German Filmacademy becomes ECFA member

The German Filmacademy, a non-profit association based in Berlin, unites about 2,000 members in a forum for German filmmakers, that initiates events and discussions about filmmaking from both the artistic and the economic point of view.

The purpose of the Filmacademy is to promote German film as an integral part of German and European culture. The association facilitates the exchange of experiences and the discussion about German cinema among filmmakers and with the audience.

 

ECFA’s new member is responsible for the election of the annual German Film Awards (a.k.a. Lola Awards) in 19 categories. This is the highest endowed award for German cinema, considered as a financial stimulus for filmmakers in their work field.

 

From its very first beginning, the Academy has been devoted to positioning film education as a part of cultural education, promoting film and media literacy, a sense of aesthetics, and the creative potential of young people. Katja Hevemeyer, Head of Education: “Our educational approach involves both the theoretical-analytical element, as well as the creative hands-on involvement with film. We want young people to understand how the film medium works, to apply this knowledge to all audio-visual formats and to be creative on their own terms.

 

These ideas are put into practice in several media literacy projects:

– ‘Seeing the Classics – Understanding Films’: a nationwide project in which pupils watch classics in different genres. In these sessions, over the course of two years, the Academy’s educators deepen the young people’s knowledge about film history and guide them in analysing film language.

– The Academy runs the film knowledge portal www.vierundzwanzig.de.

– ‘Mix It’ brings together young people with and without a refugee background. During one project week, together they’ll fight all forms of racist resentments.

 

Contact: German Filmacademy (Deutsche Filmakademie e.V.), Katja Hevemeyer (Head of Education ), hevemeyer@deutsche-filmakademie.be; www.deutsche-filmakademie.de.