EFAD in Venice - Film Education: Inspiring Young Audiences Around Europe
On 6 September, EFAD and the Italian Directorate General for Cinema and Audiovisual of the Italian Ministry of Culture (MiC) organised a workshop on film education during the Venice Film Festival. The event brought together EFAD members, and representatives of the wider European audiovisual sector to exchange national intiatives, best practices, challenges on film education and literacy, as well as to discuss forms to strengthen young people’s engagement with moving images and cinema.
The event was moderated by Eszter Lányi, Head of Training at the National Film Institute, Hungary.
Opening the discussion, Chris Marcich, EFAD Chair and CEO the Croatian AV Centre, highlighted the opportunity to learn from one another and identify practices that could be adapted to national contexts.
Giorgio Carlo Brugnoni, Director General of the Directorate General for Cinema and Audiovisual of the Italian Ministry of Culture, underlined the importance of film education within the national cultural policy and pointed to the joint declaration on image education with France, presented at the Lumière Summit on 7 September.
Sevara Irgacheva, EFAD Secretary General, reflected on how young people’s relationship with moving images is changing, stressing the need to develop their ability to engage critically with the content they consume.
The first panel showcased approaches to film education in France, Denmark, Italy and Croatia. Olivier Henrard, Deputy General Manager of the CNC, discussed France's school cinema programmes, which involve almost two million pupils, around 80,000 teachers and more than 1,000 cinemas each year. He highlighted the importance of educational resources for teachers and explained the ''Young Ambassadors'' programme, through which young people became influencers through social media and recommended films to their peers.
Line Aarsland, Deputy Director of the Danish Film Institute, explained that their national approach combines the cinema experience, analytical skills and practical filmmaking. She said that DFI runs labs that allow children to start creating films from kindergarten, and emphasised that we need to build our European culture together.
Bruno Zambardino, seconded to the General Directorate of Cinema and Audiovisual of the Italian Ministry of Culture, outlined Italy’s cooperation across education, equal opportunities and youth policies, stressing that social inclusion, gender equality and the social impact of film education should remain central.
Regarding Croatia, Chris Marcich shared the efforts of the Croatian Audiovisual Centre to develop a film education curriculum for schools and build partnerships with education authorities. He emphasised the importance of multidisciplinary training for teachers, including on the opportunities and challenges of new technologies.
The second panel gathered perspectives from production, distribution, exhibition and children’s film festivals.
Ada Solomon, Producer and Board member, European Film Academy, discussed the value of curated screenings and debates, questioning the tendency to measure success primarily through financial results. She argued that a film’s lasting cultural and social impact deserves greater consideration.
Frédéric Cornet, Managing and Artistic Director, Cinema Galeries & Board member, Europa Cinemas, highlighted cinema as a place for attention, discovery and social connection, sharing the experience of the Cineville subscription scheme in Belgium which is especially popular among young people in their 20s.
Hanna Lajunen, CEO, Cinemanse, Member of Europa Distribution, drawing on examples from Finland, she explained how reduced prices, family days and initiatives allowing children to bring a parent for free can encourage attendance and create opportunities for different generations to enjoy films together.
Elizabeth Wenk, Head of Golden Sparrow foundation and festival, Project Manager, Kids Regio, underlined the importance of children’s first cinema experiences and of ensuring they can discover European films made for them. She highlighted the role of festivals, conversations after screenings and accessible educational materials in helping young audiences engage with what they have seen.
Simone Gialdini, Managing Director, ANEC and Vice-President UNIC, called for stronger links between schools and cinemas and shared Italy’s experience of collecting data on student attendance and the films they watch to better understand the impact of these activities.
EFAD is very grateful to all participants for this fruitful discussion. EFAD members firmly believe that film education is a core priority, especially in today’s rapidly changing media environment, where it's essentail for young people to think critically, develop their creativity and discover diverse stories and cultures.