WATCHwords Spring 2011

WATCHwords Spring 2011
Dear Friends,
The date is fixed, and the theme is determined: Preparations for PRIX JEUNESSE INTERNATIONAL
2012 are well underway! From 1–6 June Munich will again be the worldwide gathering point for
children’s TV professionals.
“Watch, Learn, Grow with Children’s TV” is the 2012 festival theme. Children are learning all the
time and from everything they see on TV; educational and entertaining can’t be separated. What
does that mean for quality children’s TV, and how can we support children’s curiosity about life?
During the next festival, in the discussions, from research reports, and in info sessions we will shed
light on this important topic.
Contest rules and entry forms for PRIX JEUNESSE
INTERNATIONAL 2012 will be available on our
website as of September. Don’t miss the December
deadline to enter your best children’s and youth
programmes into the competition!
Before we meet in Munich next year, though, our
sister festival PRIX JEUNESSE IBEROAMERICANO will
showcase Latin America’s children’s TV scene in Sao
Paulo, Brazil, from 11–19 June 2011. The deadline
to enter productions from Spanish- or Portuguesespeaking countries is 8 April 2011. More information
on entries and participation can be found at
www.prixjeunesseiberoamericano.com.br.
This edition of WATCHwords holds inspiring reports on training activities with the PRIX JEUNESSE
Suitcase around the globe. The 2010 festival programmes sparked excitement in a former prison in
Iraq, in winterly Montréal, as well as in the mountain kingdom of Bhutan, among many others. We
hope you find those reports inspiring!
Best regards
The PRIX JEUNESSE Team
Content
A Prison Setting for a Kurdish PRIX JEUNESSE Suitcase Screening 3
Montréal’s “Media Jeunes” Invites PRIX JEUNESSE 2010 Suitcase
4
Izmir Workshop Welcomes Turkish Children’s TV Experts
5
Dominican Republic Hosts PRIX JEUNESSE Suitcase for the First Time
6
The PRIX JEUNESSE in Damascus: A yearly celebration!
7
III International Children’s Art Film Festival in Colombia
8
Beijing Hosts Workshop on Quality Programming for Children
9
Children’s TV Scene Meets in La Habana
11
On Top of the World: Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan Hosts Suitcase 13
Suitcase Delicacies for Hungry Slovenian Producers
15
The Early Birds Gets the Worm: The Suitcase at the Kidscreen Summit
16
4th International Children’s Film Festival Bangladesh Features PRIX JEUNESSE Suitcase
17
WatchWords Spring 2011 | Page 2
A Prison Setting for a Kurdish PRIX JEUNESSE Suitcase Screening
by Dani Leese, Deutsche Welle-Academy, Germany
Sulaymaniyah, Northern Iraq, Kurdistan. The
gates of ‘Amna Suraka’ (the ‘Red Prison’
in times of Saddam’s rule; now a museum,
gallery and cinema) opened for local TV
makers. These days, cultural events are held
in this slightly bizarre setting of walls littered
with bullet-holes, former war machineries
and prison bars, still heavily secured by thick
walls, strong gates and soldiers with machine
guns.
30 participants took their seats in a modern cinema hall; together we’ll open the PRIX JEUNESSE
Suitcase 2010, screening in three categories: Pre-school, Educational/Magazine and Diversity. The
screening was supported by Goethe Institut Arbil/Iraq and broadcaster KurdSat.
An interpreter translated the films from English to Kurdish, starting with BOOKABOO, THE SHOW
WITH THE ELEPHANT and DR KARIN’S STETHOSCOPE. Applause and short acclamations from the
audience were positive signs, but we also used green and red cards to find out how the audience
liked the films, whether they’d interest and enrich Kurdish children, and whether local channels
could show them. Nearly everyone’s green cards went up.
Next, we saw LET’S SEE THE SPEED OF SOUND, BEATBOX and TURNING POINT – a Syrian programme
on teenage girls dealing with the challenges of adolescence. Comments became more controversial
and participants whispered about whether the films would appeal
in Kurdistan and to what age groups. TURNING POINTS especially
split the group – while most women welcomed the choice of topic,
almost all men were sceptical if the topic was relevant.
