Promoting film education and professional capacity building

The Department of Cultural Services of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth, aware of the power of film education and the multifaceted benefits it has to offer in shaping modern citizens, has developed certain important initiatives concerning film education over the recent years.
The Ministry has established collaborations with non-profit associations, the film industry and National (International) Film Festivals that include programmes of film education towards educators, children and young people. These programmes take place in the framework of the following festivals:
i. Animafest Cyprus -Views of the World (International Animation Festival). The organizers have created a developmental scheme in Education for educators', children and young people called "The Junior Edition" taking place during the school year, reaching schools of Pre-elementary, Elementary and Secondary Education throughout Cyprus. This Scheme is devoted to animation training and the promotion of children's animated films. Its aim is to enrich Cypriot children's perception of animation film and cultivate love and respect towards this art form. AnimaFest Cyprus also collaborates with other international festivals with the purpose of exchanging best practices regarding children's film education programmes as well as for organizing educational seminars, presentations, workshops and screenings of competition film programmes - with a children's audience price award-, thus inviting children, educators and their parents to broaden their knowledge in the art of animation.
ii. Cyprus Film Days (CFS) for Children and Youth. It is part of the Cyprus Film Days International Festival. The CFD for children has been running for the last six years incorporating in its main actions, the screening of awarded films and a series of interesting film workshops for children and youth, such as acting for camera, animation and VR.
iii. Cyprus Archaeological, Ethnographic and Historical Documentary Festival. The non-profit organization A.E.I AUDIOVISUAL FORUM organizes filmmaking workshops for students, thus encouraging participation of young people not only as spectators but also as creators. The initiative is implemented in collaboration with the UNESCO Associated Schools Network in Cyprus since 2018.
Furthermore, other stakeholders also promote film education, such as the Politistiko Ergastiri Agion Omologiton and the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute - Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth. The latter has developed during the last years seminars, presentations and workshops relevnat to audiovisual education, targeting students and educators (e.g. Audiovisual storytelling workshops, short video contest).
The Ministry also maintains a close collaboration with the Directors Guild of Cyprus. Directors Guild of Cyprus has been offering high quality training for professionals in the field of directing since its establishment. It provides a wide range of masterclasses, seminars and workshops aiming to educate, inform and inspire them. These are mainly provided to members of the Guild but most of them are also open to the public.