International film festival ‘Le Temps Presse’ asked 309 Monegasque students to judge 5 short films. The 8 to 14 year olds picked their favourites by filling out short questionnaires at the end of each film. The young jury was created by the festival to give children a voice. Big themes about sustainable development, disabilities, accepting differences and how to deal with inequality were portrayed during the screening.
15 classes from Monaco participated in the event as well as children from 6 other countries. In total, over 1,500 students from around the world have voted to decide the winner of the “Prix des Enfants” (Children’s Prize).
Marc Oberon, founder of Le Temps Presse, said that the Prix des Enfants was created because the future belongs to today’s children. He believes the award is essential and indispensable because the festival hopes to nourish children and give them an opportunity to ask questions about sustainable development.
Cinema with civil, environmental and social responsibilities created by mostly young directors is a vision ‘Le Temps Presse’ wants to share. The films chosen for the festival revolve around the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals: to eradicate poverty, protect the planet and guarantee prosperity for everyone.
Anne Poyard Vatrican, Deputy Director for Monaco’s Department of International Cooperation, said that the children reacted well to the films. She said the films raised a lot of questions for the children to think about. For example, one film was about access to clean drinking water and another symbolic film was about biodiversity.
The winner of the Prix des Enfants will be revealed at the festival’s award ceremony, which will take place on the 4th of January 2018 in Paris.