For the topic, “Diversity,” we watched LA LLEVA and ABI: CLEAN
YOUR PLATE. The participants found the topic strongly relevant
for Iraq and specifically Kurdistan: 100% green cards go up.
It was dark in Sulaymaniyah when the TV people left the cinema
through the old prison courtyard, still saying “our children need
information, a voice and orientation – in a country, which at this
moment has too little of all of that”.
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Montréal’s “Media Jeunes” Invites PRIX JEUNESSE 2010 Suitcase
by Caroline Fortier, Youth Media Alliance, Canada
Once again, as part of the Youth Media Alliance (formerly The Alliance for Children and Television)
Media-Jeunes Conference in Montreal, Quebec, professionals from children’s and youth media
screened a full-day PRIX JEUNESSE suitcase. As always, it was a wonderful experience, raising
questions, comments and sometimes eyebrows!
The Quebecois participants appreciated the diversity of programs, especially those from a child or
teen’s perspective, recognized by all as being one key element to a successful program.
ROHAN’S MOUSTACHE from India was definitely a favorite program, especially because it was made
by youngsters. With user-generated content (UGC) more available and popular every day on the
web, our Canadian professionals felt this was a great example of content created from a teenager’s
perspective.
MISSIPOO16 generated a strong reaction, as many felt the
program’s content would probably not be well received by
Canadian parents, though they recognized it could certainly
be appealing to teenagers. As it, too, reflected a certain type
of UGC, it could certainly be a great discussion starter in
classrooms or homes.
PAUL AND THE DRAGON, dealing with cancer and its treatment,
was seen as a program needing discussion, particularly with
younger audiences. The quality of the program suggested it
would be a useful tool for cancer treatment facilities and among families who are facing such a
challenge.
VOLT raised eyebrows; its inclusion of a recipe for explosives led many to question Danish broadcasters’ responsibility and audiences’ tolerance.
Finally, PUBERTY: DANIEL’S DREAM was considered highly intelligent for its honest, rare and teencentered description of the experience of puberty for a boy.
Overall, the Canadian delegates very much enjoyed the screening session. They applauded the diversity and quality of programs as being an inspiring experience as always.
Warmest regards from Canada!
WatchWords Spring 2011 | Page 4
Izmir Workshop Welcomes Turkish Children’s TV Experts
by Sevilay Bozdemir, TRT Turkish Radio & TV, Istanbul
In the two years since the successful launch
of kids’ channel TRT COCUK, we have been
working on new media and different formats
for our materials. Every colleague producing
for TRT COCUK needs to be prepared to bring
his or her own project to new media platforms.
The PRIX JEUNESSE Suitcase was a perfect
training opportunity.
Colleagues from Ankara, Izmir and Istanbul
came together for three days watching and
discussing content, production values and especially new media tools. The 20 participants
were very enthusiastic and discussed every
programme in details. We watched strong programmes about tough issues such as divorced parents,
kids’ cancer and puberty, and it quickly became clear that even among Turkish colleagues, cultural
differences and personal or professional backgrounds created different points of view.
After fruitful screenings and discussions, Greg Childs from the UK made a presentation on cross
media. He started with the basics: what interactivity, crossmedia and transmedia mean and why
they matter. He went on to explain how children are using interactive and social media, differences
among age groups, and mobile and console content delivery. At the end of the day he underlined
how to partner in developing cross media approaches and business models.
As a practical example of crossmedia, Gemma Derksen
and Leontine Marcella Groen from The Netherlands
shared their experience on an amazing interactive
drama, “SPANGAS.”
Armed with all this information, we held a brainstorming workshop. It’s often hard to find the time for
creative thinking at work so it was wonderful to have
time to focus on ideas and different techniques.
