Touring Ecuador’s Universities with the PRIX JEUNESSE Suitcase
A report by Monica Maruri
Executive Director, IPANC
Children’s television is at great risk in Ecuador. To be fair, there is no production at all now. Therefore, spreading the possibilities of good quality content for children is a priority. I often consider myself an evangelist of audiovisual for children. That’s why we take the PRIX JEUNESSE Suitcase to all the universities that receive us. We adapted the PRIX JEUNESSE methodology of streaming and discussion around key aspects of quality production for each group.
For the past two months we have been in the two main Ecuadorian cities visiting some of the largest universities with a selection from the 2024 festival. We have had some small and large groups of teachers and multimedia students who are currently working on new ways of telling stories using television as a medium. Since Ecuador does not have public television production, I always tell groups that the word television means images at a distance, and this includes different platforms as ways to reach audiences, considering the particularities of each medium.
We visited the University of the Americas in Quito. That first group, quite small, is working in a creation laboratory. The selection included live action and animation from all age groups used by the festival, from 0 to 6 years old, from 7 to 10 years old and from 11 to 15 years old fiction and non-fiction. With the intention of analyzing the different paths of creativity that a director can take to offer content that attracts the audience to which it is directed. This group of students and their tutor highly valued the variety and quality of children’s audiovisuals. Since they are in a creation lab, they expressed their appreciation for the selection of PRIX JEUNESSE to watch and analyze programs they don’t normally have access to. The highest score at this college was for “Me in 100 years”, followed by “Fun in the Mountains”. They are not used to content from Taiwan, so they loved how they work with children. Especially the goal of giving children a voice, valuing what they have to say and portraying them on screen.
Then we traveled to Guayaquil where we visited two universities. The first, the Casa Grande University, is dedicated to a practical methodology. Students are always solving real-life cases, to apply the theory. We had a large group of students from more than one mayor, most of them from the multimedia careers who coincidentally are working mainly in children’s animations. We had a varied group of shows that included live action and animation, but with more of the latest. They appreciated the variety of content and styles, they also highly valued the way in which very different countries and cultures tell stories for children, and how this is refreshing and eye opening. The analysis with this group was in-depth and reflective on the role of television in society and in the lives of children. Japanese and Taiwanese productions were highlighted and I´m sure they will inspire their work.
The analysis with this group of professors and students was very technical and deeply reflective. The participation of university professors in this group really highlighted a wide range of issues to consider for the creation of children’s television. “Wha Wha What” short from Japan really motivated them as inspiration to think about the 2025 elections in Ecuador. And they have become devoted fans of “Mitateru Phose”. The students were moved by “Maalum” from Brazil and gave it the highest score, as “most of them” had experienced the same bullying in their childhood. They also appreciated how emotions are depicted with beautiful illustrations and without the need for words. The screening room had a wonderful sound that really benefited the experience.
Then we moved to the Catholic University in Guayaquil where we were received by a group of students also from different careers. The selection for this group was smaller but varied in formats and genres. “Smeds and Smoos” was very well received and commented on. The screenwriting teacher analyzed the ability to rhyme the entire script. They also appreciated the Brazilian “Maalum” very much, as they were able to see many similarities with the type of bullying present in Ecuadorian schools. Some students emphasized racism as a constant in their lives and the need to have content created for children with this type of stories. They gave high marks to Japanese programs. Japan’s “Wha Wha What” earned the highest score, followed by “Team Nuggets” and “Mitateru Phose”. They considered them innovators in storytelling.
The last workshop of the PRIX JEUNESSE University 2024 in Ecuador was held at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito with professors and students, mainly from multimedia and animation. This one was very special because it was projected in a movie theater, with high-quality audio and a very large screen. These students and their teachers were surprised by the variety of formats and genres of the festival. The highest score awarded was for “Me in 100 years” from Taiwan, they valued the voices of the children and the methodology used to make them participate in the entire production, in addition to an animation that used professional and children’s drawings without making any visual noise or dissonance. They asked for a selection of animation, so they highly valued “Animanimals” from Germany, the British “Smeds and Smoos” and the Danish “Team Nuggets”. The first one funny and well-scripted, the second beautifully animated, without forgetting the beautiful rhyme of the script. “Team Nuggets’”message of inclusion and diversity is urgent around the world due to the growth of discrimination and xenophobia. They found these characters strong, funny, and likeable. Besides being a smart way to introduce kids to sex education.
We´ll be happy to continue spreading the word with many more universities in other regions of the country. Ecuador needs new generations of children’s television creators.
So, see you in 2025.