Education · Tolerance · Stance

Youth Work

“Film cannot change or improve the world, but it can create a mood.” – We see Bernhard Wicki’s legacy as a mandate to reach young people through the medium of film.

Overcoming borders, speaking a common language, warning against the escalation of violence – that is Bernhard Wicki’s legacy and the goal of our youth work.

In a multinational, multicultural society where exclusion is part of daily life, we want to be companions for young people – supporting them in shaping their identity and in their conscious decision against any form of violence and persecution.

The medium of film carries enormous emotional and suggestive power. Through the shared experience of film, young people in particular can be reached directly.

Programmes

Youth cinema days & film clubs.

Youth cinema days "The Bridge"

Under the patronage of State Secretary Karl Freller and in cooperation with the Bavarian State Ministry for Education and Cultural Affairs, we initiated the youth cinema days. Pupils from all school types watch films that address – both historically and contemporarily – the handling of violence, persecution and discrimination.

Filmmakers and actors accompany the screenings. Pupil symposia and film discussions encourage in-depth engagement. Held since 2003 in Munich, Nuremberg, Oberstdorf, Passau and Cham – several thousand pupils have taken part so far.

Youth film clubs

In youth film clubs, pupils – supervised by a teacher – come together as self-organised groups to engage with topics relevant to young people through artistically and thematically outstanding films.

The pupils acquire essential social skills: they learn to find solutions to conflicts on their own, to act as mediators and to prevent escalation.

As early as 2007, the fund launched the youth film competition "YOU + ME – so different and yet so alike" – an intercultural film project that brought young people of various national and cultural backgrounds into dialogue through the medium of film.

Beyond that, the fund supports teachers, educators and initiatives in making films from the portfolio of the German Film Award for Peace – The Bridge accessible to children and young people. A video library currently being built up enables films to be borrowed free of charge (plus shipping). With the Newcomer Award of the German Film Award for Peace, a dedicated category for the promotion of young talent was also established in 2010.

Material for schools

Study guides for download.

We have created study guides for film work in schools, which you can download here free of charge as PDFs.

Alaska.de

16-year-old Sabine is new to the East Berlin housing estate. Through her classmate Eddi, she gets to know the clique around the petty criminal Micha – until one evening on her way home she becomes caught up in an act of violence.

Study guide (PDF)

The Blind Flyers

Marie is 13 and blind. At her boarding school she finds her way around easily, but secretly she longs for the world of the sighted. Together with her friend, she founds a band – and competes in a TV contest against the “sighted”.

Study guide (PDF)

The Bridge

In the final days of the Second World War, seven boys from a small town are conscripted and stationed at an unimportant bridge. Bernhard Wicki’s most important anti-war film – to this day a warning and teaching resource.

Study guide (PDF)

The Lives of Others

East Berlin, 1984: Stasi captain Wiesler is monitoring the playwright Dreyman and his partner. What begins as a routine assignment becomes for him a borderline experience between duty, power and humanity.

Study guide (PDF)

Young people are the future of our country. One day they will shape its intellectual, social and political climate. What could be more important than guiding them towards a better understanding of democracy and the rule of law.