7th Teaching & Education Conference, London

FILMMAKING WORKSHOPS AS FILM EDUCATION. SUMMARY OF THE PEDIATRIC CANCER PATIENTS FILMMAKING PROJECT (2015-2018).

MALGORZATA JAKUBOWSKA, ROBERT GLINSKI

Abstract:

The presentation will focus on the summary of our project which is based on a relatively new idea of using film education as an element of psychiatric therapy of pediatric cancer patients. It goes without saying that any cancer experience may result in a psychological trauma and become an emotional challenge for both the patient and her/his family. From this point of view we wanted to find the most possible effective way to help children in this extremely difficult process of oncological treatment. Although filmmaking has arisen from the cinema therapy, which uses film projections during psychotherapy sessions, it has evolved into a form requiring the active involvement of patients in filmmaking. As a form of artistic expression it creates an opportunity for the patient to vent their fears and stress in a creative way (well-known art therapy profits) but it also constitutes key elements of achieving resilience. By emphasising the importance of positive factors and mechanisms, resilience theory explains the phenomenon of children’s, adolescents’ or adults’ positive adaptation despite adverse life conditions, traumatic events and hostile environments. We based our project on a closer look at the basic meaning, conceptualization as well as the goals of resilience theory. The filmmaking workshops for pediatric cancer patients of the Foundation for Children with Cancer Diseases – Blood Cell (Fundacja dla Dzieci z Chorobami Nowotworowymi – Krwinka) have been organized since 2015 (in cooperation with a psychotherapist working with children and their families) and have become for us an opportunity to implement this theoretical research. During this time we have checked a different form of filmmaking workshops confronting the theory with practice. Our further studies in this field as well as sharing our experience of looking for the best organisation of film education dedicated for young patients are the background of this presentation.

Keywords: film education filmmaking workshop

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