You have recently joined the PrimaTeen programme. Before that, how were you connected to animation?

Rebeke Kajos: I've always been a keen enthusiast and a fan of them, and they've always sparked my creative ideas about how they could be used as an art therapy tool.

Márton Somorjai: What I have long appreciated about animation – compared to live-action film – is that it allows a person/young person to realise the ideas of their imagination so much more freely. When I was in high school, I made several stop-motion short films with some friends with similar interests. We enjoyed creating a whole world of its own with such a simple cinematic trick.

The animated films in the programme present a wide range of attitudes. Which did you find the most thought-provoking? Which made you laugh the most? Can you highlight a film that is a personal favourite? And why?

R.K: I'm a real fan of the way of thinking of teenagers. Their representation in the short films really moved me. The different paths and difficulties of teenagers on the threshold of childhood and adulthood are very intriguing in real life, and they are shown very well in 'Black Slide', for example.

M.S.: I'd name two, although I do think almost all of them could have a relevant power in the minds of viewers. One is 'My Grandmother', which shows, in a very lovely and seemingly innocent gesture, generational differences, and the impact of the history and circumstances of  someone's family and people around them (their behaviour, habits). All this in a specially kind and funny way. The other is a stop-motion animation titled 'Louis I, King of the Sheep'. This one, I think, opened up the discussion the most easily and provided the most promising basis for discussion along the lines of well-founded questions for the high school audience. The filmmaker found a very precise symbolism for the great theme of power.

Today, the teens have access to pretty much any kind of adult audiovisual content. There is a constant dilemma about how adolescents should be allowed to watch them, how much and what, where and in what format. Are there any rules that can or should be imposed? What do you think about this?

R.K.: The most crucial thing, I would say – and we would like to ensure this in the programme – is that this takes place in a framework where they can process what they have seen in an understanding and sensitive environment. A framework is always helpful; access to adult content, for example, can be particularly damaging for this age group. I agree with this limitation, but the minimum we have to do is not leave them alone with their questions and dilemmas when they encounter such content.

M.S.: During the programme, I wondered whether the act of cultural consumption that we offered them in the programme is actually used by teens among themselves in their environment. Unseen to adult eyes. I cannot be certain, I just assume the following: they are clearly consuming moving images. Now, of course, in forms that older generations may find incomprehensible, even inadmissible. But are they sharing these experiences with each other? I don't know what percentage of the visual content they discuss, but I'm sure they are discussing the ones that trigger them. Do they argue about them? They might even argue. They form opinions in the milieu they find safe to do so. It could be a small group of friends, or just a best friend. It is also true that many of them follow and listen to other people's opinions on different content online.

What we can offer in this programme, however, is a safe framework and rules of the game for everyone in a (class) community to become opinion formers and learners of each other on issues that are part of a teenager's life and the world around them.

In this way, the adults involved in the ritual (class teacher, teacher, and session leader) can see part of their thinking and worldview.

The selected film programme by Krisztina Peer, clinical psychologist, and Dóra Bartal, Programme Curator seeks to challenge and engage in open dialogue with the audience. Difficult and risky themes also appear in the selection of foreign and Hungarian animations (search for identity, acceptance, crisis, the body, discrimination, the power of online reality, growing up, etc.). What is your impression of how much these films can help to address these issues, which are ubiquitous in the everyday lives of young people?

R.K.: They are definitely a great source of help, and it is especially good that they are working on these topics with their peers in their natural environment, because it allows them to incorporate topics into their everyday lives that might otherwise be difficult to come up with.

M.S.: There were several teenagers during the programme who specifically indicated to me that they would like to watch this or that short film again later. I assume, on this basis, too, that these films were a hit. I always let the class vote beforehand, through the class teacher, which of our three big themes they wanted to focus on. It's a fascinating question: is it better to leave this decision to the class teacher, or should the teacher and the session leader choose together after a preliminary discussion? There are arguments for and against all three options.

And what do you say, what can we learn about what is going on inside us at the level of images? How does animation itself as a genre help us to get closer to them?

R.K.: The visual world of animation can be used to help blur the boundaries between fairy tales and reality, making it easier to process these topics, which are of concern to almost all adolescents. The emergence of fantasy allows us to see more of the characters' thoughts between the images, thus helping us to understand them.

M.S.: An hour and a half to two hours of time spent together will give the participants the opportunity to give their insights into their relation to a topic by moving from personal experiences (traumas, experiences) to the universality of the problems that the topics raise. The individual aesthetics of animated films, their ability to create a world of their own, can give them a sense that they are not alone in their concerns and thoughts. This is an important step in today's mindset of the individual-centred world. That is what I think we should be striving for.

For the PrimaTeen film programme, an exciting new genre of workshop was introduced by You, the ‘discussion cinema’. Can you tell us a bit about it?

M.S.: Our session is essentially a discussion theatre, with animated short films instead of theatrical scenes illustrating the topic. We selected short films along three broad themes from among the animations that Kriszti considered relevant to the high school age group.

Each class chose one of the three major themes. Each big theme was followed by one or two related short warm-up games, a starter discussion and then a starter discussion after each animated film. And at the end, we asked them which animated film and debate had been the most influential for them, through a reflection game.

The most important point of the genre is that you should be able to take sides on the questions to be decided, but not be forced to stick to them tooth and nail as the discussion progresses. It is valuable to be able to state your opinion and to be able to change it.

During the sessions, how to assess the guidelines, what is necessary to be said and shown, and where can films start to emotionally overload adolescents?

M.S.: I believe that this is probably the biggest challenge, and it will take a lot of experience. How to maneuver well as a session leader between being overly cautious and tactlessly questioning the community and the individuals in it who live their daily lives. The danger exists when you encourage a quieter member of a class to express his or her thoughts and opinions, while at the same time he or she may be hurt by a poorly worded sentence on a sensitive subject.

According to you, how does the ‘discussion cinema’ genre make teens feel taken seriously, and what are the elements that make it easier for them to share their reflections?

M.S.: I find it particularly important that the session leader really formulates a discussion starter statement, which he or she finds difficult to answer, as well. This is the best way to ensure that he or she is curious about the opinions throughout. Time management is also very crucial, which I have also had difficulties with. You should not rush through all the questions and films with them, but you should also avoid getting lost in repetitive detail and defining concepts in a question.

Now that you are more closely involved in animation, what has it given you?

R.K.: This process is very inspiring, and I look forward to seeing where we can go from here, based on the experience. We would also like to have longer processes with a group, and it would be useful to combine the sessions with their own work to see what issues they are concerned about beyond the themes we have brought or thinking about.

M.S.: I can only agree with the previous speaker. To add to that, it just made me even more curious to see what this form brings out in students from different social, cultural and educational backgrounds.