What did using digital media and technology make possible for this project?
Digital media has allowed us to reach broader audiences, faster, but digital media is also part of our philosophy. Our goal is to spread heritage in different ways, going beyond the traditional methods, ranging from storytelling to theatre or artistic installations. Therefore, the worlds of animation and moving images open up limitless opportunities to share traditional cultures, adapt them to the present day, unveil their enigmas, and tell the stories of their wins and losses.
We are also interested in talking about culture and extinct traditions – the cinema, animations and documentaries that we project are essential for us to denounce the various forms of extinction of heritage. We do this via our programme choices (for example, ‘Nawabi Baluchiari’ by T. Banerjee, ‘Torneiro da Mouraria’ by T. Sarantopoulos) and with the help of our partners’ media actions linked to natural and cultural heritage defence (such as Survival Brasil, Incomindios-UK, Crowd-Recycling, or ‘Yasuni Green Gold’ by G. Haro). We also project films with installations about the renewal of cultural heritage rituals (for example, ‘I’m burning’ by Andreu Signes). The call for films and animations about heritage for 2022 is open now!
How have your audiences reacted to this project?
We are fortunate because the public responds very well to our activities. People appreciate the project, regardless of whether they are involved in presentations, debates, installations, or open space talks. Audiences attach on very different levels. In Trafaria, Lisbon and Évora, we have a loyal audience; some even participated in short films promoted by our members!
Children are delighted when we have programmed installations or video games, while parents, educators and teachers also want to do more activities (therefore, we will programme more didactic sessions soon).
For example, when we screen at conferences or European Researchers Night, people want to collaborate with us to screen our films. In general, our non-commercial programming is always received with great interest and curiosity. The organisations we collaborate with often invite us to come back. All that shows that many things can be done with a small budget and great enthusiasm!
