4th European KIDS Regio Forum

Under the Patronage of the European Parliament and Catherine Trautmann, President of Eurimages, the KIDS Regio Forum 2024 took place on 27-28 June in Erfurt, Germany, under the theme “Building Bridges”. The Forum focused on improving political support for children’s films.

Held every five years since 2009, the KIDS Regio Forum built on the results of previous editions and aimed to foster closer cooperation at European level. The focus of the 2024 Forum was on POLICY, with the aim of increasing the visibility and support of children’s films in legislative, funding, and policy-making processes. The overall aim was to ensure that the social and cultural relevance of children’s films was better recognised in the broader context of film and cultural policy.

The Forum brought together a diverse mix of invited participants, including experienced professionals from the children’s film industry and influential figures in film and cultural policy from across Europe. This ensured a rich exchange of insights and fostered dynamic collaboration.

Since its inception in 2009, KIDS Regio had pioneered innovative conference design. The Forum featured an interactive, dynamic, and participatory structure, replacing static panels with engaging sessions to maximize the potential of all participants. The 2024 Forum continued this tradition.

One of the only prepared inputs was the Welcome Keynote by Rikke Flodin, which set the stage for discussions on how to improve children’s film policy in Europe. This keynote presented the results of the research project “KEEPING UP WITH CHILDREN AS AUDIENCE”, conducted in collaboration with Will&Agency’s publikum.io from Denmark. This anthropological study analyzed qualitative data from children aged 7-11 in 12 European countries.

The Forum aimed to generate immediate results during the event, including media coverage to highlight the importance of children’s films. A detailed report with the results of the study would be published in October 2024. These results would support KIDS Regio’s lobbying efforts and the individual activities of all Forum participants.