10/08/2024
The kids sit semi-quietly watching short films made especially for them but pop up just like popcorn when the last film ends. When you get over 100 kids together in room, you will have all the energy you need, and maybe a little more.
DokuKids is enjoying another great run in the summer of 2024, courtesy of our director Malbora Krajku and her team of volunteers.
“My involvement this year in our DokuKids program has been one of the best decisions I’ve made recently. We have fantastic workshops this year, all the way from creating short films with mobile phones, to fundamentals of AV performances, to AI, and using older machines and older methods of filmmaking. The kids are experimenting with educational robots like Maqueen and mBot. Children also are having fun doing yoga and face painting” said Malbora.
The kids are working on stop motion animation today, under the guidance of our creative experts, Ana Nedeljkovic and her husband Nikola Majdak, who are professional animation producers and awarded filmmakers.
They have collaborated with DokuFest for 10 years now on the DokuKids program, and enjoy the experience of sharing their extensive knowledge and abilities to our kids, many of whom have participated in DokuKids for many years also.
Ana said that “it’s always good to be here at DokuFest, and in Prizren. This is such a nice city, and we have a very good relationship with Dokufest. The kids are eager to learn, and full of energy, and it’s just a matter of channeling that creative spirit. We can teach anyone to be a good animator, but what matters most is the creative mind, the idea. That is what makes a good animated film.”
Nikola agreed, saying “We as adults are always amazed at what stories kids can come up with, where do they get these ideas? We sometimes just like to stand back and watch them create.”
Sara Spaqi, who is 11, said that she attended DokuKids last year, and came back again because “I had so much fun making movies. This year, my movie is about an astronaut who creates a bunch of robots. These robots are turned loose on the planet, and they eat up all the garbage.” There you go! Let’s make this happen.
Hane Shporta, age 12, is back to learn more this year. “This is my 4th or 5th time at DokuKids. It’s so much fun! I get to learn new things, have fun, and spend time with my friends.” Asked if she wanted to make movies as a career, she said “possibly, but I really want to be an actor! Then maybe make the movie. Our movie today will be about a monster, who kids must defeat, and after they do, it will be a nice place for us to live.”
Whitney Houston, the American pop icon, sang about children in one of her songs “I believe that children are our future, teach them well, and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside…Let the children’s laughter remind us how we used to be.”
One of our Prizren kids will go on to screen their own creation at DokuFest, because this has happened many times already. What is being taught here will stay with them forever.
By: Scott Hoy
