We are proud to announce that Kaunas Film Center Romuva has become an official member of ECFA – the European Children's Film Association. This partnership opens up new opportunities for international cooperation, knowledge exchange and even higher quality film education in Lithuania.
ECFA is an international network established in 1988, uniting nearly 150 members from 41 countries: filmmakers, educators, festival organizers, distributors and other professionals working in the field of children's and youth cinema. The organization's mission is to ensure children's access to high-quality European cinema, promote a love of cinema and support education through the arts.
Located in the heart of Kaunas, Romuva is the oldest operating cinema in Lithuania, operating since 1940. Here, films are not only shown - they are experienced. A vibrant film culture is created every day in the building with unique art deco architecture, where education plays an important role.
"We don't just aim to show films - our goal is to raise a young generation that is able to understand, analyze and appreciate European cinema.", says Gailė Janulevičė, Head of Educational Programs at Romuva.
Romuva's educational activities include both film screenings and discussions, as well as creative workshops and camps. The "Learning from Cinema" program invites students to watch original European cinema, discuss it with teachers and educators, and identify complex topics. In cinema workshops, children and young people create animations, write scripts, act, discuss, and research. In this way, not only creativity is developed, but also critical thinking, empathy, and self-expression are encouraged. One of the most original educational tools is the Lithuanian board game "Let's Play Cinema" created by Romuva, which allows you to get to know the world of cinema from the inside.
By joining the ECFA network, Romuva joins a strong community of like-minded people, sharing best practices, developing joint projects, and promoting children's connection with culturally valuable and meaningful cinema.
"We are confident that ECFA membership will strengthen our ties with the European film education field and help us to better meet the needs of Lithuanian children and youth.”, – says Gailė Janulevičė.
ECFA's values - respect for the child, responsibility, inclusion, quality and sharing knowledge - fully coincide with Romuva's vision: to grow together with its audience and help the younger generation not only watch films, but also understand them, feel them and discover themselves through cinema.