Barents Youth Film Festival
Salten Culture Co-operation, The Municipality of Bodø and Nordland County Council have arranged Barents Youth Film Festival in Bodø, Norway since 2010. The goal is to make this festival a yearly event. In 2014 and 2015 we didn't succeed in making this happen, but hopefully the festival will reappear in 2016.
About Barents Youth Film Festival
The festival is a three-day international film workshop in Bodø, Nordland County. It all ends in a big, one-day film festival, for all 14-15 year olds in the Salten Area called Film Festival Salten. This event takes place in Bodø Spectrum, a big sports hall in Bodø. About 1200 young people are invited to this local red carpet, Oscar-event. Prizes are handed out and the evening ends with a big concert.
The goal of the festival
- To stimulate young people in the Barents Region to develop critical and creative views of the art of film
- To create regional and international meeting places for young people who are interested in film as a medium, as well as providing them with a motivating factor.
- To give young people in the Barents Region knowledge of each others’ culture through providing cultural meeting places
International workshop participants
- Students, aged 14-16, from Northern Finland, Iceland, Northern Russia and Salten Region in Nordland County, Norway.
- Teachers of the participating students
The students and teachers must master English, as this will be the teaching language.
All participants are expected to have special interest in film as a medium. It is an advantage to have some knowledge of filmmaking, but beginners are also welcome.
The process of filmmaking
The teaching will combine theory and practice. The students will be divided into groups of 5 – 6 members according to personal interest: manuscript-writing, direction, camera, sound/lighting, film cutting/editing and acting. In cooperation with professional filmmakers, the groups will produce a film lasting for a maximum of 4 minutes. The result after the workshop is a fully produced film within a chosen genre.
A professional jury will choose the winning film - to be given a prize at Film Festival Salten at the end of the workshops.
In addition to the workshops, the students will watch and discuss films of interest for the project, from a learning aspect. Film theory will also be taught daily.