Panel Discussion:
Child Welfare in the Cinema between Art, Protection and Education
When: WED, Sept. 30 | 3.30 p.m.
Where: DFF Cinema and online
Registration: lucas-welcome@dff.film
Subject: “Panel Kindeswohl”
How much protection do young people need at the cinema—and how much can films ask of them? And conversely, what does a film’s artistic vision demand of its audience? These tensions are at the heart of the panel discussion, which is explicitly aimed at teachers, people working in film education, and filmmakers.
Michael Schmidt, Permanent Representative of the Oberste Landesjugendbehörden at Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle, discusses the role of the FSK: How and on what legal basis are age ratings determined? The focus is primarily on assessing potential risks for young audiences. In film education work, it is more important to consider who a film is actually addressed to and which age group the challenges it presents are suitable for. Film educator and journalist Stefan Stiletto explains which questions are relevant for an educational age recommendation. To provide insight into the artistic perspective, filmmakers of the competition films are invited. Which target audience should be addressed, and what considerations influenced the decisions?
After short introductory talks, excerpts from competition films MY SISTER’S SANDAL (DE 2026. D: Semih Korhan Güner) and THE CORKSCREW (NO 2026. D: Torfinn Iversen) will be screened and discussed.
Invited guests:
Michael Schmidt (Permanent Representative of the Oberste Landesjugendbehörden at Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle), Stefan Stiletto (film educator and journalist), Semih Korhan Güner (film maker), Torfinn Iversen (film maker)
The discussion will be held in German. An English simultaneous translation will be available via headphones.