The One World Primary Film Competition occurred in the Isle of Man, which is part of the British Isles, and not the United Kingdom. It has its own parliament, and was originally established by the Vikings. Recently, local children in various schools added to the Isle of Man’s reputation for film-making by participating in a competition called the One World Primary Film Competition. This competition was a contest to create a film that addressed the idea of “It’s Not Fair” in a global context. The children were ages 5 to 11 and the films were shorter than 4 minutes.
This broad theme allowed the students to use any film techniques and to use any topic they wished. The subjects ranged from global poverty to deforestation to child soldiers. Six of the films made it through to the finals. The movies were shown in the Manx Museum, and audience members included Lieutenant Governor Adam Wood as well as the Department of Education’s Chief Executive Stuart Dobson. The winner of the entire competition was Sulby School which created a film comparing the lives of students in the Isle of Man to those in developing countries, which focused on areas like global poverty and world hunger. The “Best Emotional Impact” was won for the film about child soldiers from the Braddan school.
The One World Centre Director Rosemary Clarke created this event. The One World Centre in the Isle of Man was originally created in 2004. It is a Manx Charity that is supported by various donors including H&S Davidson Trust. This centre is a Development Education Centre. The overall mission is to encourage awareness of the lives and cultures of all people around the globe, so that society can celebrate its interdependence. The local charity often tries to highlight the lives of locals on the Isle of Man and those living in developing countries. The issues covered vary from economic, social, political, and environmental issues. Members wish to embrace human rights and the responsibility to be active global citizens.
On the event, Rosemary Clarke said that they wanted to create a fun way for children to explore serious global issues. This event allowed young children in the Isle of Man to understand how unfair life is for other children around the world, and that not everyone gets to have the same opportunities in life. The sponsor of this event was Sure, a provider of mobile phones, internet, and other electronic devices. This meant that the winners of the competition had their films shown on Sure TV, which was shown across the island. The winning school also received a special workshop from ManninShorts.
This story is particularly inspiring because it reveals that even young children can understand the various issues in today’s world if given the proper education. The young children created inspiring movies that discussed issues as serious as global poverty, and the children showed to have an understanding of the problem. If all young children are brought up with a general understanding of the issues of this world, they will be more likely to want to make a difference in the future. Every local event helps the fight against global poverty, and the One World Primary Film Competition is just one example of many such events occurring around the world.
– Corina Balsamo
Sources: Isle of Man, Isle News, One World Centre
Photo: USAID