This Autumn, the films Afghan Star and Armadillo enter classrooms in Bodø, Trondheim and Asker. 25 000 pupils from all around Norway will have the chance to better understand Afghanistan – with the help of the touring film programme ‘Film fra Sør Norge Rundt’. As many as four times more pupils than in 2010 can thus get a unique experience of a school day – and a completely new understanding of the situation in Afghanistan.
Interview with Pia Ilonka Schenk Jensen, project leader for ’Film fra Sør Norge Rundt’
• What is ’Film fra Sør Norge Rundt’?
– ’Film fra Sør Norge Rundt’ is a free operation for secondary and high schools in various districts, with the aim to promote understanding between cultures and to expand one’s horizons. We tour the major films linked to the Film fra Sør festival, which is based on issues and topics from Asia, Africa, the Middle-East or Latin-America. The films travel around the country and are presented by an expert from the United Nations, settings the films into an academic context. The ‘Film fra Sør Norge Rundt’ project is a collaboration between the Film fra Sør Foundation, the Norwegian branch of the United Nations, local venues, and Arthaus distribution and Roast Beef media.
• What is the theme of this year’s Norge Rundt?
– We have chosen to show the Danish documentary Armadillo in high schools, and the documentary Afghan Star, which follows the Afghan Pop Idol competition, in secondary schools. Both are set in Afghanistan, and these are two extremely good films which affect and move people in their own way. Many questions arise from them which can then be discussed in the classrooms: how and why is Norway involved in the occupation of Afghanistan? How do people live in Afghanistan and what does their daily life consist of? What challenges do Afghans face every day, or as a result of the war?
• Why choosing exactly those films?
– Armadillo manages to convey a reality that very few of us know from within. When I saw Armadillo, I have to say that what surprised me most was the new soldiers’ lack of reflection about their own roles. It is important to have a clear and truthful picture of what is happening in as serious a situation as the one we are involved with in Afghanistan. The soldiers are not superhuman nor can they be described as objective or well informed, they act on different motivations. My experience of the film as a viewer was frightening. Armadillo is a very interesting document raising many important questions, which are crucial to discuss in a school context. We want the film to create greater awareness of our involvement in Afghanistan.
• What about Afghan Star?
– Afghan Star is an important film that deals with issues related to identity, culture and the problems that arise when tradition, religious dogmas, progress and modern ideals meet. I was very touched by the courage of the female protagonist who, in spite of death threats, chooses to fight to push the boundaries of women’s rights and freedom forward, even though this might be by only a few millimetres. This is also a documentary that shows that human populations are not ultimately so dissimilar, even though we come from completely different geographical areas, and conveys human warmth and understanding for a culture we believe is unlike the Norwegian one.
• Why exactly two films from Afghanistan have been chosen?
– They are both very well suited to school groups, and had in common to have been filmed in Afghanistan. It is also no coincidence that many filmmakers would today choose to make films from a country and a region so heavily involved in the news.
• What happens in addition to the screenings?
– Each screening is introduced by an experienced representative of the United Nations. We have also developed a customised curriculum for history, geography, media and social studies for high school pupils, and for RLE (Religion, Lifestyle and Ethics) and social studies for secondary school pupils. These programmes will help students to reflect on the films they have seen by both seeking information on the net and discussing in the classroom. We are hoping that the pupils will eventually have the opportunity to meet, via chat, filmmakers Janus Metz and Havana Marking, this is something we are working on at the moment. And not least: at the first screening, for Nesbru high school at Asker cinema, the students will meet several speakers, including Pål Refsadl who was kidnapped in Afghanistan. This is a truly exciting cinematic experience.
• What do you want to achieve with this project?
– We want the audience to gain a greater understanding of our involvement in Afghanistan, and for a culture we hardly know apart from the unbalanced image depicted by news channels. We wish to disseminate knowledge about the region, and hopefully help to build bridges between the Afghan culture and our own, resulting I hope in greater tolerance and a widened horizon for our audience. Another thing we hope to achieve is for the students to reflect on the underlying themes and questions arising, and to learn from them, when they see the films.
• How will you make the students engaged by the screenings, as opposed to find them boring?
– During the introductions, the United Nations representative put the films in context, which we hope will make the films even more interesting for the students. But first and foremost, both films are very moving and captivating in their own way and, speaking for myself, I can safely say that I did not experience a dull moment. You can then say that the process of engaging the pupils started as early as in the choice of the films.
• We are talking about a lot of pupils – 6500 last year. How has the project become so big?
– In 2010, the project was a great success and we received a lot of positive feedback so we decided to expand, meaning that it will be even larger in 2011. Our goal is to produce 100 screenings, as opposed to just 28 screenings in 2010. The project has also become so huge mainly because of the involvement and cooperation with United Nations district offices all over the country, which both promote the project among local schools and find great solutions about where and how the films can be shown. A good example is the UN North-Norway local office, which last year gathered 2000 students in a hall for a screening of the Arthaus film For a Moment, Freedom. We are also very grateful towards all the screening locations, which are real partners in this project. Without their willingness to set cinemas up, we could not have possibly been so big.
• What are the aspirations for the project in the future?
– We want to continue to show great films to students who do not have the possibility to attend the Film fra Sør festival. The main ambition is to find important and compelling films that the students can grow with. We have gone from 28 screenings in 2010 to 70 today, with a final goal of 100 in 2011 – so there is nothing wrong with the level of ambition. We are looking forward to perfect the ‘Film fra Sør Norge Rundt’ project with all our partners, and wish among other things that the students get the opportunity to discuss the films via social media, and also directly with the directors.
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