Kids For Kids affiliated events around the world!

As some of you might already know, the KFKF movement can now rely on national or regional affiliated events in different parts of the world. It all started with the Balkan KFKF in 2006 (see more info below), and for the first time this year, our colleague from Finland, Maikki Kantola, organized the First Nordic and Baltic Kids for KidsFestival (NBKFKF) that was held last March during the Videotivoli Film Festival in Tampere, Finland. On the very first day alone, there were 520 spectators! More than 485 films were sent to both Videotivoli and the NBKFKF, a HUGE success! Congratulations to Maikki and her team!

The NBKFKF was organized along the KFKF guidelines, and the winners will automatically be included in the Official Competition of the International KFKF 2008. Check out the winners, and some very cool pictures on our web site!

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http://www.videotivoli.fi/english08/kfk/index.htm

 

The third edition of the Balkan Kids For Kids Festival will be held next August in Belgrade, and organized by our colleague from Serbia, Miomir Rajcevic.  Last year, 54 films from eight countries were submitted for this regional KFKF event. The two Grand Prize winners were invited to attend, all expenses paid, at International KFKF Award Ceremony in Naples (Italy). For this 3rd edition, the deadline for submission has been extended to June 30th! So if you live in the Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey) hurry up, you still have time to enter your film and participate in this exciting regional event, and if your film is chosen by the jury, you might get an invitation to attend the 2008 International KFKF next October!

For complete information, rules and regulations, entry forms, and so on, go to : http://www.balkankfkfestival.eu

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A very special invitation to all young filmmakers willing to attend an International youth film camp in Korea!

You are invited to attend an International Youth Film Camp organized by our colleagues from the Seoul International Youth Film Festival in Korea (SIYFF). From July 16th to the 22nd 2008, the SIYFF will held its 10th edition, and will be hosting its annual International Youth Film Camp.

This camp wishes to give young filmmakers a good opportunity to develop their talent through various interesting programs. International Youth filmmakers will come to this non-profit camp and learn from film professionals leading a series of workshops. Participants from around the world will get together, making films and making friends. This International Film Camp is for future filmmakers, and future leaders of the global media culture.

The organizers are planning to invite 100 youngsters aged between 13 and 18 years old. The 7 days camp program includes screenings, hands-on workshops, “meet the director” sessions, conferences, and so on. A committee will select the participants, and if you are one of them, the organizers will pay all or almost all your expenses: non-Asian participants will get $500 US for travel expenses, while Asian participants will get $250 US for their travel expenses. All participants will stay in the same hotel and the organizers will pay for their full accommodation: hotel, meals, and local transportation.

Wouldn’t you like to attend and be a participant in this unique adventure? What have you got to loose in sending in your application? Because the first criteria is to be able to communicate in English and to apply before May 31st 2008.

To apply, log on the website, choose English, click CAMP and then SIYFF CAMP ENTRY FORM

Get the “full information package” at  www.siyff.com

Applications must be sent through the website or by fax at +02 775-0502. Parents contact numbers and signature will be required later on. So, start dreaming, stop worrying, and give it a try!

And just in case you wonder, the reason why we’re publishing information on this international event and urging you to participate, it’s because the Seoul International Youth Film Festival has been a CIFEJ member for years, and we totally trust their professionalism and enthusiasm, and are more than happy to support their work and their vision.

So, if you can read this, and if you are at least 13 years old but not over 18 yet, if you're interested in film and want to learn more, if you're ready to explore and experience new sights, new sounds, new colors, new everything, more or less, you just have to apply. It's simple, it's free, and it's open to everyone.

Go ahead, pass the word, and tell your friends! Our friend and colleague, Lee Ji Sung, the Media education coordinator of the SIYFF is waiting for your applications.

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Latest news from Argentina: our colleagues from Taller El Mate are kicked out of their school, declared “unsafe” by local authorities!

A local newspaper has just published an article announcing that the Argentinean creative workshop called Taller El Mate was not able to start their cinema classes due to the extreme deterioration of the building, seated on Maipù #4116 in Buenos Aires, a building managed by the Municipality. Let us remind you that Taller El Mate is a “film school” teaching ca. 130 pupils yearly, and since its foundation 20 years ago, had 1, 200 youth students and almost 6,000 young children from public schools. Over these 20 years, 196 short films were produced, and overall, 89 prizes were awarded to films produced by these students. In the International Award Ceremonies of the Kids For Kids Festival only, films from Taller El Mate won the top awards in 2004 (Athens), in 2005 (Naples), in 2006 (Cyprus), and again in 2007 (Naples).

Irene Blei, the head of El Mate, says that even though local authorities are trying to relocate them in another College, at least temporarily, it is not a real solution: they would be facing the same problems of humidity, water leaks, too few bathrooms, to name just a few, and an overall lack of space in this new venue as in the old one.

I once had the chance to visit this “house”, and can still feel the vibes…was it a house? a school? a cultural centre? None of the above, but it was certainly a magical, tiny, 2 stories-high building sandwiched between 2 tall commercial buildings, on a very busy street in a very busy area of Buenos Aires…if you’d walk too fast, you could easily miss it, but when you did find it, you were transported into another dimension. This fairytale-like house was built at the end of a garden, not so common in downtown Buenos Aires, with genuine grass, bushes, flowers, and children going around…Weird sounds came out of the windows, heavy lights shone through others, the whole building was involved in making movies! It was everything but luxurious, everything but spacious; basically, it offered 4 walls and a roof, but it was their walls, their tiny production studio, their editing space,  they were occupying this house totally, completely, all year-long, day-in, day-out. But once you were inside and working with these young filmmakers, the dimensions of each room became irrelevant, and physical constraints disappeared.

Obviously, Irene Blei and her staff contributed to create this unique environment, but with the parents and the kids energy, this place was really special. I had never experienced anything similar in terms of high voltage enthusiasm, dedication, courage and fierceness…they were making films with children way before it became “trendy” and/or included in the extremely large mandate of so many INGO’s nowadays…

The funny thing is that in 2005, the plans to build a new school on the same lot were approved by the city. That’s why the Association of the founding fathers of Taller El Mate is now collecting signatures (une petition en anglais?????) hoping to force local authorities to find a long-term solution. If you want to send your support, write a few words and send it to info@tallerelmate.com.ar and don’t forget to sign it, give your status (young filmmaker, media educator, festival director, etc…) and indicate the country you come from.  You can also send it to the reporter of the newspaper that printed the article: Maria Noel Scanarotti at: mscanarotti@clarin.com

It might not change the decision of the authorities, but it will certainly lift Irene’s spirit!

To know more about El Mate, go to www.tallerelmate.com.ar

I saved the last words to a kid who wrote directly to  the  Argentinean’s newspaper :

“Descubri que el cine es lo que màs me gusta hacer. El Taller El Mate es mi segunda casa. Por favor hagan algo ràpido”- sent by  Ilan Fritzler, 10 years old, 2nd year student

 (may I offer an amateur translation ? “I discovered that making movies what I liked most. El Taller El Mate is my second home. Please find a solution quickly…”)

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