The Cultural Workshop Agion Omologiton successfully held, as part of its film activities, on January 29 and 30 (Friday and Saturday) an online conference aimed mainly at educators, on the subject of film education. The conference was organized in collaboration with CIFEJ (special thanks to Dr. Dragan Milinkovic Fimon) and with the support of the Cultural Services of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth of the Republic of Cyprus.
The conference included presentations by individuals and representatives of institutions and organizations, who addressed mainly the educators in Cyprus, but also other stakeholders from Cyprus and Greece, about film education, its importance, ways to be included in schools and other related issues.
Film education, which integrated in the school curricula here in Cyprus, is supported by this effort, which gave the opportunity for deeper reflection and collection of proposals for its promotion in educational activities. The participation and contribution of teachers with the assistance of the speakers (experts in their subjects) helped to create a platform for the exchange of ideas and the continuation of actions towards the development of film education.
More than ninety-five people participated in the conference.
Attendees were sent certificates of attendance.
The conference started on Friday at 4pm to 6pm and ended on Saturday from 10am to 1:30pm.
Special thanks to the conference speakers for their contribution:
DRAGAN MILINKOVIC FIMON - Professor Emeritus and former Vice President of CIFEJ
PANTELIS PANTELOGLOU - Deputy Artistic Director of the Olympia International Film Festival for Children and Youth
GIORGOS TSANGARIS - Founder and artistic director of 20th Countryside Animafest Cyprus - Views of the World

BACKGROUND:
Following the encouragement of the Cultural Services (Mrs. Elena Christodoulidou), in the last four years the involvement of the Cultural Workshop Agion Omologiton in the field of Film Education is becoming more and more intense, with important actions and collaborations. In any case, the philosophy of our film events (screenings for adults, events, workshops and screenings for children, etc.), under the general title "Cinema Wednesdays", has an educational and training character.
Following our participation in international events and the continuous strengthening of our network of partners in Cyprus and abroad, we decided to focus on informing educators about Film Education. Our cooperation with CIFEJ is crucial in this effort.
The organization of the conference "Film in schools" is the next stage of our actions that have been planned since 2019, and began with presentations at our venue, where stakeholders and the public were invited to be informed about our intentions. Then, we organized a one-day workshop with the participation of Dr. Dragan Milinkovic Fimon, while the next step would be the two-day workshop with Mr. Milinkovic. However, due to the current situation with the pandemic, we had to organize our conference online. This of course had the advantage of mass participation of educators and others from other provinces of Cyprus, but also from Greece!
CONCLUSIONS:
The reactions and comments from those who attended were very positive. Admittedly, our organization was at a very high level and we believe that we covered all the technical and practical issues with great efficiency. We have received very praiseworthy comments from both the participants and the speakers at the conference.
In terms of content, and there we believe that we gave something complete and highly enlightening. Specifically, we have managed, together with all our speakers, to pass on some important messages to the teachers who attended the conference, such as:
The importance, power and magic of cinema and the importance of getting to know it and transmitting it to our children. The great potential of cinema in the development of children and teachers. -     The possibility of developing collaborations with actors in the sector, in Cyprus and abroad.
-     The importance of learning the cinematic language and the History of Cinema.
The importance of a broader understanding of the Media and their power in the modern world. The necessity of the theoretical introductory approach before the creation of film content. -     That the driving force behind every action of Film Education in school is the teacher himself.
-     The need to understand the new digital reality and to be able to be properly educated in terms of Media and Information.
-     There is a need and thirst for more information, tools and actions that will be available to teachers.
NEXT ACTIONS:
Based on the above, we have included in our proposal to the Ministry of Education and Culture for sponsorship of the program "Cinema Wednesdays 2021" the strengthening of our next actions for Cinema Education. These will be announced soon provided our proposal is approved.
The syllabus of the conference:
FRIDAY 29/1:
4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. INTRODUCTION (DOROS DEMETRIOU AND PANAYIOTIS THEODOROU - CULTURAL WORKSHOP AGION OMOLOGITON)
5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. PRESENTATION "FILM IN SCHOOLS - Teachers' teaching workshop, part I" (DRAGAN MILINKOVIC FIMON - CIFEJ): "Why do we need film and media education?"
SATURDAY 30/1:
10:00 a.m. PRESENTATION "FILM IN SCHOOLS - Teachers' teaching workshop, part II" (DRAGAN MILINKOVIC FIMON - CIFEJ): "Teachers as Leaders"
 
FESTIVALS
10:30 a.m. PRESENTATION BY PANTELIS PANTELOGLOU (OLYMPIA FESTIVAL): "International Olympia Film Festival for Children and Youth: An institution for the connection of the art of cinema with formal and informal education".
10:40 a.m. PRESENTATION BY YIORGOS TSANGARIS (ANIMAFEST CYPRUS): "Cyprus International Animation Film Festival - Aspects of the World: The Art of Animation as an Artistic Means of Expression"
10:50 a.m. PRESENTATION BY PETROS CHARALAMBOUS (CYPRUS FILM DAYS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH Festival): "Behind every child who believes in himself there is an adult who first believed in them first" - Matthew Jacobson.
11:00 a.m. Discussion - questions
 
11:10 a.m. BREAK
 
INSTITUTIONS
11.30 a.m. PRESENTATION BY ANDRIA XENOPHONTOS - THE CULTURAL SERVICES OF THE MINISTRY OF CYPRUS: "Cultural Services - Cinema Education: Actions"
11.40 a.m. PRESENTATION BY ANNA TSIARTA - THE CYPRUS PEDAGOGICAL INSTITUTE: "Creating a film: Experiential learning in practice". Creating films by students and teachers in actions, seminars and workshops of the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute. A journey of discovery or revelation?
11.50 a.m. PRESENTATION BY DR. COSTAS CONSTANTINIDES, Associate Professor of Film Studies, Department of Communication, University of Nicosia: "Experiences and Concerns about Film Education in Cyprus"
12 m. Discussion – questions
 
 
 
MEDIA EDUCATION
12.15 p.m. PRESENTATION BY CHRISTIANA VARDA (MEDIAWHAT - A MEDIA LITERACY HUB): "I think and speak the language of the media"
1.1 p.m. PRESENTATION BY IRINI ANDRIOPOULOU (EKOME - HELLAS): "The cinematic journeys of EKOME through Media Education"
12:40 p.m. Discussion - questions
 
13:00 - 13:20   CLOSING - SUMMARY
 
* The conference was held on the Zoom platform.
* The language was Greek, except for the presentations of Dr. Milinkovic Fimon which were in English.
 
AUDIOVISUAL MATERIAL FROM THE CONFERENCE, WHICH WAS RECORDED, WILL SOON BE AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE.
 

Doros Demetriou
Curator of Film Programs
CULTURAL WORKSHOP AGION OMOLOGITON                                                                        
March 2021
 
The Cultural Workshop Agion Omologiton is a Cultural Organisation in the city of Nicosia, Cyprus. It focuses in the field of Art and Culture and aims, with events and presentations it organizes, to offer creative opportunities to the citizens of Nicosia and its members, through mainly arts, music, cinema and dance. Since its foundation in 1999 it has developed a rich artistic activity and has managed to establish itself as one of the most important cultural institutions in Cyprus.
Website: www.politistiko-ergastiri.org