Films are much more than just a medium. They can inspire, fascinate, move and help understand the world. FilmED is a project funded by the European Union that aims to foster film education in Central and Eastern Europe and make it accessible to educators, cultural and educational organizations and, through them, to children and young people from preschool age to upper secondary school. Since young people today are constantly surrounded by film and audiovisual media, FilmED wants to offer them the opportunity to deeply engage with and comprehend the world of film.
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.
Our primary goal is to increase the capacity of both educational and film institutions to develop and provide film education training programs for teachers. As these institutions have already established networks with educators, we will leverage these connections, using a train-the-trainer model to expand film education. With the help of the interactive online platform and the film education scenarios presented there, these institutions will get to know how to offer comprehensive and hands-on sharing of their expertise with teachers, so that the educators can introduce or enhance existing film education in their schools or kindergarten – ultimately benefiting young audiences.
Our primary goal is for educators to bring the film education to their schools. Through FilmED, teachers will receive practical training on how to incorporate film education into their classrooms. To ensure relevance and ease of use, educators will be involved in the project from its inception, and they will be trained through real-life workshops with young audiences.
We want young people to have greater film literacy and a better understanding of European film. We believe that film education enables them to gain knowledge of the school subjects through the appealing and thought-provoking medium of film. We will impact this group by working with the participating educators.
We will directly involve:
kindergarten children
elementary school students
high school students
young people participating in informal education
vulnerable groups, such as minority groups, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ individuals, mental health-care communities etc.
I want to be informed about FilmED!
To get involved and keep up with FilmED, please contact the project manager: tereza.stastna@goethe.de.
When: September 26, 2024 (date in 2025 TBC) | For whom: teachers | Contact: edukace@krutonfilm.cz
Project Days
Full-day programs featuring short films will offer practical workshops for young audiences focused on dramaturgy and filmmaking using artificial intelligence. Young audiences will watch the best short films from contemporary European and global cinema, engaging in discussions and critical thinking about them under the guidance of experienced experts.
When: March 2-3, September 28, October 21, 2025 - dates will be announced | For whom: children aged 12+ | Contact: edukace@krutonfilm.cz
Project Days
Full-day programs featuring short films will offer practical workshops for young audiences focused on dramaturgy and filmmaking using artificial intelligence. Young audiences will watch the best short films from contemporary European and global cinema, engaging in discussions and critical thinking about them under the guidance of experienced experts.
When: March 2-3, September 28, October 21, 2025 - dates will be announced | For whom: children aged 12+ | Contact: edukace@krutonfilm.cz
Film Academy: Teaching (with) Film
For primary and secondary school educators as well as interested extracurricular instructors: Under the guidance of award-winning filmmakers, participants will become acquainted with the theoretical and practical foundations of audiovisual creation and gain inspiration on what is possible in teaching with film and in the field of audiovisual and film education. More information here.
When: August 26, September 26, November 11, the dates in 2025 will be announced | For whom: teachers | Contact: edukace@krutonfilm.cz
Summer Film Camp for Teachers
5-day film camps during the Summer Film Academy in Zwierzyniec, offering practical workshops, lectures, and film screenings to teachers in Poland.
When: August 2024, August 2025 For whom: teachers Contact: ksmigiel@ckf.waw.pl
Design Process for Teachers - Film Education Lab
Ten teachers will jointly craft educational film materials using design-thinking method, engaging students in the testing process.
When: September 2024 - May 2025 For whom: teachers and students Contact: ksmigiel@ckf.waw.pl
International Film Education Training
An international training program in film education featuring best practices from FilmED project partners film education activities. The half-day workshop will be held online, accessible to educators across Europe.
When: 2025 (date will be announced) For whom: open to public Contact: damjanaivanovska@gmail.com
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.
