Rick Lens, the young star of Dutch award-winning film Kauwboy, will be attending the film’s premiere in Malta as part of this month’s ŻiguŻajg arts festival for children and young people.

Kauwboy, the winner of the inaugural European Young Audience Award held earlier this year, has already had a successful run in Europe at several film festivals.

It tells the story of 10-year-old Jojo who finds a black baby jackdaw that has fallen out of its nest.

Jojo, who has an unhappy family life, puts his whole energy into tending to the bird, which becomes his best friend.

He revels in this newfound responsibility, giving the bird the love and care that he is missing in his own life. More importantly, however, this friendship helps Jojo move on and take joy inlife once again.

Lens has been credited with giving a strong performance by critics and, in the words of one reviewer, it was the boy who attracted the most attention.

“He carries quite a heavy burden on his skinny shoulders, so it is all the more impressive how he easily shrugs off this pressure with a completely natural and balanced performance.

“He perfectly portrays the innocence of a child who is forced to grow up too soon and come to terms with a staggering reality which, in the end, helps him deal with loss and eventually let go in order to be able to move forward and take joy in the beauty of life once again.”

Kauwboy will be screened at St James Cavalier cinema, Valletta, and will be presented in Dutch with English subtitles.

Dates of the screening of the film can be found on www.ziguzajg.org.

Both the screening of the film and Lens’s visit to Malta has been made possible with the collaboration of the Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands in Malta.

Tickets to all ŻiguŻajg festival events between November 19 and 25, including Kauwboy, are free but subject to booking via the festival website. Tickets can be collected from St James Cavalier.