Press Release after launch of Framework for Film Education in Europe, Paris, 2015

1. PressRelease
Launch ofA Framework for FilmEducation in Europe in Paris 19th
June 2015
On 19th June,50 delegatesfromall overEurope gatheredatthe Cinémathèquefrançaise inParisto
discussthe future of filmeducationinEurope. The eventmarked the launchof AFramework for
FilmEducation in Europe,whichestablishesasetof ambitionsandoutcomesforpeoplelearning
aboutfilmthat all educatorscan aspire to. The Frameworkwasfundedfromthe FilmLiteracystrand
of the actionon Audience Development,aspartof the EuropeanCommission’sCreative Europe
programme.
Thisis the firsttime sucha FrameworkhasbeendevisedinEurope. Itgatherstogetherintelligence
and practical experience fromawide range of institutionsandeducationproviders,from
universities,tocinematheques,tonational agencies,small NGOs,andindustryfundedbodies. Inall,
more than 25 partnerswere involved inthe work,fromLithuaniatoPortugal,fromNorthernIreland
to Greece and Cyprus. Newlyaccessionedcountriesaswell asthe ‘big6’EC membersparticipated.
The participantsinthe projectare constitutedasthe FilmLiteracyAdvisoryGroup,andpreviously
workedonthe Europeanfilmeducationsurvey Screening Literacy.
Mark Reid,Headof Educationat BFI, andconvenorof the groupsaid“We chose to launchthe
FrameworkinParisbecause inmanywaysFrance can claimto be the originatorof cinema,andof
cinemaculture andeducationinitsstrongestform. We are delightedthatthe Cinémathèque
française hasagreedto hostour event,andthat Serge Toubiana,Directorof the Cinémathèque,and
AlainBergala,eminentfilmthinkerandeducator,have agreedtospeak”.
Serge Toubianamade a powerful claimforthe powerof cinematomove us,and forus to move
cinemaforward. For itto do so,he said,cinemamustspeakdirectlytochildren,andatan age when
theywill cherishitsimpact.
Ian Wall,ex Directorof FilmEducationinthe UK, was a moverbehindthe Frameworkproject,andhe
presentedanoverview,claimingthatthe goal of filmeducationshouldfirstof all tobe to ‘developa
filmsensibility’inyoungpeople,where theyunderstandandappreciate the ‘artof film’ above all.
AlainBergalaremindedusof the originsof filmeducationinFrance,afterthe SecondWorldWar,as
part of a programme usingculture tobringabout peace. The initiativesstartedbypoliticianJack
Lang, as Culture Minister,thenasEducationMinister,serve asinspirationforthe whole of Europe.
FilmEducationwill onlytake rootforall childrenif itispresentedtothemthroughschool firstof all;
but itcan alsochange school,andchildren’sexperiencesthere.
He recommendedamethodof ‘slowfilmeducation’,(alongsidethe movementof ‘slow cinema’) to
counterthe tendencyof modernmediato‘scatterthe attention’of childrenandyoungpeople.

