The 6th edition of DUFF will present 60 films and numerous workshops and activities for kids
Travelling with kids can be a challenge at times, especially if your itinerary consists of historical gems such as Split and Dubrovnik. The concept of sightseeing for hours probably won’t leave the young visitors extremely thrilled – exceptions aside, their attention span tends to be a bit shorter compared to adults.
Anyone who’s lucky enough to be visiting Dubrovnik this week (No more crowds! Amazing weather for October!) has a great opportunity to take the kiddies to see something they will truly enjoy: the Dubrovnik Film Festival for Children and the Youth of the Mediterrranean Countries. It’s a mouthful, so we’ll call it DUFF. It kicks off on Tuesday, October 17, and will present the enthusiastic audience with six days of great films and related activities that both kids and their parents are sure to find interesting.
The Dubrovnik Cinemas, Luža Association and School of Film Šipan prepared a rich programme, composed not only of attractive screenings, but also numerous film-themed workshops, educational trips and activities that will introduce the participants to the cultural heritage of Dubrovnik.
Even though the opening ceremony doesn’t take place until Thursday, the festival will unofficially be opened on Tuesday at 20:00 in Kino Visia with a screening of a documentary called ’90 years of Dubrovnik Gymnasium Ploče’. The film was produced by Luža, the Association for the Promoting of Media Culture that originated from film workshops organised in the Gymnasium Dubrovnik back in the day. The collaboration between the school and the association continues to thrive, and the audience might find the film engaging, educational and just a tad nostalgic and funny.
Dube Mikulić of the Dubrovnik Cinemas said that more than 250 films from the Mediterranean countries were submitted; the jury selected around 60 that are competing for ten festival awards in various categories. This year’s manifestation was expanded by a welcome addition – the programme was modified to accommodate kids of kindergarten age.
How did the festival come to be? It’s best to let the organisers explain it in their own words, as stated on the DUFF website: “The idea for a youth festival arose from the desire to bring out the hidden and anonymous endeavours of the enthusiastic young film makers so that they may enter the public eye and in this way gain recognition. By initiating the festival, we wish to offer a helping hand to individuals, schools and youth associations who work on media culture to achieve their five minutes of fame. Dubrovnik is a city of festivals. It is a city in which the word festa and festival evoke an age old tradition of the celebration of life. Dubrovnik celebrates its patron Saint Blaise, drama, and music – so why not celebrate film? So come to our fair city, take part in our celebration and pick up a thing or two by participating in our workshops or just by watching films and mingling with your peers. It will be our honour to be your host.”
You can learn more about the festival, selected films and the schedule here.
Source: DuList
