Learnings of a Mexican Independent Producer attending PRIX JEUNESSE INTERNATIONAL 2024
A report by Aiko Alonso, Mexico
This year, I had the opportunity to visit the PRIX JEUNESSE INTERNATIONAL festival in Munich, where public broadcasters, streamers, and platforms from around the world gather to celebrate quality of children’s programming. Among the diverse high quality productions selected for the final round, my short film “Days of Thunder,” produced in Mexico on a low budget, was chosen in the 11-15 Years Fiction category and was honored with both the Gender Equity Prize and the UNICEF Special Prize. This incredible news and the significance of these awards blew my mind; I truly felt recognized. Raising funds and leading productions aimed at young audiences in Mexico is incredibly challenging and competitive. Producing “Days of Thunder” was a life changing challenge that was also exhausting. I found myself constantly questioning, “How did I end up here? What did I do right?”
The PRIX JEUNESSE festival is the ideal space to learn, share, and engage in discussions about children’s media. Until that day, I had never had the opportunity or time to watch such high-quality, educational, and impactful programmes, all supported by major companies behind the creators. I spent a week immersed in incredible materials. After each day, we held group analysis sessions to discuss and debate the content we had viewed. These discussions were enriching, and as a creator, it was essential to listen to the feedback. I remember the reactions of people saying how disruptive my short film about menstruation was – something that is necessary to see on screen.
Among talented producers, debates, analyses, and reactions, I connected with a small group of independent producers who, like me, arrived at the festival with the same existential questions: “How did our materials end up here?” I met professionals from Colombia, South Africa, Brazil, and Taiwan. These young people in their 30s, like me, hope to continue creating in their home countries. Sharing experiences with them illuminated the festival’s significance: the urgent need to share our ideas and experiences while asking crucial questions like: “How did you produce your programme?”
Upon returning to Mexico City with a surge of positive energy and inspiration from the discussions and conferences organized by PRIX JEUNESSE, I told my Mexican colleagues, “We need to bring the Prix Jeunesse Suitcase to Mexico! People must see the programmes I experienced. Overall, we need to inspire independent producers in Mexico. It is possible to create high-quality productions!”
I have always been passionate about sharing knowledge and experiences, which led me to organize the online conference series titled “How Did You Do That?”, inspired by the format used at the PRIX JEUNESSE festival. I connected my intentions with the independent producers I met there and invited the audiovisual community in Mexico to join. Our first conference session, “3 Feet,” featured a short film produced in Colombia with public funds. Film Director Giselle Geney, an inspiring young woman with socially responsible values in her productions, discussed the importance of community cinema, working with natural performers and their families, and involving the entire crew in support of the children participating.
The second conference was “By the Sea,” presented by Chang Hao-Jan from Taiwan. He shared the narrative structures followed during the documentary. He guided us through the essential plot points that a show should encompass. The audience was captivated by the knowledge he shared, particularly since other members of his crew joined the discussion. We gained a deep understanding of the pitching and production process with the Fubon Cultural & Educational Foundation, the primary investor.
Finally, we had our third conference session featuring “Aau’s Song” with Nadia Darries from South Africa. She is a courageous young woman leading her animation company in Cape Town. Her film, produced through a collaboration with Lucas Films, involved pitching an original story rooted in the values of Star Wars. The audience was engaged by her creative process, witnessing a thoughtful and resourceful woman making significant decisions about her future.
Throughout the sessions, I dreamed of something seemingly impossible: establishing a PRIX JEUNESSE Foundation in Mexico. As idealistic or unrealistic as it might sound, it is necessary to create spaces where we can watch, learn, search and practice without the constant pressure of production or budget constraints. This aligns with the work that Elke Franke and Mariana Cano are doing with their initiative, “What Did I Miss Asking?”
I hope that one day, this educational space run by independent producers and organizations will evolve into an established institution supported by cultural organizations and broadcasters. Our cultural institutions in Mexico need to recognize that the participation and production of children’s media is mandatory, not optional, as training for independent producers is.
I joined the PRIX JEUNESSE INTERNATIONAL festival feeling overwhelmed by the opportunity to be there. As an independent producer, I have always dreamed of working with big companies, having our programmes showcased worldwide, and leading projects with substantial budgets. However, it is time to embrace our spirit, determination, and strength to produce in our way. Let’s envision the future: if we independent producers were able to create under our rough conditions, I can only imagine what we could achieve.