2. In addition,the programme forthe dayfeatured aroundtable withXavierLardoux,Directorof Film
at the CNC,andauthor in2014 of the report‘For a FilmEducationPolicyinEurope’; Celine Ravenel,
the current Presidentof ECFA,the EuropeanChildren’sFilmAssociation;andMark Reid,of BFI,who
co-ordinatedthe researchsurvey Screening Literacy,andthe FrameworkforFilmEducation in
Europeitself. MatteoZacchetti,the deputyheadof the Creative Europe MEDIA Unitwas inthe
chair. Topicscoveredincludedthe needforcommoncataloguesof filmsforchildrenaccessible
across Europe;of short filmcatalogues(one isbeingcreatedbyECFA,fundedbyCreative Europe);
he licensingandrightsenvironmentsforfilminEurope;andthe level of fundingforfilmliteracyin
Europe.
The afternoonfeaturedpresentationsof three projectsthatexemplifythe kindsof outcomesthe
Frameworksupports:
Nathalie Bourgeoisfromthe Cinémathèque française spoke aboutleCinema cent ansde jeunesse,a
ground-breakinginternational filmeducationprogramme thatshe hasledfor20 years, screeninga
beautiful filmfromthisyear’seditioncalled‘1,2,3Soleil’,andmade by6 and7 yearold children,
remindedusthatevenveryyoungchildrencancreate powerful filmstories. The filmcanbe seenat:
https://vimeo.com/131099742
BernardMcCloskey,Headof Educationat NorthernIrelandScreen,presented Moving ImageArts,
NorthernIreland’sdistinctive filmeducationcourse for14 – 19 yearolds. Thiswas the second
presentationthatreaffirmedthe valueof culture afterconflict,andBernardsituatedfilmeducation
withinthe broaderfilmindustryecology,shapedforthe lastfew yearsinNorthernIrelandbythe
huge successof Game of Thrones – maybe the biggestTV seriesinthe worldcurrently,andshot
largelyinNorthernIreland.
Andfinally,NuriaAidelmannof CatalanfilmeducatorsA Baoa Qu, and Ginte Zulyte of MenoAvilys
inLithuania,spoke aboutMoving Cinema,aprogramme fundedbyCreative Europe to create film-
goingopportunitiesforyoungpeoplein Spain,Lithuania,andPortugal. Thisisa strongproject,
derivedoutof an absence of cultural cinemaprogrammesforyoungpeoplewhentheyleave schoo,
and whichfollowsthe logicof watching – incinemaand ondemand – of discussing,and thenof
becomingyoungfilmprogrammerstogether.
NOTES for editors
Creative Europe isa fundingprogramme runningfrom2014 – 2020. It isbasedon RegulationNo
1295/2013 of the EuropeanParliamentandof the Council of 11/12/2013 concerningthe
implementationof aprogramme of supportfor the Europeancultural andcreative sector. The
MEDIA sub-programme of Creative Europe providesforactivitiesaimedat‘promotingfilmliteracy
and at increasingaudiences'knowledge of,andinterestin,Europeanaudiovisual works,including
the audiovisual andcinematographicheritage,inparticularamongyoungaudiences’;.;
The FrameworkforFilmEducationinEurope was awardedfundingunderthisaction.
http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/creative-europe/
BFI is the UK’s leadagencyforfilm. Itprioritisesopportunitiesforyoungpeople towatchandlearn
aboutfilm;forpeople toaccesstheirfilmheritage;andsupportforthe UKs filmindustry. BFI
Educationfocusesoninnovation,advocacy,andresearchinfilmeducation. The FrameworkforFilm
EducationinEurope can be readat: www.bfi.org.uk/screeningliteracy.

3. The Film Literacy AdvisoryGroup, whichauthoredthe FrameworkforFilmEducation in Europe,
comprisesfilmeducators,teachertrainers, academics,andemployeesof national agenciesand
NGOSsengagedinfilmeducation. Itwas constitutedtoputtogetherthe researchsurvey Screening
Literacy in2012, whichcoveredfilmeducationprogrammesacrossEurope. The workof the Film
LiteracyAdvisoryGroupcan be foundat: http://filmliteracyadvisorygroup.wordpress.com
La Cinémathèque française,a voluntaryassociation headedbyCosta-Gavras,LaCinémathèque
française,foundedin1936 by Henri Langlois,wasinstalledforalongtime inthe Palaisde Chaillot,
and,since 2005, has occupiedamagnificentbuildingdesigned byarchitectFrankGehryin eastern
Paris.
La Cinémathèquefrançaise isaschool andconservatoire forfilmmaking, ahome forcinemafrom
across the globe,alibrary,and a filmarchive,all rolledintoone.Ithasobtainednew fundingandcan
nowcontinue itsmission:toconserve andrestore films;hoststudents,cinephilesandresearchersin
a libraryand resource centre;programme screeningsof the greatclassicsbutalsoretrospectivesand
homagestofilmmakers,actors,producersandfilmtechnicians;exhibitthe fabulousobjectsfromits
collectioninitsmuseumof cinema;andorganise exhibitionstoshowcase the connectionsthat
cinemamaintainswithotherarts.
For 20 years, La Cinémathèque françaisehascoordinatedasignificantinternational filmeducation
programm« Le Cinéma CentAnsde Jeunesse ».
www.cinematheque.fr