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Dominican Republic Hosts PRIX JEUNESSE Suitcase for the First Time
by Sandra Cadavid, FUNGLODE, Dominican Republic
T he greate st challenge facing telev ision
producers who work for the children’s and youth
audience is to provide programmes that are enriching, educational and entertaining at the
same time. With this statement, Maya Goetz,
director of the International Central Institute
for Youth and Educational Television (IZI) and
the PRIX JEUNESSE Foundation, opened the first
Dominican Republic workshop for media professional, in Santo Domingo.
Goetz explained that PRIX JEUNESSE transmits knowledge and ideas that are implemented in other
countries, providing impulses and inspiration that can increase and improve the quality of children’s
television in places like the Dominican Republic.
“Shows like Hannah Montana are highly attractive to children and youth around the world, but
we also need something richer,” according to Goetz.
“Our challenge is to be educational and entertaining, and compete with series as good as those
like Hannah Montana. Dominican children need
to see themselves and their own culture in quality
TV programmes made for them, something the
PRIX JEUNESSE Foundation promotes through its
worldwide activities and network.”
The PRIX JEUNESSE Suitcase workshop was organized by the Global Multimedia Institute (IGM)
of the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (FUNGLODE) in the Dominican Republic.
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The PRIX JEUNESSE in Damascus: A yearly celebration!
by Firas Dehni, Syrian TV, Syria
For nine straight years, the PRIX JEUNESSE Suitcase has been presented in Damascus, Syria. So
again, in January 2011, dozens of hyperactive children and film experts came (on separate nights)
to the Goethe-Institut. Post-screening discussions are always highly interesting and serious, and the
event is eagerly awaited by Syrian children and adolescents.
This year’s program was again a journey
around the world with films and programmes from India, Mexico, Chile,
Tur key, T he N ether land s, Swe d en,
Finland, UK, USA, Taiwan, Germany and –
for the first time – Syria.
The Syrian program “Turning Point” highlighted this year’s screening, as it won the
UNESCO Prize at PRIX JEUNESSE INTERNATIONAL 2010, and the director of the
Goethe-Institute Damascus and I were
able to present the certificate to Mrs.
Manal Salhia, the director of the film.
WatchWords Spring 2011 | Page 7
III International Children’s Art Film Festival in Colombia
by Stephanie Rückoldt, Caleidoscope of Dreams, Colombia
Cheering, marvelling, singing and clapping – that is
how the children responded at the “III International
Children’s Art Film Festival,” organized by the Caleidoscope of Dreams Foundation in the “Cinemateca
Distrital,” the communal cinema of Bogotá.
Over 7 festival days and 15 sessions, there were 60
short films from 23 countries, in screenings for kids
from ages 4–6, 7–10, 11–14 and, for the first time,
teenagers. Films on the festival topic “Somos uno
en la Diferencia” (“United in all our diversity”) came
not only from PRIX JEUNESSE and the festival BKFF
from Brasil, but also via Cámara Etc (Belgium), the
Sun Child Festival (Armenia), the Animation Workshop
(Denmark), Tikitiklip (Chile), Lola Kenya Screen
(Africa), Canal Once (Mexico), “Amref” (Nairobi),
Telewitzja Polska (Poland), Pilot Moskow Animation Studio (Russia) and others. The selections
introduced children to the realities of life in many countries. Additional support came from the
Carare Foundation.
Altogether, 1270 spectators visited
the festival, mostly children from
Bogotá of different ethnic and
social backgrounds. Free admission
allowed socially disadvantaged
children to participate, with many
spectator visiting a cinema for
the first time. Founder Stephanie
Rückoldt imagined the whole event
as a “piece of art”, brought to life
by a colourful mix of participants.
The 4th International Children’s
A r t F i l m Fe s t i v a l i s a l r e a d y
scheduled for December 2012,
with the theme “Life’s Dreams.”
Information is available at www.caleidioscopios.net and [email protected].
WatchWords Spring 2011 | Page 8
Beijing Hosts Workshop on Quality Programming for Children
by Preben Vridstoft, TV2 Denmark
Before I left for Beijing, I’d been informed there would be 20 to 30 participants at our workshop;
a nice size for discussion and exercises. By the time I arrived, however, the group was 120-180
people, from CCTV children’s department and children’s channels, and from the University. Some
of the exercises would be impossible, and it would be difficult to get Chinese participants to speak
up in such a big group; still, we had good and fruitful talks during tea break, lunch and after the
workshop.
