Olympia Psychoedu: Psychoeducational intervention with cinema as a vehicle

Olympia International Film Festival for Children and Young People introduces the new program "Olympia PsychoEdu", in an attempt to connect the art of cinema with the science of psychology and education. It is a series of psycho-educational interventions, using films suitable for children and young people.

Olympia International Film Festival for Children and Young People introduces the new programOlympia PsychoEdu", in an attempt to connect the art of cinema with the science of psychology and education. It is a series of psycho-educational interventions, using films suitable for children and young people.

The interventions concern issues related to children and are meant to inform teachers, psychologists, social workers and parents on how to use film narrative with children and teenagers in order to serve a variety of educational and developmental goals – with the optional assistance of the Festival’s partners.

The first presentation of the program will take place in Pyrgos on Saturday, November 26, 2022, 19:00, at Cine Orfeas. The screening of "Oskar & Lilli" (by Arash T. Riahi, 2020) will be followed by a discussion with Dr. Lilian Tsiavou, specialized in the psychoanalytical cinema’s approach, author and lecturer in two relevant e-learning programs of the University of Athens, Sotiria Hatzikonstantinou, psychologist, member of the scientific team of Ilia’s Prevention Center "Interventions", and Adamantia Zafiropoulou, educator, psychologist and festival partner. The discussion will be coordinated by Christos Konstantopoulos.

Some important issues that potentially concern a child or teenager growing up in the era of globalization and pose psychological and developmental challenges which affect their mental health, adaptation and development are school and traditional bullying, grief, parental divorce, neglect, abuse, parental mental disorder, addiction, refugee children affiliation, internet use and abuse, domestic violence, natural disasters and more. Creativity, which characterizes the art of cinema, combined with education, can be the ground for discussion on the most important issues of the child's world.