Youth Artivists for Change is a project funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Creative Twinning scheme. Art. 1 is the main applicant of the project, which focuses on the participation of youth (15-24 years old) in film, theater, podcast and storytelling activities. The main goal is to provide them the tools that will empower them to speak up about social awareness on human rights/LGBTQ+ rights and gender equality through the arts.

The project takes place in four different countries in the Western Balkan: Macedonia, Albania, Serbia, and Kosovo, through the alliance of seventeen organizations working within arts, culture, gender equality and Human/LGBTQ+ rights. This alliance connects young people with different cultural backgrounds through activities such as the launch of LGBTQ+ film festivals, photo exhibitions, debates and multiplier events to disseminate the results of the project.

In every country there have been trainings in film, podcast, storytelling, and human rights/LGBTIQ+ rights advocacy. Furthermore, the initiatives also contemplate the launch of safe art spaces where young people can work on their projects with safety and support. This aims to make a significant contribution to the understanding of human rights and understanding of democratic EU principles which might lead to a smoother transitioning for the collaborating countries in their quest for EU membership.

The post Youth Artivists for Change: Balkan appeared first on Stichting art.1.

The filmmaking training in Tirana started on the 10th of May and it took place in the Marubi Film Academy. The group of participants consisted of 9 people, with ages ranging from 17 to 29 years-old. They all shared an affinity for the arts and particularly for filmmaking, but most of them hadn’t had the opportunity to really learn about it until now. During the introductions, it was also immediately evident that they were very interested in engaging with LGBTQ+ rights and gender equality issues, and that they were very excited to learn how to do so using film.

What followed were three very intense days, filled not only with theory learning but also with moments for reflecting, sharing, and experimenting with the cameras. The very first exercise consisted of them gathering in small groups to create a film with only five shots, where they would advertise a product that they wished existed. As results, we got a banana with a shape that wouldn’t be as easily sexualized, which stated that “it seems to be easier to change the shape of food rather than people’s minds”. The second film presented a machine and a card that would grant women free access to sanitary products, in order to avoid the costs adjacent to them, and the third group worked on an “anti-patriarchy” juice.

During the last stage of the workshop, the participants had to work in an 8-hour film project, including developing a concept, writing and pre-producing, shooting and then editing. At the end of the day, we got to watch all of their projects in a final screening. The first film was an animated response to a poem by the participant Thimi, which talked about being a star, even in moments when one feels sad and alone. They also worked on the story of a man who found out that his sister had a relationship with a girl and responded by murdering her. The film proposed an alternative scenario where she got her revenge by locking him up and threatening him. In addition to raising questions regarding homophobia, this was also a critique on the Albanian tradition of family members getting revenge on other families. The last film, on the other hand, portrayed a case of online bullying and aimed to function as an awareness campaign to prevent suicide and address mental health issues. As a bonus, we also got to see a short animation against homophobia on which one of the participants had worked on the night before.

Towards the end, they presented the ideas that they have in mind and that they will use when the time comes for them to apply for the project mini-grants which will allow them to create their own documentaries.

“I believe that many young people in our country are very creative but we don’t have many opportunities where to show our ideas. I personally think that movies are a great tool that if used in the right hands can make a big change because films have the power to influence people and make them think deeper. Films can elicit deep feelings and help us reflect on our lives”.

– Participant in the workshop

Participants: Romina, Dario, Thimi, Mateo, Tringë, Rexhina, Egzon, Ilenia and Elisabeta.

The post First filmmaking training in Tirana, Albania appeared first on Stichting art.1.