Discover Film & Cinema: Now more than ever!

Organised by Vision Kino and KIDS Regio under the umbrella of the German Presidency of the European Council
26 November 2020 | Online

The 8th Congress “Vision Kino 20 – Impulses for Film Education in the European Focus” from 25 to 27 November 2020 is postponed until June 2021. This year’s European perspective in the course of the German EU Council Presidency will not only be carried over into next year, but was also offered in two online modules, organised jointly by Vision Kino and KIDS Regio on 26 November.

In view of the German EU Council Presidency 2020 the online sessions focused on the discovery of film and cinema for young people and discussed the role and opportunities of cultural spaces and film education in transnational dialogue. The programme was aimed at film mediators, teachers, cinema operators, filmmakers, young people and all those interested in film and media education.

On 26 November the online Event “Discover Film & Cinema – Now more than ever!” as a collaboration of KIDS Regio and Vision Kino started with the session “Discovery Space Cinema”. The panel consisted of industry experts from all over Europe and was moderated by Paul Tyler. Presenting best practices engaged in converting cinema into a discovery space for the young audience as well as providing a creative and engaging environment. The panel invited the audience to not just listen but to be active, to discuss and learn from each other.

From Switzerland Lorenzo Berardelli kicked of the panel by introducing The Magic Lantern an international Film Club for children 9-12 years old as well as their programme for children aged 4-6 The Small Lantern. Both programmes aim to introduce children to cinema and film culture. Since film is not embedded in the Swiss school curricula The Magic Lantern tries to fill this void. The Small Lantern offers parents and little children a first and educational approach to film by introducing different topics around film in each session and then watching a corresponding example together. This gives children the opportunity to understand the film better and be able to review it on their own. After being part of The Small Lantern children often become a club member of The Magic Lantern. Each year 90 screenings in more than 30 cities are offered to the young audiences. Most of the programme is financed by a public fund and its umbrella association. Additionally, local partners and volunteers support the individual clubs on sight.

Rijeka being one of the European Capitals of Culture 2020 dedicated one of their flagship projects to the young audience. The opening of the so called Childen’s House however unfortunately had to be postponed until the beginning of 2021 due to the pandemic. As director of the public institution Art-Kino Slobodanka Mišković presented the project. Children’s House is becoming a new venue for art education in an old industrial complex. Including a cinema, studios, multi-function rooms, a library, a museum and an open air cinema. It offers a lot of space to be creative and experimental. After the launch, Children’s House will also be hosting the Tobogan Festival and its workshops where children are invited to learn and experiment with film. The festival also provides opportunities for school teachers to learn about film and how to include it in their lessons.

Ciclic Centre-Val de Loire was founded in 2012 as a public agency to promote publishing and audio-visual projects. It focuses its activities on five main divisions: Creation, Diffusion, Education, Books and Patrimony. Julien Hairault, coordinator at the Education Department of Ciclic introduced their activities and shaped the vision of seeing children not just as an audience but also as future film makers and artists. The department acts on four main aspects: raising awareness, screenings, training and publishing. Ciclic does not only organise educational screenings for students but also trainings for teachers to transmit knowledge and prepare them for lessons. Next to artistic workshops in classrooms with film professionals, they set up an online platform called Upopi to facilitate the discovery of moving images in a sensitive way to play with  and to analyse them. The offer is currently being translated to English.

Watershed is one of the longest existing best practices of the panel and was presented by cinema curator Mark Cosgrove. Built in a converted warehouse in the city cntre of Bristol, Watershed is involved with film and cinema since 1982. It is described as a three screen cultural cinema and a cross art centre. Not just the concept is an open one but also the building invites to come together and be creative. The team is involved in multiple projects such as talent development in cooperation with the BFI Film Academy, the Young Person Magazine (a content creation project) as well as many industry events. Watershed is about giving young people a space to make their own.

Kino Otok is a Slovenian non-profti-organisation which started focussing on film education in 2013. With different partners such as the EFA Young Audience Award, Moving Cinema and The Film Corner, Kino Otok tries to improve the film offer for the young audience in Slovenia. Since neither film educational activities nor funding were available Ana Cerar and her team faced many challenges. Starting with a focus on theage group of young school children they have  now enlarged their  activities for children aged 3-18. By creating events in local clubs, theatres and bars the young audience gets involved with cinema, spreading European film culture throughout the region. Besides that, Kino Otok operates in schools and trains teachers. In the year of the pandemic with online lessons, zoom sessions and video calls, Kino Otok converted their programmes into online events which had the positive effect of extending their reach throughout the country.