"The most significant part of creating content for young viewers is to focus on the classics. What issues will always be important to children? What will always be relevant? Once you discover that, develop your content around it. Because everything else will change. The way children are watching film and TV develops constantly, right now they are more immersed in different platforms than ever. Everyone competes with everyone. Netflix is more afraid of Fortnite, than Disney. To reach young viewers you need to solve a puzzle similar to a Rubik's cube. If you focus on creating good content focused on the classics, the changing market will not stop them.” David Kleeman Dubit said during his key-note speech launching Inspiration Day.
Inspiration Day launched with a panel “FORECASTING THE FUTURE FOR KIDS CONTENT – in TV and Digital SVoD”, where speakers Richard Rowe (DHX) Luca Milano (RAI Ragazzi), Claire Tavernier (digital media adviser) and Maria Kosareva, Viacom (RU) discussed the issues connected to creating valuable content for young viewers.
Following the participants had a chance to explore NEW FRESH & EDGY KIDS TV PROGRAMMES in a series of case studies devoted to productions. The Butterfly Effect, an interdisciplinary show explores history by revisiting a key event from the past and showing kids what could have happened if history took a different turn. The show was presented by Nadine Zwick-Pellet, (ARTE JUNIOR, France). The second groundbreaking production showcased during Inspiration Day was Jams, a live action series for teenagers teaching them how to react and cope with sexual harassment, presented by Luca Milano ( RAI Ragazzi, Italy& Simona Ercolani, CEO and Creative Producer of Stand By Me, Italy). It was followed by Overgrep, another show boldly created to help children recognise sexual harassment and inappropriate advances. The animated series was presented by Joakim Vedeler (NRK Super, Norway).
Stine Bomholt-Hansen (Level K, Denmark) shared the dos and don’ts in distribution with a special focus on kids content, with key insight being creative content that is inclusive and smart, because the young audiences don’t turn to low-quality entertainment, unless they are left with no choice and Marie-Claude Beauchamp (Carpe Diem, Canada) talked about the new realities of project development in the most technologically developed segment of the film industry in her presentation “DEVELOPLING AN IP 360° – from the idea to licencing and immersive experience” based on the success story of a re-wamp of the 80’s Canadian animation classics “Snowtime!” The local content was showcased by the SPPA – The Association Of Polish Animation Producers.
Silke Wilfinger (SilkWay Films & Carlos Hertel, IMC Strategy & Bavaria Media GmbH, Germany) led special production financing workshop “The Art of Finding & Making a Deal Workshop”, followed by a presentation of the Black Mill, one of the newest Polish productions for the younger audience, a feature family film directed by Mariusz Palej, based on a bestselling novel and produced by TFP. The film is currently in production and is one of the first projects whose producers signed a contrct to use the 30% cash rebate scheme offered in Poland since 2018.
The day wrapped up with a screenwriting master class from Philip LaZebnik, an awarded American screenwriter and producer. LaZebnik has written screenplays for films including Pocahontas, Mulan, The Prince of Egypt, The Road to El Dorado, The Lost Treasure of the Knights Templar, Asterix and the Vikings, The Three Investigators and the Secret of Skeleton Island, The Lost Treasure of the Knights Templar II – among others.
The participants also had a chance to take a special locations tour through Warsaw, organised by the Warsaw Film Commission, where they had a chance to explored great locations and learn about the history behind them. The route included Cinema Muranów, Krasiński
Garden, Krasiński Square, New Town, Barbican, Old Town, Theatre Square. The day finished with an evening networking event hosted by KIPA KIDS and SPPA, aimed at forming connections that will result in future cooperation on a film or TV series for the young viewers.The second part of Inspiration Day took place on 26th September 2019 during the CO-PRO-NECT Breakfast. In these 30 minutes intimate & interactive sessions, key funders and content executives shared their experiences in coproduction, investment & partnership, programming, acquisition and commissioning strategies with speakers Agnes Augustin (Shaw-Rocket Fund, Canada), Marie-Claude Beauchamp, (Carpe Diem, Canada) and Luca Milano (RAI Ragazzi, Italy). A total of 27 projects representing 15 countries were pitched, along one special Polish work-in-progress presentation. Seven of the projects were Polish productions or coproductions, but the forum is clearly an international event with industry representatives from across Europe and Canada.
Over 270 guests attended the sixth edition of the Warsaw Kids Film Forum, a three-day international industry event running through 27 September 2019. “The number of attendees has grown by some 30%, thanks in large part to a new sponsorship from FNE and Central European Initiative (CEI),” WKFF Project Manager Zosia Horszczaruk told FNE.
The Warsaw Kids Film Forum was sponsored by FNE and CEI (Central European Initiative). For the full list of all sponsors go to Warsaw Kids Film Forum.
