ECF and IDFA present Doc Next

IDFA 2010 opens with Doc Next film

We are very pleased to announce that during the opening night of IDFA, director Ally Derks chose the Doc Next film Life without Art, made by the 18 year old Courtney Vizard (UK) to stress the importance of culture and art in contemporary life and the danger of cutting budgets in the Dutch Culture & Arts sector.

Courtney Vizard, the maker of Life without Art, motivates: “Art is about opinion, one person will love a work of art, and another will hate it. My film is made to evoke emotion in the audience, to allow them to really think about, and understanding that all Art, just as life itself, is a journey… but no matter what criticism you may face, as long as you stay positive and believe in yourself you can get where you want to be.”

View all selected Doc Next films (and many more) on this Vimeo page.

Doc Next talkshow 20 November: register now!

ECF and IDFA present Doc Next, a special film programme within the renowned International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) 2010.

IDFA

 Doc Next features short documentaries of young filmmakers, who use accessible media technologies to zoom in on different realities and regions in Europe.

In t his special programme, their work can be seen on the big screen during IDFA (17-18 November 2010) and a selection of the most talented will be invited to participate in the Idfacademy, IDFA’s training programme.

We would like to welcome you on 20 November to a special Doc Next talk show, where young documentary makers take centre stage. We seize their films and stories to discuss the challenges and possibilities of user-generated media content with festival organisers, media broadcasters and documentary experts. How can do-it-yourself documentaries inspire different media domains and contribute to inclusive public opinion sharing in Europe? How can this new generation of storytellers help mainstream media to attract new audiences?  The show is hosted by Leena Pasanen (executive producer at Yie Fact & Culture) and will take place in the Escape venue, Amsterdam.

RSVP: to reserve your place for the 20th November simply email our Youth & Media Project Officer, Menno Weijs, mweijs[@]eurocult.org

Doc Next is an initiative of ECF's Youth & Media Programme. Programme Manager Vivian Paulissen is excited about the new partnership: “IDFA is one of the world’s most renowned festivals for documentary – what better stage could there be to bring forward the inspiring views of young ‘do-it yourself’ documentarians to a great audience of all ages? “

 

ECF’s Youth & Media Programme network is growing!

© Nisi Masa - Istanbul Express

The Youth & Media Programme is a partner network of independent cultural and media organisations in Europe that work with young people and media. Their activities support and showcase documentaries and media productions by young people, aged between 15 and 30 in Europe.

The programme aims to bring forward the views and opinions of European emerging documentary makers and opinion formers to different audiences. Contributing to inclusive public opinion making and debate in Europe, the programme focuses on providing access to media for young people who are likely to be excluded from the mainstream public discourse.

A matchmaker within the hub network
The Youth & Media Programme serves as a matchmaker between organisations varying from cultural, academic and media sectors, individual young media talents, online platforms and their communities and decision makers in Europe. It contributes to a European space in which new perspectives on contemporary Europe are shared amongst different audiences. It is hopefully a source of inspiration for young people interested in media expression, as well as professionals in politics, media and culture.

The programme now consists of a network of hubs in youth and media in Turkey, Scandinavia and the UK. A partnership with the Future Programme of the British Film Institute explores ways of creating new cultural narratives for Europe by producing films by and with young people. In Turkey, Mode Istanbul develops a special Young Mode Programme, which exposes young people to innovative culture and builds networks across cultures, regions, nations and generations. The network is expanding its reach with new partnerships that include Sevilla (Spain) and Warsaw (Poland).

What do our hubs do?

• They organise media workshops for young people with different media skills, nurturing emerging talent and providing access to opportunities to groups of “hard to reach” young people
• They produce media made by and with young people
• They organise screenings and debates that acknowledge the importance and quality of media made by young people expressing their opinions
• They initiate discussion, dialogue and debate.

As coordinator of the Youth & Media hub network, the ECF offers a European space for knowledge sharing and exploration of new collaborations between the hub organisations and media organisations.

Media collection
The workshops organised by our partners result in documentaries and other reflective media productions by young people from many different countries in Europe. Their recordings are considered important documents in the understanding of our contemporary Europe, zooming into different realities, personal stories and dreams for the future.

The media productions made by young people involved in the programme are made accessible on online and off-line channels, connecting partner’s online media platforms like Vimeo. This Youth & Media collection of documentaries brings a different prespective of Europe by shedding a fresh light on notions like periphery, past, present and future, cultural diversity and a Europe that is stretching beyond it’s geographical boundaries.

Research
A Youth & Media Trend Report is mapping the usage of media by young people in different countries in Europe. The outcomes of this research by the Belgian research centre Trendwolves are expected in December. The report will be launched early 2011.

 

ECF’s Youth & Media Programme supports METROPOLIS TV

The Youth and Media Programme supports the expansion of the European network of young correspondents of Metropolis TV, a global collective of community video journalists and professional filmmakers.

The Metropolis correspondents make personal video reports from where they live on a variety of issues and themes. At this moment over 50 correspondents in 5 continents make up the Metropolis network. The reporters give a unique insight into their countries, cultures and lifestyles. The full length contributions (2 – 7 minutes each) will be featured on the Metropolis TV website in both English and Dutch. Also, the contributions are edited into a weekly TV shows on Dutch, Belgium and Nicaraguan national television. Metropolis is nominated for a Prix Europa (an award for the best television, radio and 'emerging' media projects in Europe) 2010 in the category 'best multicultural television programme'. The award ceremony will take place in Berlin on Saturday 23 October.

As of Thursday 18 November Metropolis is back on Dutch TV at 9:30 pm (VRPO / Nederland 3). www.metropolistv.nl