We have reached the third edition of MICE. Once again we open the doors of imagination, education, film and image to anyone who wishes to join us. This year we move MICE  to the historical centre of Valencia, because each year we want to bring cinema and media education closer to different parts of the city. There is still a long way to go in media literacy, and we at MICE want to continue leading the way.
So why are we talking about media literacy? The teaching of media has evolved and today it is considered an important part of education due to its immediate relevance to contemporary society. Communication is no longer restricted to spoken and written language. It also encompasses the reading of images and writing of audiovisual documents. Reading and writing visual messages should be a very relevant skill in the lives of students, as relevant in fact as reading and writing verbal language. As the media is present wherever we are,its teaching must also be applied to all fields of education. This implies the teachers’ and students´ need for media literacy, as audiovisual education is not limited to one area but it´s a common factor in all subjects.We need media education and new tecnologies because they are a privilege in our society, and also a similar revolution to the printer at thetime. Audiovisual education will create future critical readers and consumers of media. Thanks to media literacy media professionals will have a well-informed demanding audience with ample technical knowledge.
Projections of the best productions made for children and adolescents from around the world will be exhibited at the MICE, showing us a wide intercultural variety from the point of view of the youngest members of society. In this edition we include, as an important novelty, the professional competition of films made for young people. This is a new challenge for a festival that each year increases in quality and which continues to establish Valencia as the centre of the world educommunication of the present day.
The international programme of this MICE edition will be dedicated to audiovisual education in the United States of America. We will be able to see North American film productions far away from the Disney or Dreamworks factories. We will listen to one of the best world specialists in this topic, Kathleen Tyner, from the University of Texas at Austin. We will also enjoy the visit of the Italian cinema director Lamberto Bava, who will open the section “Dialogues with the director”. Moreover, as is the case every year, there will be workshops for both adults and young people, seminars and talks with the most renowned international experts from the cinema and educational world.
And above all, lots of good work and big smiles all round. MICE. Still dreaming.
 
We look forward to seeing you at the MICE.
 
JOSEP ARBIOL
Mice Film Festival Director