SEMATCAIRO-Work

"Cinema Courses for Children"

1- "My Very First Film"
Workshop in Cairo for children in cooperation with The Arab Education Forum

"Films that we make ourselves"

"Qalb El Umur"
A workshop to teach cinema to children

SEMAT organized a workshop to teach cinema to children for 6 weeks in a project within "Qalb el Umur" project that started up by the Arab Education Forum (AEF).

Twelve boys and girls participated in the workshop in a range between 11-13 years. They divided into two groups and they performed writing, shooting, and taking editing decisions independently. They succeeded in making four films. The editors were Mustafa Youssef and Joseph Makram.
The aim of the workshop is teaching the young how to express themselves by using Digital Camera. The project started with encouraging the participants to express their ideas or any issue they want by speaking to each other then expressing by the Polaroid and finally dealing with digital camera proficiently. Through the phases of making films, gradually they made complete films.
After dividing the participants to groups, each group made its film and the result was four films. The participants worked in each film from A to Z. They even chose their stories or themes that films dealt with. They wrote scenarios, shoot, and direct without any external intervention.

The premier of the films was within the festival of Amman Days "Ayam Amman" 10th festival in a frame of Amman Documentaries Days "Ayam Amman el wasa'ekea" shows in a program called "My Very First Film" with films of "Qalb el Umur" project in arabian countries like Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine. The audience welcomed the films.
A press conference has held in the margins of "Ayam Amman el wasa'ekea".

Many filmmakers of Jordan and supervisors of courses and workshops in Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan participated in press conference. Many discussions were held about the films, the participants' prospective of the world, the nature of the society they live in, and the actual image of their life that their films reflect.
The discussions showed variety in prospective, situations and points of view of the participants.

Questions of the parents stopped me during the course:
- What are the things our children going to learn?
- Is it a competition? Are there are any prizes for the winning film?

My answers were :

The aim of the course is to allow an opportunity for participants to learn how to use the camera, the basics and principles of shooting and editing, and discovering – with practice- the expressing ability through the film. In such a way, the aim is not a competition at all.
After this discussion, I felt that my answers were not sufficient to illustrate the whole truth. At the middle of the course, I felt that not all the participants are participate, realize, and enjoy as similar as each other and in that time I realized that the best way to understand and evaluate what is going on is to continue until the end. The most important thing in this experiment is not the films that have made but the experiment / course itself.
Finally, I confirm that we must see these films to understand and evaluate the experiment correctly.
After the end of the workshop, SEMAT organized a show of the films in the presence of the children, their parents, and a group of filmmakers.

Director: Ahmad Ossama
The responsible trainer of the young in the workshop

Nazra, n. 5, spring 2004, p.10-11

About the idea of "Qalb el Umur", (Qalb) in Arabic means more than one meaning which are all suitable for Idea. (Qalb) The core of something is the origin, the essence and the motive. On the other hand, (Qalb) also means stirring (el Umur) means looking deeply and studying from different points. Also (Qalb) that means stirring means renewing the life and taking out good and what is inside as the seeds in agriculture"



	"Cinema Courses for Children" 1- "My Very First Film" Workshop in Cairo for children in cooperation with The Arab Education Forum "Films that we make ourselves" "Qalb El Umur" A workshop to teach cinema to children SEMAT organized a workshop to teach cinema to children for 6 weeks in a project within "Qalb el Umur" project that started up by the Arab Education Forum (AEF).
	Twelve boys and girls participated in the workshop in a range between 11-13 years. They divided into two groups and they performed writing, shooting, and taking editing decisions independently. They succeeded in making four films. The editors were Mustafa Youssef and Joseph Makram. The aim of the workshop is teaching the young how to express themselves by using Digital Camera. The project started with encouraging the participants to express their ideas or any issue they want by speaking to each other then expressing by the Polaroid and finally dealing with digital camera proficiently. Through the phases of making films, gradually they made complete films. After dividing the participants to groups, each group made its film and the result was four films. The participants worked in each film from A to Z. They even chose their stories or themes that films dealt with. They wrote scenarios, shoot, and direct without any external intervention. The premier of the films was within the festival of Amman Days "Ayam Amman" 10th festival in a frame of Amman Documentaries Days "Ayam Amman el wasa'ekea" shows in a program called "My Very First Film" with films of "Qalb el Umur" project in arabian countries like Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine. The audience welcomed the films. A press conference has held in the margins of "Ayam Amman el wasa'ekea". Many filmmakers of Jordan and supervisors of courses and workshops in Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan participated in press conference. Many discussions were held about the films, the participants' prospective of the world, the nature of the society they live in, and the actual image of their life that their films reflect. The discussions showed variety in prospective, situations and points of view of the participants. Questions of the parents stopped me during the course: - What are the things our children going to learn? - Is it a competition? Are there are any prizes for the winning film? My answers were : The aim of the course is to allow an opportunity for participants to learn how to use the camera, the basics and principles of shooting and editing, and discovering – with practice- the expressing ability through the film. In such a way, the aim is not a competition at all. After this discussion, I felt that my answers were not sufficient to illustrate the whole truth. At the middle of the course, I felt that not all the participants are participate, realize, and enjoy as similar as each other and in that time I realized that the best way to understand and evaluate what is going on is to continue until the end. The most important thing in this experiment is not the films that have made but the experiment / course itself. Finally, I confirm that we must see these films to understand and evaluate the experiment correctly. After the end of the workshop, SEMAT organized a show of the films in the presence of the children, their parents, and a group of filmmakers. Director: Ahmad Ossama The responsible trainer of the young in the workshop Nazra, n. 5, spring 2004, p.10-11
	About the idea of "Qalb el Umur", (Qalb) in Arabic means more than one meaning which are all suitable for Idea. (Qalb) The core of something is the origin, the essence and the motive. On the other hand, (Qalb) also means stirring (el Umur) means looking deeply and studying from different points. Also (Qalb) that means stirring means renewing the life and taking out good and what is inside as the seeds in agriculture"