On Wednesday I caught the final session of the conference “How to Stimulate Filmsense(s) International Conference on Media Education from an Artistic Perspective " at the 37th International Film Festival Rotterdam.
As difficult as it may be for an American to believe, the European governments are actually developing Media Literacy Education policy. I wasn’t able to see it, but Gregory Paulger, Director of the Directorate-General Information Society and Media presented the conference keynote entitled: “The European Commission communication on Media Literacy.”
The printed material summarizes the keynote:
“The media are an accessible tool for European citizens to better understand the societies in which they live and participate in democratic life. The audiovisual production sector is an essential instrument of expression of our cultural and political values and it is a vector for European citizenship and culture. The Commission Communication on media literacy adds a further building block to European audiovisual policy. … The Commission intends to promote the development and exchange of good practices on media literacy. It will also encourage research into criteria for assessing media literacy.”
As stunning as it sounds to me that a government would create policy to enlighten citizens on the power of media, the conference was born out of a tension between policymakers and filmmakers. The conference was put on by both the Rotterdam festival and the Dutch Institute for Film Education, which is a non-government organization.
Ulrike Söbbeke, conference educational manager, explained to me that the film festival has run education programs for years. This year, it became clear to organizers that while media literacy is being addressed nationally from a policy and education standpoint, filmmakers and other creative content producers were rarely invited into the discussion. The conference organizers' intent was to build the kind of event that would culminate in the creation of a manifesto to present to policy makers, representing the insights of a participatory dialogue
Ulrike told me the kinds of people who participated: “It was international: filmmakers, international film institutes, educational initiatives from different countries, media professionals, producers, not so much the sales agents—a diverse group so it was good for the discussions on a complete range of film industry representatives.”
Carolien Labib, a freelancer who works in the cultural sector organizing conferences and other events explained some of the background of the conference. “Politicians are full of media education—it is a hot item.” But where do these policymakers learn about media education?
Labib explained: “We need filmmakers to speak up! We need the people that are making media to pass it on to new generations and make sure that what they are making is understood. What we wanted was not a policy angle—we know what politicians think—but we want to hear what people think. What we tried to do by making a manifesto is to get our hands on something concrete that we can publish or make it go forward, a starting point.”
This discussion is somewhat challenging for me to follow, because I’m simply not accustomed to thinking about dialogue between people in the cultural sector and policymakers. I know it happens in the U.S., but these discussions seem to be held between so-called professionals and not welcoming to independent artists. I really applaud the conference for creating this kind of event. When I asked Labib what it is like to have a government that actually seems to care about the culture of the people she responded passionately:
“…It is very paternalistic, especially when they try to make policies without talking to the field… it's good to make all sorts of plans about media education but if you want to execute those plans, you’ll need the people like filmmakers to play a role. They forget they need that. They think they can ask every teacher to execute the policy, or a different kind of education. I’m not complaining—it's fantastic they are taking this seriously, but we have our own responsibility. In Dutch, we say, 'Don’t mow the grass in front of our feet.' We are trying to do things and they [the government] are doing it in front of us. It should be a cooperative thing together.”
“The crowd is mostly filmmakers or professionals, or educators, and there were about 5 or 6 policymakers in the room. And that’s a good thing—so now the two worlds collide a little bit.”
I am beginning to understand the European paradox, and how artists, who are always pushing towards more freedom, could feel stifled by policymakers, who want to institute policy without enough participation. As a media educator, I recognize the power of participatory practice in the classroom and how it has the potential to build an awareness of the value of democratic practice in young people. Media education is a process of increasing consciousness—of one’s own subjectivity, of ideology and convention—and, as an American, I am stirred by the idea that a government would proclaim interest in this kind of education.
Gabriel McIntyre (I'll call him Gabemac) was the charming conference moderator. I found it interesting that they chose an American to lead the discussion. Gabriel is originally from Atlanta, but has lived in the Netherlands for many years, working as an educator and with emerging technology and advertising.
He helped me understand the European media literacy context a little more clearly, reminding me that most media is funded by the government, and that historically media has often been used for propaganda for pretty bad purposes. The notion is that if the government has such a large role in creating the media, it also has a responsibility to enhance the cultural undersanding of media.
I ask Gabe what he thinks comes out of events like this.
“Policymakers make policy. It's up to artists to take the policy and make it right. That’s always how it is, in any democratic society. And if they didn’t make right policies, the artists wouldn’t take it up. Or they would say, you screwed up there—this is better.
During the closing discussion of the conference, participants had a chance to reflect on the day. Janine Prins, documentary filmmaker and senior lecturer on Art & Economics, offered some passionate insights on the lack of visual literacy in the young population. She said, “We feel that visual grammar should be taught at basic level, when you learn to read, write, analyze text, or do math, you should also learn the basics of signs, codes, conventions.”
Nick Powell, director of the National Film and Television School in England, recounted some of the discussions that happened in his participatory workshop. He talked about an Ethiopian educator laughing at European educators’ problems—in Ethiopia he works with no equipment, negotiating concerns about censorship. His students have no need for film education, because they don’t see anything—there is one TV channel that is not widely available. He hopes this lack of media will help his students make very pure films.
Powell then invoked a fitting Mark Twain quote: “To be good is noble, but to teach others to be good is nobler, and easier.”
I laugh at this idea, thinking about how fast technology is changing and how, in teaching my students to become more aware of their relationships with media, I’ve become more aware of my own unconscious habits. Our lives have been drastically altered over the past 10 to 15 years, and I am eager to see how the European creative community will help the state to help citizens feel more in control of their time and mental environment.
