II International Exhibition of Educational Cinema MICE (Spain)
(II Mostra Internacional de Cinema Educatiu)
The “II International Exhibition of Educational Cinema MICE ” (II Mostra Internacional de Cinema Educatiu) organized by the Association Jordi Mussol was held in Valencia. The festival screened 260 films from 60 different countries that included a selection of educational films and movies for kids. In addition, a section devoted to films made by children, mainly coordinated by teachers who are involved in media education, was opened. In this sense, this exhibition is not only a screening place, where kids can experience film-going but it also aims to become a meeting point for those interested in education and cinema.
Josep Arbiol, director of the festival, highlights that this event is a result “of the need to showcase the work in the field of media education that is carried out around the world.”
The MICE 2014 includes a special monographic section devoted to South Korea with an exhibition at the University of Valencia, “one of the countries which gives priority to media education and where 25% of teachers in primary and secondary education are trained to work in this field”.
Apart from screenings and exhibitions, brainstorming sessions were conducted, among which the “Table on Media Literacy” moderated by Paula Jardón (University of Valencia) deserves special attention. The table was shared by outstanding personalities such as: Family Learning Programmer at the British Film Institute (BFI), Joana Van der Meer, the dean of the School of Communication at the University of Beiging, Zhenhu Sun, the Secretary General of the European Children’s Film Association (ECFA) Felix Vanginderhuysen, the director of ‘Media Desk Spain’ (Ministry of Education and Culture- European Commission) Jesús Hernández, and representatives of the Directorate General for Audiovisual Education at the Austrian government, Renate and Karl Houlebeck Brousek .
A look to the education section of the 64th Berlinale (Germany)
The 64th International Berlin Film Festival marked a record with a total projection of 409 films and more than 330,000 tickets sold in 23 theaters.
As part of the “Generation” section, experts, teachers and students enjoyed activities and screenings related to film education. The program was divided into two: “Kplus”, targeted to children aged 3 to 14 years old and “14plus” for young adults. Viewers and people of all ages took part in sessions devoted to critical reflection and debate environment where aesthetic elements and contents of film programmed at the Berlinale were discussed. Those events were attended by professionals who participated in the making of the projected film and helped children discover new perspectives through their guided critical approach to film language.
The “Generation” section also holds the development of two projects, one focused on Media Literacy and the other, of great interest for Film Literacy, “Abgedreht! Deine Welt in der Totalen”. It is an activity that joins young journalists (16-19) who work together during the Berlinale elaborating news around the film festival, which later on are published in the journal “fluter.de”. During this workshop led by media professionals, students learn how to do interviews, write articles, publish online and discover how to be a photojournalist.
The “Berlinale School Project” project invites schools from Berlin to join morning screenings with the aim of moving the classrooms to the movie theater. The Berlinale invited 50 teachers to pre-screening sessions to determine if the content of the films fitted their curricular activities. Once films were watched, they selected the best ones to be used in their classes for educational purposes. This activity is supported by Vision Kino organization.
During the festival days, the annual meeting of the ECFA organization (European Children’s Film Association) was celebrated. Directors from the festivals and associations related to Film Literacy gathered together in order to discuss the next steps in the implementation of film education strategies regarding the actual state of the art. The presence, among others, from Vision Kino, Goldener Spatz, Oulu Children Film Festival, Buster Film Festival, Camera Zizanio – Olympia International Film Festival and representatives of German Authorities, was of great interest to the Berlinale participants.
Dimitris Spyrou (artistic director of the Olympia International Film Festival) highlighted the importance of those initiatives for the cultural and creative legacy of future generations. After more than 10 years´ experience developing Film Literacy activities, he stated that it was a reward for him to join former participants in his Film Festival in other European cities, those children that once played to make films have now become internationally recognized filmmakers.
http://www.berlinale.de/en/das_festival/sektionen_sonderveranstaltungen/generation/index.html
