Today, film and audiovisual media have an enormous influence on children, young people and society in general. Film education therefore has a key role to play: it teaches us to understand film narratives, as well as intentions of their makers and to question them critically. It promotes sensitivity to the manipulative potential of audiovisual narratives as well as creativity, aesthetic perception and democratic participation.
Film education is missing from the school curriculum in many European countries. The aim of FilmED is to develop practical teaching materials that can close this gap and enable educators,cultural and educational institutions to work with film education. Through them, we want to reach thousands of pupils in Central and South-Eastern Europe, who can thus expand their knowledge of European cinema. But above all, we want to give them a deeper understanding of social and political contexts and promote cultural exchange and European values.
FilmED approaches film education in two different ways. In the first, we focus on the craft of film and the history of cinema, covering topics such as cinematography, editing, directing, producing and scriptwriting. The second approach sees film as a tool for exploring social and political issues as well as for developing critical thinking.
Between 2024 and 2025, in cooperation with international partner organisations - cultural and educational organisations, film festivals, cinemas and other film institutions - from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and North Macedonia, we will test and analyse the best practices in European film education methods through real-life workshops and bring them all together in an interactive website. The core of the website will be practice-based learning scenarios that can be implemented directly in the classroom or at any other learning venue (e.g. programs of cultural/educational institutions). In this way, we offer interested educators and cultural and educational organizations' representatives training, practical guidelines and concrete support.
We want our project to be accessible to all, thus we will cooperate with various vulnerable group’s workers and include films that address their issues and represent their voices.
To get involved and keep up with FilmED, please contact the project manager: tereza.stastna@goethe.de.
FilmED is co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.