5 good reasons to participate in the International Education Film Festival

The 19th edition of the event begins this Tuesday, December 5, and until Saturday, December 9 at the Pathé cinema in Évreux. Around a hundred films tackling the major issues of education, childhood and youth are in competition. Here are 5 good reasons to participate.

1 Films aimed at young audiences

For almost 20 years, this has been one of the main missions of the festival: to introduce young audiences to cinema and, more broadly, to images. 45 films are therefore still dedicated to them this year with screenings reserved for schools or leisure centers. A way to arouse children’s curiosity about 7^e art but also to raise questions among these citizens of tomorrow.

These films therefore raise questions about certain societal issues: plastic pollution in the Norwegian animated short film “A Hawaiian Dream”immigration to France in “A.O.C”which tells with humor how Latefa and her two children Walid and Ptissam Frenchify their first names at the same time as they gain French nationality, or even religion in “If I were the good god”where a 12-year-old child discovers divine powers and wonders how to use them, for good or evil?

An almost philosophical dimension essential for festival director Christian Gautellier.

“In dark times, will there also be light?” I could paraphrase this sentence from Bertolt Brecht, in a particularly turbulent world in this period and faced with enormous geopolitical, climatic, social or cultural challenges, to present this 19th edition of the International Educational Film Festival. May the festival, through the hundred or so films selected this year, carry this very fundamental light!

Christian Gautellier, festival director

2 Round tables to reflect on social issues

To extend the issues raised in certain films and offer a space for debate to all spectators, young or old, this year the festival is offering 3 conferences/round tables.

• “The water that we are, a vital element in danger”, Wednesday December 6 at 9 a.m.. Climate change, increased water consumption, drought no longer spares France. The term “water war” is increasingly used. What is the state of this element, essential to life? What are the current issues? With Juliette Duquesne, independent journalist specializing in environmental and economic issues.
• “Illiteracy: where are we in 2023?”, Thursday December 7 at 9 a.m.. What developments among the people concerned? What developments in their support? What is the impact of the digitalization of society for people experiencing illiteracy? How can we act to better combat illiteracy?
• “The coming school”, Friday December 8 at 9 a.m.. The opportunity to discuss the future of French schools around questions about the processes of knowledge acquisition, teacher-student relationships, inequalities in success, information processing, evaluation methods, etc.

3 A selection of films for young and old

The festival also features films in competition, some of which will be awarded this weekend by the grand jury. In total, 53 films are part of this official selection. Films which are not only reserved for the youngest, but intended for all spectators.

This is the case, for example, of the film “Death the Bikini”, about a 10-year-old girl who doesn’t understand why her parents want to force her to wear a swimsuit bra, supposedly to hide her breasts; or even “Autism, the little ghost hunter”which tells the story of Tom, 11 years old, suffering from autism spectrum disorder and whose father travels the world in search of experiences of integrating young autistic people into the world of work which take advantage of the specific interests of each person two.

4 This year, spotlight on female directors

Among the 19 feature films in official competition, nearly two-thirds this year are films directed by women. It was a strong desire of the festival director.

Female documentary directors are the majority in several countries, including France. Unsurprisingly, it is therefore women, fighters, volunteers or activists who are at the center of several feature-length documentaries in our competition. These women live in Brazil, Armenia, Argentina, Morocco or Belgium and we find ourselves to different degrees in them.

Christian Gautellier, festival director

Some of these films also evoke the place of young women in society, such as the documentary “Super powerful girls” by Argentinian director Leonora Kievski.

5 The festival is free!

This is once again one of the strong commitments of the festival organizers who want the event to be as accessible as possible to the general public.

To discover the program from Tuesday December 5 to Saturday December 9, 2023, simply book a Festival Pass for free on site (Pathé Évreux) from Tuesday December 5 at 10 a.m. This Pass gives you access to all sessions free of charge, subject to availability.