As you know, modern schoolchildren of all levels of education, born after 2004-05, are much more familiar with various kinds of screens than with books. In this sense, cinema art par excellence, cinema, can be effectively used in the educational process as a tool for reaching out to children. This point of view seems to be shared by the Hellenic Film Center, which follows the practice of other European countries by implementing the CINEDU platform. The latter gives teachers, professors and students of primary and secondary education free access to a select list of Greek and foreign films, short and long. At the same time, it provides teachers with relevant support materials so that they can creatively integrate films into the subjects of the next curriculum.

“At YKK, we have been able to secure a large fund of almost 1.5 million euros from the NSRF to create a platform that we truly believe will expand learning opportunities,” Marcos Holevas, president of the Center, said at a press conference yesterday. General Manager Athena Kartalou, for her part, stressed the importance of the special program for a region where access to cinemas is limited, citing Folegandros as the first island connected to the platform as an example.

Program leaders Elias Tasopoulos and Theodora Malyarou told us that the response from teachers is already significant, and they have reached out to more than 2,000 schools across the region. It should be noted that at the moment only 11 of the 92 selected films are available on cinedu-gfc.gr, but more will be added very soon, and by May the list will be full, with usage rights in depth of five years. .

Merge

During this period of time, most likely, the Greek Cycladic society itself will not exist, at least in its current form. Mr. Holevas did not wish to comment on the ongoing processes that will lead to the merger of the organization with ECOME and OPI under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, noting only about the Center’s programs already being implemented that “the right policy should finally be in this place to have continuity.” If we follow international practice, then at least the name of the new organization will retain the “brand” of the Greek Cypriot Association, which has been known throughout the world for almost half a century. Financing the latter with a huge (European) package of 200 million euros, as already announced, is undoubtedly another challenge for those who will be asked to develop and implement the corresponding plan.