{"id":20437,"date":"2018-06-20T00:00:54","date_gmt":"2018-06-19T21:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/?p=20437"},"modified":"2019-04-05T10:28:21","modified_gmt":"2019-04-05T07:28:21","slug":"students-presented-their-original-short-film","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/en\/students-presented-their-original-short-film\/","title":{"rendered":"Students from Dermantsi presented their original short film in Paris and in Sofia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Daniel Simeonov helps students learn and develop skills through the exciting world of cinema with the project “Cinema, a hundred years young”.<\/em><\/h3>\n
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The poster of the short film made by the students from Dermantsi.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The students from Primary School \u201cNeofit Rilski\u201d in the village of Dermantsi presented their first short film called \u201c9+1\u201d with a premiere in Paris at the beginning of June and with a festival debut during the \u201cMeetings of Young European Cinema\u201d in Sofia. The short film was completed in May 2018 as part of the \u201cCinema, a Hundred Years Young\u201d project by the French National Film Archives. The students from Dermantsti had been working on the film throughout the whole school year with the help and support of their English teacher, Daniel Simeonov, a Teach For Bulgaria participant and professional director. The two premiers were the highlight of their efforts to learn by using cinematographic tools.<\/p>\n

Cinema as a means to learn<\/h3>\n

Daniel Simeonov started using cinema to engage and support his students to gain knowledge and develop various skills during their summer vacation back in 2017. With the help of the French Institute in Bulgaria, he joined the CinEd project (European Cinema Education for Youth) and organized viewings of European films in Dermantsi, followed by discussions about the meaning, messages, and nonverbal communication with the students. This summer experience gave Daniel\u2019s students the knowledge base and drive to start working on their own short film, part of the \u201cCinema, a Hundred Years Young\u201d project at the beginning of the school year. \u201cCinema, a Hundred Years Young\u201d by the French National Film Archives gives students from 7 to 18 years of age, from 45 countries around the world, the opportunity to create their own short films.<\/p>\n

\"shortDaniel Simeonov explains<\/h3>\n

In 2017, Daniel Simeonov and his students started their own cinema club at the school where they watched films, discussed them, and started shooting short scenes which eventually led to the making of their original short film. The students who took part in the cinema club were of mixed age and different social backgrounds. The cinema club gave them a brand new chance to communicate and participate in various educational games by exchanging experience, collaborating, and learning from each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe socio-economic context in the region is very challenging and the opportunity to participate in the project and travel to Paris is a way for the children to become aware and see the world beyond their small village. Cinematographic activities are also an alternative method to boost my students\u2019 motivation which is very important in every aspect,\u201d Daniel Simeonov shared.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

According to him, this informal way of engaging with arts could address the functional literacy problem in the region \u2013 many of the students in the region of Lovech lack the skills necessary to extract and analyze information. In the last few months of the school year the students who had taken part in the cinema club had improved their academic results as well as certain skills and competencies which would help them be successful in the future.<\/p>\n

Daniel also shared that the project helped his students in another way as well \u2013 it allowed them to discover talents and interests they did not realize they had. \u201cThese children have almost no access to art. In the course of our work they learned more about their creative, emotional, and artistic talents which facilitated their self-knowledge and self-development,\u201d Daniel added.<\/p>\n

More about shooting the film, Paris, and the festival in Sofia<\/h3>\n

The shooting of the short film took place near the end of the school year in the village of Aglen, near Dermantsi, in an area called \u201cRachkov\u201d. Daniel\u2019s students were the protagonists who told the story with great inspiration, lots of talent, and intriguing frames. The story of the end of the world when all people had perished with the exception of a few children who had survived and were hiding in the woods.<\/p>\n

The students\u2019 enthusiasm and motivation to complete the short film was supported by a professional team from the cinematographic industry \u2013 Arte Urbana Collectif, Boyana Films, the French Institute in Bulgaria, \u201cTurandot\u201d Production, \u201cTorex\u201d Montage Studios, and \u201cMeetings of Young European Cinema\u201d Festival. The local community and TITAN Zlatna Panega Cement AD also supported the young filmmakers. TITAN Zlatna Panega have been a long-term Teach For Bulgaria partner in the region of Lovech.<\/p>\n

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