A child who was born in outer space and has to adapt to humanity, a peculiar fortune teller who brings out the worst in us or a terrifying dystopia where all human beings look the same, talk the same and act the same way.
These three unique synopses describe the award-winning projects of the first edition of “Diversity in series: stories that deserve to be told“, promoted in Spain together with Fad (Foundation for Help Against Drug Addiction). Throughout the past academic year, Netflix and Fad invited more than 600 students between 12 and 20 years old to participate in educational workshops focused on helping them reflect on the richness of the world around them through several classroom sessions covering education in diversity, communication skills, collaborative teamwork and audiovisual training. Afterwards, the students were asked to each develop the script for a short film addressing the main theme of the project: diversity, specifically cultural diversity, gender equality or intergenerational diversity.
The goal of the initiative was to awaken these young students’ artistic ambitions. We hope that by opening more eyes to the audiovisual industry at such an early age, we can pave the way for a more diverse, tolerant and equal audiovisual future.
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The award-winning scripts were chosen by a multidisciplinary jury integrated by professionals from FAD, Netflix and CIMA (Association of Women Filmmakers and Audiovisual Media) as well as from the educational field, composed by Verónica Fernández, Content Director at Netflix in Spain; the author and creator Elísabet Benavent; Cristina Andreu, president of the Asociación de Mujeres Cineastas y de Medios Audiovisuales (CIMA); Fad’s CEO, Beatriz Martín Padura; and the teacher at Colegio Gredos San Diego Las Suertes in Madrid and specialist in diversity, José Luis Amo
“It was a lovely and amusing experience, we will treasure it forever“, said Paula Neco and Juan Steban Ospina (16-17 years old) from IES Renacimiento, screenwriters of Con los pies en la Tierra (Down to earth way, in English).
“We have learned the importance, dedication and effort that goes into a film shoot“, told us Alejandra Godoy Prieto and Sara Sáez López (14 years old) from Colegio San Patricio el Soto, screenwriters of El Bucle (The Loop, in English).
“Each one of us is a small world, different, unique and unrepeatable. Everyone has the right to be him or herself. Be and let everyone be too“, as said in La bola mágica (The magic ball, in English), a short film created by Alba Esteban, Lucía Marchado, Irene Bruna, Inés Martín and Andrea Polo (all 14 years old) from IES Luís García Berlanga.
The short films were screened and honored in a Short Film Festival attended by students and teachers representing the awarded school groups and chaired by the Second Vice-President and Minister of the Economy and Digital Transformation of Spain, Nadia Calviño.
The event was also attended by members of the Jury as Elísabet Benavent, Cristina Andreu and Beatriz Martín Padura; as well as with representatives of Netflix and Fad such as the Vice President of Original Content of Netflix in Spain and Portugal, Diego Ávalos; and the President of Fad, Ignacio Bayón.
“We have to listen to young people, boys and girls. We can guide and provide tools, but they are much more advanced than we think, they live in a more diverse world, that’s why this project is so important“, said Cristina Andreu during the awards ceremony. “The new generations are sometimes treated with a certain condescension, and yet they have integrated many notions that have been more difficult for us. They have a lot of things to tell us when it comes to finding a better future“, added Elísabet Benavent.
The “Diversity in serie: stories that deserve to be told” initiative will kick off a second edition during the next school year 2021-2022, where students from 14 to 20 years of age from all over Spain will be able to participate.
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