La Maleta PRIX JEUNESSE in Mexico City: Non-Fiction Content for Children
A report by Mariana Cano
80 attendees from various states in the Mexican Republic came together in Mexico City on 4th and 5th April for a Maleta PRIX JEUNESSE. Title of the event was: “The Rules of the Game: Cinema and Non-Fiction Content for Children”. As audiovisual production aimed at children and teens in Mexico is minimal and lacks local and cultural representation, this event aimed at addressing this shortage by promoting the creation of non-fictional content that reflects the realities and perspectives of children.
Organizers of the event were Ambulante, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and promoting documentary cinema as a tool for cultural and social transformation in Mexico, and Elke Franke with the digital school “What did I miss to ask?”.
Watching and debating the content contained in the Suitcase was enriching for everyone. In the 11-15 years category, the show that generated the most interest was “Why Didn’t You Stay for Me?”. Attendees made deep comments about the film’s craftsmanship, creativity in using stop-motion animation, and the structure of the theme. They were impressed by the way the topic of suicide was addressed with adolescents, highlighting the importance of discussing these topics on television. Regarding “Timmyland” and “Finding Anne Frank,” the comments were positive, emphasizing the creativity in presenting educational topics like democracy and history. “By the Sea” received praise for its cinematography.
In the 7-10 years debate, the favorite program was “Summer Without You,” which received good comments for the originality of the theme and the need to talk about children’s feelings during a divorce from their perspective. “Having Fun in the Mountains” also received positive feedback, although some comments noted that the children’s testimonies in a white background and their fast speech were not well received. “The Match” was highlighted for the expression of the feelings of boys and its good cinematography.
The preschool screening was a great success. The content that stood out the most was “Little Tiger,” praised for its narrative structure in a simple documentary. “Mitateru-phose” was also highly appreciated for its ability to capture children’s attention with few resources.
After the Suitcase we had the participation of Veronica Pastrana from Spain who introduced the Nanook Docu Kids Madrid, a classroom-based documentary film festival. Veronica also shared her experiences with “Debate”, a programme on Spanish public television where children from 80 schools debate current topics. During the lecture, she shared tips on how to approach children and help them express themselves and have a voice.
The second day, Markus Tomsche from Germany gave a masterclass focused on providing key insights for producing documentaries with preschoolers. He covered various aspects, from approaching the child’s familiar environment, observation, camera placement, to lighting and other important factors for production. Markus shared his audiovisual work and explained his experiences one by one while the audience asked questions. Subsequently, Markus conducted a dynamic activity where the audience was divided into teams of 5 people and developed a documentary proposal in Mexico with children of this age group. The participation was excellent, and interesting proposals from various parts of the country were heard. All proposals were reviewed and commented on by Markus. The experience of addressing the topic of documentaries for this age group was very well received, as it is original and innovative for filmmakers in Mexico.
Overall, the debate was very reflective about the connections between the content and the Mexican reality. It was mentioned that it was important to reflect on non-fiction for children and documentaries, especially in contexts of violence, and the lack of representation of children’s lives and interests in the media. The audience felt motivated to create more non-fiction content.