The Asian International Children’s Film Festival 2016

Cultural and academic exchange among Asia’s children through the medium of film

August 15th, 2016

Georgi Zografov, CD News

File:The Asian International Children’s Film Festival 2016.jpg

The Asian International Children's Film Festival is a film competition for children, in which they are asked to submit short films of 3 minutes. Held for the first time in 2006 in Ibusuki City, Japan, this film festival was founded from the desire to children something to aspire to and hope for. It aims to strengthen international and cultural relations between the children who participate in the festival.

This year on November 26th the festival will bring together children from Asian countries such as Japan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Korea, Lao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam. The festival will be held in Kitami City, Japan.

The theme of this year’s festival is "My Hateful Thing", with children asked to express what constitutes a "hateful thing" for them and turn the concept into a film. Every film has to be around 3 minutes in length and have a story line without subtitles. Adults should not be included in the making of the films.

Through the writing and making of films the children learn about teamwork and develop a sense of responsibility. Through the festival the young people get have the chance to develop mentally, and participate in multicultural exchange, gaining experience of cultures other than their own.

During the event children from across Asia can use their short films to practice cultural exchange, interacting between themselves and with the local children in Japan. They also have the opportunity to experience Japan and to learn more about the rich Japanese culture. The satisfaction of completing a film can help build self-confidence in children which plays an essential role in their future personal development.

Thanks to strong relations between Japan and ASEAN (The Association of South East Asian Nations), participants will also have the chance to take part in international cultural and academic exchange programs, such as a high school exchange and home stays. Through these programs the children can exchange ideas and opinions with people from the same generation and can also come to appreciate and understand diverse values, exploring the social environment around them.

The films are a reflection of children's minds, representing children's feelings, thoughts and their attitude to the society. They are an excellent insight for adults. The cooperation and interaction between children from different Asian countries shows that the new generation can be connected through the power of thinking, creativity and cultural diversity.

References:

• http://asianfilm.chu.jp/index_English.html

See more at: http://www.cd-n.org/index.php?the-asian-international-childrens-film-festival-2016