CCTV is eager to improve the quality of its children’s programmes, not in order to win prizes but to
help the Chinese children learn about the world, about themselves and about their background and
culture.
Confronted with our larger audience, we changed the workshop into a set of lectures and discussions of different “tools” to produce better stories and programmes for children and not about
them. We explored production costs and planning, and producing for a changing children’s culture.
Instead of the PRIX JEUNESSE categories,
we presented programmes in thematic
groups. One dealt with the difficult topic
of death and included “Moritz: It’d be Cool
if She Became an Angel” from Germany,
“Laura & Anne 4ever” from Holland, and
“Mille” from Denmark. We talked about
whether the programmes for children, if
children should be exposed to these topics,
and how Chinese children might react. Our
Chinese colleagues loved the films, judging
them as world class productions.
“Moritz: It’d be Cool if she Became an Angel”, ZDF
Staying with tough topics, the Chinese colleagues liked the use of animation in “Paul and the Dragon” (about a little boy fighting cancer) and
“The Little Boy and the Beast” (concerning divorce) as a good tool for raising difficult topics with
children.
The Chinese producers were very interested in children doing things for themselves, and so appreciated the Danish programme “Operation X – for Children” (a girl fights to get a school modernized, all the way to the Prime Minister) and “The Shrinks” (a team of Irish children turns a staid
WatchWords Spring 2011 | Page 9
Head of School into a cool guy).
Turning to science, the audience was not sure about the daring content in “Volt” from Denmark
(could they show how to boil pee and how to turn a skateboard into a match), but liked the visual
creativity of this and of the Japanese programme, “Discover Science: The Speed of Sound.
The Chinese producers were excited about the Syrian programme “Turning Point.” Puberty is a
topic that is not easily discussed in TV in Syria, or in China!
We viewed new models for educational programmes, such as the BBC show “Horrible Histories” and
CITV reading show “Bookaboo,” two very different ways to get children to read and explore nonfiction content.
To show how important the “set up” is, we compared the first two minutes of the Dutch drama
“Firuze” and the Chinese melodrama “Tian’ai’s Ordeal.” After two minutes, we know what “Firuze”
is about – conflict between cultures and generations – and we’ve seen her neighborhood, a great
beginning! ”Tian’ai’s Ordeal” has a very slow start, without a clear story in the first tow minutes.
Even a great programme has to grab its audience right away.
Thanks to Ms Li Lei and Ms Wang Yan for their organizing skills, and bravo to China for how fast it
is learning!
WatchWords Spring 2011 | Page 10
Children’s TV Scene Meets in La Habana
by Pablo Ramos, Cuban Film Institute, Cuba
During the Habana Film Festival, the antique manor house now known as the “Casa de México”
hosted the 24th meeting “The Audiovisual Universe of the Latin American Childhood.”
The peculiar Latin American “punctuality” and music swinging in from the streets of Habana’s
historic centre upset the scheduled timetable, but provided a good excuse to share a Creole black
coffee or a cold Nacional beer.
The meeting focused on exchange of experiences toward promoting autonomous participation of
children and youth in communication processes. Alexis de Jesús Costa, a French producer from the
Cinema Atelier of the Annecy Animation Film Festival, arrived two weeks early, to hold animation
workshops with adults, and with children between 7 and 15 years old from the popular Habana
district of La Timba.
The results of this workshop
b e c a m e p a r t o f t h e co n ference, together with similar
experiences from Belgium,
Cuba, Spain and Portugal. Most
interesting was a project from
Venezuela, in which children
from indigenous communities
producing short animations
reflecting the unique view of
indigenous people from the
world around them.
