for every child, ANSWERS

UNICEF Innocenti Film Festival, 2019Concept Note

BackgroundThree anniversaries of global significance for children will align with important implications for the city of Florence in 2019:

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) will reach the 30th anniversary of its signing as an instrument of international law.

The UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti will mark its 30th anniversary as one of the world’s foremost research centres on children.

The Ospedale degli Innocenti will celebrate the 600th anniversary of its founding charter.

These triple anniversaries for children will culminate in World Children’s Day (20 November) 2019 which is commemorated around the world, presenting a rare opportunity to focus public attention on the nature of childhood itself – past, present and future – and its binding call on the world to nurture, protect and empower.

During this period the UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti will organize a number of high profile events:

The Leading Minds for Children conference convening leading global thinkers and experts to consult on major issues affecting children.

A Compendium Publication of short essays by leading experts on the future of childhood. The UNICEF Innocenti Film Festival curating the world’s best current film, video, multi-media, with

emphasis on young artists and the Global South.

The Film FestivalChildren’s rights are timeless, but the circumstances of childhood have changed dramatically since the CRC was signed in 1989. Great strides have been made and complex new threats have emerged. Far fewer children succumb to illness and malnutrition than ever before; yet, violence, the rise of technology, displacement and climate change introduce complex new threats that were undreamed of three decades ago. And yet the CRC remains a vital global reference point to which all nations turn.

As these changes occur, the role of media – in all its dynamic forms – as well as the deepening engagement of children and young people in media production and use, have impact on children’s lives in ways that are both profound and yet only dimly visible. The UNICEF Innocenti Film Festival will take stock of these dynamic forces shaping childhood, spark discussion on the state of children and promote deep reflection on the experiences of children in different contexts. The festival will be produced in collaboration with Cinema La Compagnia di Fondazione Sistema Toscana (Film Commission of Tuscany) and will be held 25, 26 and 27 October (with a special programme organized for children on 23 October).

Criteria for selection of media

for every child, ANSWERS

Films to be included in the festival will promote deep reflection on the narratives of childhood and the experiences that shape them – in their individual lives, in the family, the community, in institutions and societies – reflecting realities in the Global South and North.

Emphasis will be placed on films and media that authentically represent the thoughts, voices and experiences of children themselves. While the UNICEF Innocenti Film Festival has no age limits for entry, in keeping with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, special priority will be given to films and media that have been written, directed or developed by and/or with children, young people and young adult artists.

UNICEF Innocenti will work with young people, the global network of UNICEF offices in 190 countries, Fondazione Sistemi Toscana and other partners to select and curate the festival programme according to the above criteria.

Visit our secure portal for submitting an entry to the festival

For more information please contact:

Dale Rutstein, Chief of Communication, UNICEF Innocenti drutstein@unicef.org

Patrizia Faustini, Sr. Communication Associate, UNICEF Innocenti pfaustini@unicef.org

Sarah Crowe, Sr Advisor – Convening, UNICEF Innocenti scrowe@unicef.org