Frogs and Feathers

Anna (10) spends her summer by the lake, caring for frogs—just like she did with her father before he passed away. Here, she feels closest to him, as if he’s still watching over her. But today is different. It’s her 10th birthday, yet instead of celebrating with her mother, she’s focused on saving the frogs. Lately, she’s found several dead ones, and dark clouds of crows gather more than before. When she discovers a living frog, she takes it home, determined to protect it. At home, her mother waits with cake and presents—it’s the first birthday without her father. They miss him but struggle to talk about it. When her mother sees the frog, she insists Anna accept nature’s cycle, but Anna refuses. Disappointed, she retreats to her room. She recalls her father’s words: “You only know a frog is a frog once you’ve kissed it.” She kisses it, and in a magical moment, the frog transforms into a silent boy. Together, they return to the lake and build a scarecrow, hoping to keep the crows away. But the birds tear it down. Yet as Anna’s fantasy begins to unravel, she faces a choice: keep holding on to the past, or finally let go.

  • Lykke Sand Michelsen
    Director
  • Kate Offenberg
    Writer
  • Gabriela Uweis
    Producer
  • Sia Alba Steckel Magnussen
    Key Cast
    "Anna"
  • Oliver Ye Lu
    Key Cast
    "The boy"
  • Iben Dorner
    Key Cast
    "Mom"
  • Anne Skamris
    Director of photography
  • Tillie Buisson
    Sound Design
  • Casper Belmaati
    Composer
  • Arturas Buividavicius
    Colorist
  • Marie Rønnest
    Editor
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Fugle & Frøer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Magical realism
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    March 8, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    9,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Denmark
  • Country of Filming:
    Denmark
  • Language:
    Danish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Lykke Sand Michelsen

Lykke Sand Michelsen is an accomplished director, screenwriter, and actress with an extensive career spanning film, television, and theater. Her work is characterized by a deep exploration of human emotions, often merging psychological realism with poetic and visual storytelling.
As a director, Lykke has helmed projects such as "Frogs and Feathers" (2025), a short film blending magical realism and emotional depth, and the acclaimed TV series "Do You Know Her" (2023) for Copenhagen Bombay. Her background as a screenwriter includes projects like "All There is Left" (2022) and A moment of eternity (2021), showcasing her ability to craft narratives that resonate across genres and formats.
The idea for Frogs and Feathers emerged when screenwriter Kate Offenberg approached Lykke with a story she had carried with her for a long time—a tale that she felt was missing from the cinematic landscape. Deeply moved by its potential, Lykke saw an opportunity to craft a visually poetic and emotionally resonant film that could speak to both children and adults about loss and healing.
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0585102

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Director Statement

“Frogs and Feathers" is a very important film to me. Children experience grief as intensely as adults, yet often without the language to understand or express it. This film stems from a desire to not only depict grief but to create a visual and emotional space where children—and the adults around them—can process it. To capture a child's perspective on loss, we have crafted a cinematic universe where magical realism intertwines with raw reality. The frog’s transformation into a boy is not merely a fairytale element; he embodies the protagonist’s hopes, fears, and need for control in a chaotic world. The film’s visual language draws from classic fairytales but with a modern, nuanced expression that allows the audience to experience grief through the child’s eyes—innocent, imaginative, and all-consuming.
We have collaborated closely with The National Grief Center in Denmark, which has expressed interest in using the film in their work with grieving children. Additionally, we have integrated psychologically grounded elements based on expert input from The Danish Cancer Society to ensure an authentic and profound portrayal of children's grief reactions.
Our goal is to create a film that lingers in the audience—a poetic yet unflinching exploration of loss, acceptance, and the lingering echoes of love. We hope that this film will serve not only as a tool for children in grief but also as an artistic experience that transcends its target audience, allowing the complexity of grief to unfold in a universal cinematic language.