This afternoon, from 4.30 pm, Eutopia, the final event of the project YOMEM – Young Messengers of European Memory, will begin with two very special storytelling workshops, which will take us on a journey between lullabies and photography.
Tomorrow we will present the winning stories of the “Europe And Me” call, which has involved numerous young storytellers from different European countries over the past months.
We want to start introducing them to you today by sharing with you some extracts from the motivations that prompted the various European juries to choose the winning stories.
We won’t anticipate too much, because we want to meet you tomorrow at Asinitas, via Policastro 45, Rome, where we will screen all the stories!
(Italy)
“The Europe I would like, by Agnese Vender has been chosen by the Italian Federation of CEMEA as the winning video of the YoMem Award, because it adds a new point of view to a narrative that represents the whole of Russia as the enemy, creating a powerful distortion in the combine images of Russia with describing Europe, in what today seems like an oxymoron that brings out the contrast between the physical boundaries of a territory and the ideal ones of a sharing of values.”
(Italy)
“The story of Hatem by Nhel Castagnetta receives the first prize from Storie di Mondi Possibili because it tells about new forms of sociality in Europe and does so with grace and firmness. Hatem is not European by birth, but he has lived in Rome since the 1970s, where he works as a translator and interpreter from Arabic.
His experience as a farmer in the gardens of Garbatella, a district of the capital, is significant because the garden becomes an opportunity to create new forms of sociality, overcoming generational, social class and cultural barriers.”
(Sweden)
“My Swedish Identity by Yumna Khattab was very relevant to the topic of “My Europe” as she identified that Sweden is her Europe and her Identity.
While her story of fleeing from war was not original It was heartfelt , emotional and a personal account of her experiences and her identity.
All the jurors were moved and was ressonated by her ability to overcome her struggles and
enjoyed her idea of identity where she stated that your identity is not just connected to where you were born.”
(France)
“In Alice et Denis by Alice Pernot and Denis Massard the topic of the video totally reflects the topic of the project because it’s a discussion between two generations and their understanding of the forms of engagement in Europe.
The discussion was very fluid and interactive with good retries and questions.
The interview was more an intergenerational exchange and a discussion between two persons (a young person and an older one) than a proper interview with interviewer and interviewee.
They discussed the forms of commitment in Europe and its evolution during the last
decades with the change of approaches and also hot topics that implied these changes.”
(Romania)
“Our Europe, our rights by Andreea Ioana Popescu, Georgiana Postelnicu, Cristina Aurelia
Bostan, Madalina Stanescu is focused on the ”My Europe” topic but on a different approach – our
expectations from the European Union but also our contribution to the European Union.
It is based on interviews with three different categories: young students, teachers and retired persons.
It reflects some stereotypes and ”Euromyths” that still exist in Romanian society and includes an important documentary part that brings valuable information about the European Union’s policies and programmes.
(Uk)
“My expectations by Katie Evans explores what young people can learn through exchanges with other countries.
Using a simple interview style approach, Katie explores how experiencing another culture can
challenge preconceived ideas and have a positive impact on how young people view other cultures.
It promotes the value of cultural exchange and the the importance for young people to gain a wider understanding of Europe its heritage and the wide variety of societies and people.”
(Poland)
“In Europa Fantasy by Adrianna Wojcieszak, Adrianna talks about current events in an interesting way.
The metaphors he uses are accurate and help to understand events that, due to the nature of the situation, are difficult to deal with.
Adrianna’s story is a story of hope in difficult times and as such can meet the needs of those who feel lost or overwhelmed by events.”
Would you like to find out what these stories, which range from video to writing to illustration, are all about?
Then see you tomorrow, from 16:00, at Via Policastro 45 (Rome), 2nd floor!
Don’t miss it, we are waiting for you!