Film festival held to inspire young people

AN international short film festival held in Port Moresby on Saturday was aimed at inspiring young people in a positive way to communicate value and hope in the society.
Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands secretary for Youth and Social Communication Commission Fr Ambrose Pereira said film was a powerful medium.
“The film festival was held with the hope that it communicates, educates, entertains and inspires young people to be critical consumers of this medium of communication,” Pereira said.
He said nine short films were selected dwelling on the theme of Year of Youth, Youth Alive, Celebrating life and love.
The films shown were from different parts of the world where young people used their situations and turned it into serving others.
One film titled The Journey was the story of a young Indian man who chooses to dedicate his life to serving the poor and abandoned boys after encountering them in the streets. Pereira said that majority of the participants were students attending Catholic institutions like Jubilee Catholic Secondary, Don Bosco Technical, Limana Vocational, Sacred Heart Teachers’ College, Marianville Secondary, Don Bosco Technical Institute and Caritas Secondary School.
The film festival follow a media education seminar which was held earlier this year.
Pereira said the media education seminar was initiated aimed to empower young people to be critical consumers of the media.
“To be critical in everything that they come across in the media and also be creative producers of content that is relevant.”
The 60 students from the participating schools learnt the basics of posters, logos, photography, news writing and also radio and video editing. The media education seminar has given the students an insight into the media and getting them in touch with themselves and the issues they face in life as young people.
Krystal Delai, a grade 11 student at Jubilee Catholic Secondary School, said that the programme was very beneficial. “Attending the MES has helped me to have an open mind and to really think about the information being put out in the media,” she said.
“Also to be mindful about the films I watch and reason out the moral behind them.” The programme was organised and conducted by the Catholic Bishops Conference of PNG and Solomon Islands youth and social communication commission.