Media education seminar and workshop
In September 2013 representatives of youth film festivals and mediacenters from 15 European countries met at the international festival of high film ”Four River Film Festival” in Karlovac, Croatia. There they jointly founded the “Youth Cinema Network”. It is a network for European youth film festivals and mediacenters whose aim is to improve the exchange among member institutions and support youth film and media pedagogy. The Network consists of partner festivals, organizations and associations which actively work in the area of youth filmmaking. It is envisioned as a unique platform with a joint web page. The main goal is to empower European youth filmmaking, to encourage young filmmakers in making films professionally and to provide them with tools and knowledge to tell their film stories at film festivals across Europe. Thus, members of the Network are young filmmakers, their mentors (media educators), film groups within which they operate, festivals at which they can potentially show their films, and all other entities that are directly or indirectly connected to high school film.
The first step has been made – around 20 European film festivals which cover primary and high school film have been connected. The second phase is to encourage engagement of direct network users - i.e. the ones for which the Network has been created - young filmmakers. CFA team decided to prepare a seminar for their mentors, or media educators who transmit knowledge, and a parallel workshop program for participants (young filmmakers) from four cinema clubs/institutions, which is going to be held in Čakovec in September (23th - 27th). The emphasis is on the countries of the region (Croatia, Hungary, Serbia and Slovenia). If it turns out that the project is successful, next year it would cover a larger area. Media literacy is a perfect tool for promoting the learner-centred provision of basic and transversal skills and competences, including languages, digital and entrepreneurship skills. Media creates its own language, it encourages both artistic and technically talented youth and points out entrepreneurship as a very important skill in film business. That’s why is not only important to connect youth using media literacy, but also to connect their mentors so they could exchange experiences, knowledge and maybe make some new partnerships – which is definitely transferring their professional profile out of the school system which is in most cases not very flexible.
Seminars and workshops like this one also represent a way to point out that media literacy should form part of the education system (because it could improve it and solve some issues in a non-conservative way) which is not the case in Croatia, nor in the majority of European countries. Thus, the Seminar and the Workshop are regional; films which are going to be made and the booklet which is going to be issued will travel from one member of the YCN to the next. They will be presented at festivals (members of YCN), panels, round tables etc., which should definitely affect awareness of European policy agendas in education and training.
Seminar participants will be experienced teachers and media educators who are working with young filmmakers. Workshop participants will be young filmmakers who already have some experience in filmmaking. Participants are going to be divided into two groups:
a) Seminar participants will be: two mentors from each partner organization (a total of 8 participants, age 24 - 30 years) with guest participants from Croatia (leaders of cinema clubs for children and youth interested in such an event, media trainers - 6 participants).
b) Workshop participants will be: four children from each partner organization (a total of 16, age 14 - 18) with guest participants from Croatia - 12. They will have 4 types of workshop: animation, TV report, documentary and fiction. Workshop participants will be also incorporated in the children’s international jury.
Program partners:
a) The Luksuz Production, Krško, Slovenia
The Luksuz Production, DZMP is the video production division of the Society of Allies for Soft Landing, Krško (DZMP) established in 1997. Its first professional project was Boris Petković's short fiction film Forward (1998) which was invited to several international film festivals. Since 2001 Luksuz production premises have become an important "video classroom" for young video creators and a production centre for new generations of film and videomakers. It is one of the pioneers in the democratisation of film as a medium in Slovenia. The Society of Allies for Soft Landing was established in 1995 by a group of young people who were disillusioned with the apathy surrounding many youth-orientated cultural programmes. Since that time it has developed an active contemporary arts programme at its club premises in cooperation with a network of youth cultural centres both in Slovenia and abroad, comprising in excess of 150 concerts, theatre shows, exhibitions and performances. A significant part of programme features educational activities and humanitarian activities in support of different vulnerable social groups.
b) Gombolyag Foundation, Budapest, Hungary
The fundamental aim of the Gombolyag Foundation is to help develop the knowledge, skills and competencies of young people (children and adolescents) through educational and sensible activities offered in a playful manner and informal setting by getting them to enjoy creative activities. The Gombolyag Foundation is open to every type of activity, whether it be performed independently or jointly in a group, in order to attain the goals defined above. Main activities:
- In the field of environmental education, activities, on the one hand, focus on the passing on of knowledge, and on the other hand, on the promoting of a more environmentally friendly and environmentally aware attitude.
- In the field of culture (which ranges from cinematography to music to various arts covering every cultural field), beyond the transfer of knowledge, activities aim to concurrently strengthen tolerance. We believe that anyone capable of creating art, or at least accepting cultural products, will become more open and tolerant towards accepting otherness.
- In the field of sports and health protection, the short-term goal involves spending free-time in a healthy and enjoyable manner, alongside shaping attitudes adhering to health preservation and fair play in the long run.
