PRIX JEUNESSE Suitcase returns to Israel
A report by Limor Zahavi Vinberger
The PRIX JEUNESSE Suitcase in Israel has a long tradition. Over the years, the outstanding selections of quality programmes from all parts of the world have inspired Israeli children and youth media makers. The last event took place in June, organized by kan kids, with support of Goethe Institute.
Limor Zahavi Vinberger from kan kids reports on the preparations and the event and draws conclusions for future activities with the Suitcase. Feel inspired to build on her experiences when planning your own PRIX JEUNESSE Suitcase Screening!
The idea that guided us during the preparation phase was that we wanted to have topics that were relevant to Israeli creators and preferably ones that, by choosing the materials to be screened, would expose them to an interesting angle for discussion. Sometimes because it is a topic that is less discussed in Israeli culture, or because there is a taboo around it, or because the way the series dealt with it is different from the way we are used to seeing it in Israeli series.
The four topics we chose were sustainability, tolerance and bullying, relationships and complex issues. We invited four presenters who are familiar with these topics from their line of work or television creations.
After several meetings with them, we decided what to screen at the event in its entirety and what in part. During the meetings, we changed the program, shortened it and tightened it, until we felt that the day’s program was interesting enough to keep the audience engaged.
Our invitation for the event went out to the country-wide children’s media scene, from representatives of TV channels to the independent scene, as well as to relevant associations. In the end, around 150 people attended, representating all groups we had approached.
From the responses we received from the audience on the day of the event and afterwards, it seems that the content was indeed interesting to them, and they also enjoyed the discussions very much and found them thought-provoking.
The programs that were most hotly debated were:
LIKE ME / NRK, Norway – The program raised many issues regarding relationships, the way they are presented in Israeli series and how they should be presented. Who is the victim in the series and is there a victim here at all. What is the role of parents in the story of teenagers coming of age, and many more questions.
DOME 16 / Tordenfilm, Norway – The audience really liked the series. There was a lively discussion about Israel’s engagement with issues of sustainability. The audience mostly believed that we tend to avoid dealing with the issue deeply enough, perhaps because we have issues that are considered more “burning” related to security, social, and other issues.
DAYS OF THUNDER / CCC, Mexico – The audience found the film fascinating and courageous. The story, which empowers women and female brotherhood while giving space to ecological and social issues, charmed the audience and sparked a fascinating discussion.
Here are the conclusions we drew after the event:
Firstly, from our point of view, the event was successful, and we would like to repeat it.
In the panels, it would be more appropriate to include people from more diverse disciplines and to diversify the panel participants more throughout the day.
It would have been enough to present three topics instead of four. After lunch, the audience was a little more tired. It is advisable to deal with only one lighter topic at this stage of the day. And: It is advisable to have one leading moderator throughout the day, to moderate the various panels. An element that worked really well: Including PRIX JEUNESSE Guessing Games.
All in all, it was an exciting day, full of fascinating encounters and lively discussions. Many thoughts went through all of our heads during and afterwards, and many insights for the next time…