Cinaziq prepares the future by educating students in the valley to become informed and critical audiences.
As it becomes increasingly difficult to engage teenagers in going to the movies or finding a film to watch as a family, as highlighted by Guillaumette Faure in an article in Le Monde, the association Cinaziq continues its mission of being a mediator of images. For several editions now, they have been offering image education to both school and non-school audiences by involving them in the programming.
Driven by a team of volunteers supported by teachers and educators, these actions reach over 150 young people from the valley of the gaves through about twenty interventions each year. These initiatives start at the beginning of the school year in September and involve multiple classes as well as the Youth Space in Argelès-Gazost. The main goal is to encourage a love for going to the cinema and learning to discuss a film.
The 11th edition of the Festival, starting tomorrow evening, remains committed to this goal, opening up the festival even more to young audiences and further introducing them to the art of cinema.
Just like in previous editions, the 8th grade students from the Haut-Lavedan college benefited from three sessions to watch the three films selected by Cinaziq volunteers, after which they discussed the themes of each film and the cinematic techniques used. The students then selected the “teenagers’ choice film,” featured in the festival program. This year, “Prodigious” received this label. The film selection process was critiqued in an article written by the students in partnership with a journalist from the local press.
At the Argelès-Gazost High School, three movie nights were organized, with different films shown based on the grade level, followed by discussions. At the Youth Space, a film club was established once a month, featuring a potluck dinner, movie screening, and a discussion on the films chosen by the students in previous years. Four films were selected to learn how to discuss them and share impressions.
After the festival, a final session will conclude the cycle in the style of “Masque et la plume” to discuss the emotions felt and allow everyone to express them. Additionally, three 8th-grade classes from Luz, Pierrefitte, and Argelès have explored the first images of the silent film “Sherlock Junior” by Buster Keaton in class, a film for a cine-concert. After learning about the history of cinema techniques and silent films, the students prepared to meet the resident musicians who composed the original accompaniment for the film in their music class.
This afternoon, the three classes will have the opportunity to experience this encounter and attend the final rehearsal and full run-through of the film. With all these activities aimed at young people, the Cinaziq association seeks to train the youth to become informed, sensitive, and critical audiences, encouraging them to attend the festival throughout the weekend.