Naturally, the mission of the Gombolyag Foundation equally extends to encompass creating a friendly and organic relationship with the social and natural environment in the broader and narrower sense, as well as preserving local traditions and presenting their values to young people visiting our facility from around the country or abroad.
c) Cultural Centre, Gornji Milanovac, Serbia
In the past 44 years of existence, Cultural Centre has grown into a modern institution which organizes and implements several demanding projects in the field of culture. In addition to our regular programs ( art, theatre, music, literature, drama...):
- International Biennial of Miniature Art ( in the organization of the Cultural Centre since 1998.)
- Art Colony " Mina Vukomanović Karadžić " (2004 .)
- Short Film Festival and the film colony "Kratka forma ".
Cultural Centre team has a great experience in working with children and youth, especially in terms of media education, which is used as a tool and method in the most events they are organizing: panels, discussion, workshops, conferences...
Seminar and workshop program
Tuesday, September, 23rd
During the day – arrival of the participants
19:00 – Welcome dinner at Hotel Turist
20:00 – Best films from the 51st Children Film Festival (Cinema Galerija, Varaždin)
Wednsesday, Septemeber, 24th
08:00 – Breakfast at Hotel Turist
09:00 – Varaždin sightseeing tour with a guide
11:00 – 14:00 – Children workshop program (Vanima, Varaždin)
11:00 – 14:00 – Seminar program for group leaders: The concept of media education in different countries: presentation of the situation in Croatia, Hungary, Serbia and Slovenia - 40 minutes by country + 20 minutes discussion (Cinema Galerija, Varaždin)
14:00 – Lunch at Hotel Turist
15:00 – 18:00 – Children workshop program (Vanima, Varaždin)
15:00 – 16:30 – Seminar program for group leaders: Functioning of video groups and clubs (both within school and as extracurricular activities) in different countries; presentation of the situation in Croatia, Hungary, Serbia and Slovenia - 20 minutes by country + 10 minutes discussion (Cinema Galerija, Varaždin)
16:30 – 18:00 – Seminar program for group leaders: Children as media educators (lecturers: Ksenija Sanković, Antonio Britvar), (Cinema Galerija, Varaždin)
19:00 – Dinner at Hotel Turist
20:00 – Best films from VAFI 2014
Thursday, September, 25th
08:00 – Breakfast at Hotel Turist
10:00 – 14:00 – Children workshop program (Vanima, Varaždin)
10:00 – 11:30 – Seminar program for group leaders: Media education in relation to children age (lecturers: Ana Đordić and Ivana Rupić), (Cinema Galerija, Varaždin)
12:00 – 13:30 – Seminar program for group leaders: Media pedagogy in student homes (lecturer: Marinko Bronzić), (Cinema Galerija, Varaždin)
14.00 – Lunch at Hotel Turist
15.00 – 18.00 – Children workshop program (Vanima, Varaždin)
15.00 – 18.00 – Group leaders group work, (Cinema Galerija, Varaždin)
19.00 – opening ceremony of the Festival, 1st competition screening and Q&A with the authors (Cinema Galerija, Varaždin)
21.00 – dinner at Hotel Turist
Friday, September 26th
07.30 – breakfast at Hotel Turist
09.00 – 2nd competition screening and Q&A with the authors (Cinema Galerija, Varaždin)
10.30 – 3rd competition screening and Q&A with the authors (Cinema Galerija, Varaždin)
12.30 – excursion to Ludbreg, lunch in Ludbreg at 13.00
15.00 to 17.00 – Ludbreg sightseeing tour with a guide
17.30 to 18.30 – 4th competition screening and Q&A with the authors (Ludbreg Cinema)
19.30 – arrival to Čakovec
20.30 – gala dinner party at Hotel Park, Čakovec
Saturday, September 27th
07.30 – breakfast at Hotel Park
09.00 – 5th competition screening and Q&A with the authors (Culture Center, Čakovec)
10.30 – 6th competition screening and Q&A with the authors (Culture Center, Čakovec)
12.00 – Čakovec sightseeing tour with a guide
14.00 to 15.00 – talk between festival organizers and representatives of film clubs and media teachers (Culture Center, Čakovec)
14:00 do 18.00 – Children workshop program (hotel Park, Čakovec) / seminar program for group leaders (group work) (Culture Center, Čakovec)
18.00 – 7th competition screening and Q&A with the authors (Culture Center, Čakovec)
19.30 – dinner at Hotel Park
20.30 to 23.00 – disco program at Hotel Park
Sunday, September 28th
07.30 – breakfast at Hotel Park
10.00 – closing and awards ceremony of the festival (Culture Center, Čakovec)
11.00 – talk between authors and festival jury members (Culture Center, Čakovec)
12.30 – lunch at Hotel Park
14:00 – 17:00 - Student workshop program (hotel Park, Čakovec) / seminar program for group leaders (group work) (Culture Center, Čakovec)
18:00 –Group work presentations and workshop film screening / conclusions of the seminar (hotel Park, Čakovec)
Monday, September, 29th
07.30 – breakfast at Hotel Park