterday awarded the Norwegian Ministry of Culture’s Human Rights Prize.

“In kindergarten, everybody else’s dads are not in prison. That’s the problem”. In her fourth film Næss wanted to interview children with a parent behind bars. They told her about their loss, fear, shame and loneliness. With Lise Fearnley, Næss is since 1996 the co-owner of the Mikrofilm animation house.

“I had no idea that every year 6,000-9,000 children in Norway learn what it means to have a parent in prison. These children feel that they are accountable for the mother or the father's action, which affects them both emotionally and practically,” Næss explained. “They meet society's prejudices and often take responsibility for situations they involuntarily find themselves in. By letting them tell their stories, I hope to break down these prejudices.”

“This year's winner brings into the light a difficult and taboo-like subject related to several thousand children, confirming that they are not alone in this situation - and knowing this can make it easier for them to talk about it,” added state secretary Knut Olav Amas, of the Norwegian Ministry of Culture.

It’s Up To You won for Best Norwegian Short Documenary in Bergen and Best Nordic-Baltic Short at Fredrikstad. Presented biennially to inspire artistic or documentary treatment of human rights issues on film, and help to uncover human rights violations, the €6,000 prize goes to the film’s director.