The work shop also considered best practices in Latin
American media literacy education, including a workshop in the Dominican Republic by the Global Foundation for Democracy
and Development (Fundación Global Democracia y Desarollo FUNGLODE) and the International Film
School Cuba, to introduce children to basic principles of audiovisual production. Another project
from the International Film School Cuba, by photography student Carlos Soratti, gave children from
a little village the opportunity to be creators and protagonists in their own stories.
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Screenings from the PRIX JEUNESSE Iberoamericano 2009 and PRIX JEUNESSE INTERNATIONAL 2010
focused on non-fiction formats.
Frequent La Habana visitor Jan Willem Bult of The Netherlands was present to give a workshop
on TV series for adolescents, but also had the welcome surprise of receiving the children’s jury
prize “Garabato” for the pre-school production “Frogs and Toads” (Kikkerdil), directed by Simone
van Dusseldorp. Also at the award ceremony, key supporters of the UNIAL meetings – including the
PRIX JEUNESSE Foundation – received a special ceramic art piece made by children of the project
“Caguairán.”
This December, “The Audiovisual Universe of the Latin American Childhood” will celebrate a
quarter’s century of creative works for children. All those who work for children and wish to share
deeply from their heart experiences, projects and dreams are invited to join in this up-coming
“Habanera” meeting.
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On Top of the World: Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan Hosts Suitcase
by Dani Leese, Deutsche Welle Academy, Berlin
Prominently positioned on a hill, the venue of Bhutan Broadcasting Service overlooks Thimphu, the
capital of Bhutan. In cooperation with Deutsche Welle Academy and BBS we are screening the 2010
PRIX JEUNESSE Suitcase.
The BBS campus consists of a couple of production and administration buildings, a small vehicle
fleet and – quite newly – a parking ground for the BBS staff. More and more workers own a private
car, quite new for a country where until a few years ago, only government cars were driving on
unpaved roads!
The participants are quite a mixed group from BBS management, administration, technical departments and the producer pool. We are concentrating on non-fiction for the 7–11 and 12–15 age
groups, as BBS is extending its programming for
the young audience, through a newly-established
children’s and youth department, with the mission
to produce regular programming with Bhutanese
background.
Our first round of programmes consists of the
Korean documentary “Summer Night Adventures,”
the Colombian magazine “La Lleva,” and the BBC’s
“Horrible Histories,” which is especially contro“Horrible Histories”, BBC
versial. “Too fast,” some find, but others think
this show is “cool and funny.” Almost everyone thinks the show isn’t critical enough of historical
violence and that key figures are dealt with without respect – at least from a Bhutanese perspective. So, we discuss what form such a history format could take in Bhutan, what stories from
Bhutanese history it could feature, and how they could be presented in Bhutanese style in an entertaining fashion. We all agree that we constantly have to reflect and review the roles we have as TV
producers. Are we on eye-level with our target audience?
We work with a uniquely Bhutanese system of valuation, mixing visuals from cricket reporting (the
sport is highly popular) with the PRIX JEUNESSE voting criteria.
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Our second screening round features “What Turns me on – Chess” from Mexico, the Danish science
show “Volt,” and “Beatbox” from Cartoon Network Germany. The technical realization and affinity
to youth culture impress the participants. They discuss the need for a good basic concept, the cool
protagonists and presentation in relation to the technical effort. There is great debate between
“dirty” shooting techniques and authentic presenters, versus “clean” content and techniques. The
BBS colleagues try to get as close as possible to the mindset of the 12 – 15 year olds. ‘Teaching
or preaching’ - what role do we take as producers, is a
question that will certainly keep the BBS producers busy in
the future.
Our cricket visualisation brings up Cartoon Network’s
“Beatbox” as a winner. We close the day with a 2008
winner “A Sunny Day,” fitting the weather outside. Our PRIX
JEUNESSE Suitcase session at BBS was great fun, and in high
spirit we leave the BBS campus for a wonderful sunny afternoon in Thimphu, Bhutan.
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Suitcase Delicacies for Hungry Slovenian Producers
by Martina Pestaj, RTV Slovenia
Allow me a personal beginning: I was especially hungry for this PRIX JEUNESSE Suitcase. Due to
maternity leave, I missed the 2010 festival, and found it so hard to be away for four years from this
overview of the world’s best productions. Missing PRIX JEUNESSE made me realize how essential it
is for one’s work.
