Six Grand Prix Finalists Nominated for Kid Witness News Global Contest 2010
Osaka, Japan - Jun 20, 2010 (PRN):
Six video works from schools participating in Panasonic Corporation's annual Kid Witness News (KWN) Global Contest have been selected as Grand Prix finalists. KWN is an educational program designed for elementary and middle school children around the world, which Panasonic operates as part of its efforts to help educate future generations. Video-making equipment is provided to participating schools with awards given to the best videos. KWN teams at participating schools chose their themes on their own and handle everything from planning and scripting to filming and editing. This year KWN is celebrating its 21st anniversary, and since the program began in 1989, more than 130,000 children have participated, with around 10,000 children participating each year.
This year's KWN Global Contest saw 630 schools from 23 countries take part, crafting five-minute videos based on the themes of ecology and communication. Six works have been chosen as Grand Prix final nominees (see following pages), from among the 23 works representing each participating country. The six finalist videos are quite diverse, ranging in theme from warning against global warming to introducing the history and culture of the country where they were made.
This year's Grand Prix winner will be announced at the KWN Global Contest Awards Ceremony on July 27 at Panasonic Center Tokyo.
Prior to the awards ceremony, the six finalists' videos will be made available for viewing from June 21 to July 20 at the KWN official website: http://panasonic.net/kwn/. Viewers from around the world can cast votes for their favorite videos on the site, and the video receiving the most votes will be given the KWN Web Award. The KWN web site also lists award winning KWN videos of the part to be viewed in its video library page.
Summary of the Final 6 Grand Prix Nominees
Country: Canada - Grosvenor Wentworth Park School (elementary school)
Title: "Pier 21 Gateway of Hope"
Theme: Communication - Canada admitted many immigrants in the 1950s through the 1960s. The gateway for these immigrants, who landed with both hopes and fears, was the Pier 21 in Halifax. This video takes a look at the roots of Canadian immigrants through a drama set during that period.
Country: U.K. - Testbourne Community School (middle school)
Title: " Dansez What You Can't Sez"
Theme: Communication - This video is a report on a special education school at which dance has been incorporated as part of communication education. Along with teacher interviews, this video showcases children who express themselves through dance.
Country: Malaysia - King George V Secondary School (middle school)
Title: "Our Precious Water"
Theme: Ecology - Where does our drinking water come from? This video follows a small boat travelling down a river in Malaysia. The boat discovers that while the upstream is clean water and rich in nature, the downstream is getting polluted...
Country: Australia - Mundingburra State School (elementary school)
Title: "The Global Warming Rap"
Theme: Ecology - The Earth is weakening because of mankind's selfish waste of resources. It won't survive much longer if we don't make a change! Children, disguised as penguins, rap a warning message for everyone to hear.
Country: China - Beijing WanQuan Primary School
Title: "Be here with you!"
Theme: Communication - "My friend's mother is the principal. Everyone respects her. But my mom..". The girl finds herself telling a lie from embarrassment. How does her mother react.
Country: Japan - Ida Elementary School
Title: "CHANGE - Starting Now"
Theme: Ecology - The port near a sister school may become completely submerged due to global warming. What can be done to save not only the port but the Earth as a whole? Children think of things that they can do to help stop global warming.
Final Review Committee
Final Review Chairperson:
Ian Cameron - UK Formerly Editor News, BBC Nations and Region
Final Review Committee Members:
Jane St. Vincent Welch - Australia - Film and Video Editor
Darrell Spinks - Canada - Producer, Front Row Productions
Foo Tee Tuan - Singapore - Senior Lecturer, School of Arts and Social
Sciences, SIM University
Koki Morinaga - Japan - Head of Group Planning & Management Department, Japan Broadcasting Corporation(NHK)
