CCAJ has been in operation since 1995 allowing groups of young people between the ages of 6 and 18 across the world to take part in a unique cinematic experience, combining the discovery of cinema with a rigorous approach to filmmaking focused around a different question of cinema chosen every year. Originally conceived and produced by the Cinémathèque française, it is delivered by an international network of cultural partners who take part in the development of the project and its delivery in their countries or regions.

Bulgaria has been part of the project since 2016. Arte Urbana Collectif is the coordinator for Bulgaria for this initiative.

CCAJ runs in 15 countries across the world. In Europe: Germany; Belgium; Bulgaria; Spain; Italy; Finland; France; Lithuania; Portugal; England & Scotland. In South America: Argentina; Mexico; Brasil. In India and Japan. It operates in 8 regions of France: Ile de France; Occitanie; Région Sud-Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur; Grand Est; Nouvelle Aquitaine; Corse; Guadeloupe and Martinique. 24 international agencies and partner organisations, such as associations, archives, cinemas and national cinematheques work with the Cinémathèque Française in the delivery of the project.

This year Bulgaria will be represented by Neofit Rilski Secondary School, Dermantzi.
Theme: Sensation in cinema

The Portuguese writer Pessoa wrote: “In life, the only reality is the sensation. In art, the only reality is the awareness of the sensation. Art, in essence, is the harmonious expansion of the awareness we have of sensations, in other words our sensations have to be expressed in such a way they create an object which will then become a feeling for others.”

“Sensation is created by our body’s presence in the world. We each perceive the world by how we interpret our senses.” Alain Bergala

The group of students in the workshop consists of 12 boys and girls from 5th and 6th grade (age 11-12).

You can find more about them in the blog of the project: blog

Students from 98th Primary School “St. Cyril and Methodius”, Sofia
Theme: The situation

Situation allows to think about the relationship between the characters, the mise-en-scene, and the spectator’s place. As they go through situations – wanted or forced onto them, classified or unknown – the characters change, metamorphose and even sometimes shift as part of some decisive moments.
The spectator follow the character from a situation to another through the film, but he identifies with him differently, depending on its own subjective mind, the issue of these situations, or the way the filmmaker cut them and film them.

You can watch the short film here: film

​10 students from Neofit Rilski Seconadary School, Dermantzi
Theme: Places and stories

Since its inception, cinema oscillates between the places it shows us and the stories it tells us. This year was dedicated to questioning the boundaries of those places where stories are written: to analyse the unique qualities that make the places different from the rest of space; to find out what happens there; to work out how to access these places and how to return to them once again… Sacred and forbidden places, places of memory and history, dreamlike places, alternative places will all be evoked, through the precise selection of films and excerpts from all periods of the world’s cinematographic history.

You can watch the short film here: film

The first year Bulgaria was represented by National High School of Polygraph and Photography, Sofia.
Theme: The question of playing

This theme runs throughout the entirety of cinema, from slapstick comedy, to musicals or animated films. The work of the workshop groups will allow the participants to discover and identify approaches to several artistic fields. We will look at cinema itself and also the performing arts, especially dance and circus arts. Particular attention will be paid to silent comedy and music.

You can watch the short film here: film

Texts from the official CCAJ website are used in this article.