So I was extremely happy to bring the Suitcase to Slovenia in March. We spent two days in a little
dark room, but it was so inspiring and fruitful. Most people stayed the entire time; even those who
had to run to meetings or shootings always returned. We were a heterogeneous group: producers,
directors, screenwriters, hosts and production assistants; festival veterans and
newcomers, all astonished by the variety
of programmes for children and youth.
The more familiar we got with the programmes and with each other, the more
courage we had to discuss. We compared
the programmes w ith our own productions, shared our critical comments,
experiences and wishes. We appreciated
both high budget programs and the idea
and simplicity of low budget shows.
People from school television got new ideas for educational formats, marveling at host who were
at once articulate scientist, athlete and kind presenter. We were completely touched by some
very special documentaries, and praised the producers who gave space to such powerful and important themes as death, not to mention the strength of the beautiful young people who shared
such painful and very personal stories. We believe this is going to help us to grow as producers and
human beings.
We’re looking forward to PJ 2012!
WatchWords Spring 2011 | Page 15
The Early Birds Gets the Worm: The Suitcase at the Kidscreen Summit
by David Kleeman, American Center for Children and Media, USA
During the annual Kidscreen Summit in New York, most delegates relish every moment of sleep;
Kidscreen’s hectic agenda (some people have meetings every half hour for three straight days) is as
exhausting as it is exhilarating.
Still, at 8 am on the third day of the Summit, over 100 people rose early for coffee, muffins and
animation from around the world. Themed screenings from the PRIX JEUNESSE Suitcase are a great
chance to step back from issues and trends, or the press of business, and take one’s imagination out
for a jog.
For 2011, we decided to show all animation (the 2010 theme was “humor,”
because it’s so varied place to place).
As the animation industry is front and
center at Kidscreen, we picked unique,
often culturally-rooted examples to
stand out.
As everywhere in the world, “The Little
Boy and the Beast” had the strongest
impact; fortunately, people could see
through their tears to its soft, distinctive
"The Little Boy and the Beast”, ZDF
style. “Paul and the Dragon” was
similarly appreciated for using a very accessible style to tell a difficult story, and “Puberty:Daniel’s
Dream” opened eyes (even so early in the morning!) for its straightforward sexual content.
With no new PRIX JEUNESSE International until mid-2012, we’ll need a new theme for February’s
Kidscreen 2012, so as to spotlight a new selection of fascinating global TV. Any ideas?
WatchWords Spring 2011 | Page 16
4th International Children’s Film Festival Bangladesh Features PRIX
JEUNESSE Suitcase
by Munira Morshed Munni, Children’s Film Society, Bangladesh
“Future in Frames” was the slogan of the 4th International Children’s Film Festival Bangladesh which
was held in Dhaka, Chittagong and Rajshahi from 22nd
to 28th January 2011. 234 feature, short, animation
and documentary films suitable for children under the
age of 18 from 40 countries were screened during the
week-long festival in 14 different venues. An audience
of over 40.000 children and young people watched
the films in the festival. Among them, some were
under-privileged, physically challenged and working
children. Students of different schools also attended
the festival.
Screenings of selected films from the PRIX JEUNESSE Suitcase were a central element of the
festival. 24 films from 17 countries from the Suitcase were presented at the British Council auditorium, one of the main venues of the festival in Dhaka. Some films were repeated in other
venues also. An impressive number of more than 6,000 children enjoyed and discussed the PRIX
JEUNESSE films.
134 child delegates from all over Bangladesh attended the festival by the invitation of the festival
committee. Besides watching movies, a day-long
workshop on film was organized for those kids, and
they also had the opportunity to meet with three
prominent personalities.
There was a competition of films made by Bangladeshi
child filmmakers of under the age of 18 in the festival.
48 pre-selected films were shown in the competitive
section and 5 of them received awards. A five member
jury made by children judged the films for awards.
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