DIFF organises film initiative for youth in Mumbai

The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) concluded a ‘OneMinutesJr' video production workshop for youth in Mumbai last week, with plans for future sessions in Dubai and Cairo, in partnership with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Participants at the five-day workshops received guidance in camera skills, shot and sound choices, story development and basic editing.

The result is a collection of 60-second videos by artists of ages 12-20, showing the needs, dreams, wishes or problems of teenagers from their own perspective, which will be screened at DIFF 2007.

"Nurturing developing filmmakers is one of our most important goals, and this initiative provides young people with a unique opportunity to learn camera, story development, media, cooperation and creative thinking skills that will serve them for a lifetime of artistic output," commented Abdulhamid Juma, chairman of DIFF.

"The locations for the workshops were chosen because they are already locations of strong filmmaking communities, and because Dubai is a place that unites the East and West, and the people of the subcontinent and the Arab world. DIFF itself is a melting pot of cinema, with important works from across the globe all under one umbrella."

Speaking about the initiative, Karen Cirillo, executive producer of Children's Broadcasting Initiatives for UNICEF, commented: "We are eager to expand this initiative throughout the world, and are excited to have partnered with a high-profile event that aims to expand the filmmaking community throughout the region. Film is the ideal instrument for young people to express themselves and to learn about each other, since the visual language needs no translator.

In the five years since UNICEF and the One Minutes Foundation developed the OneMinutesJr. project, young people all over the world have weighed in on themes such as self-image, children's rights, and ‘inside out.' We are looking forward to seeing the work from the DIFF projects in December 2007."

UNICEF has conducted a pan-African workshop in South Africa and two workshops in the DR Congo. They have also organised one minute workshops Delhi, Manila and Amman on the subject of child rights in honor of the 18th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

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