Finding your way around the media world
The Deutsche Kinder- und Jugendfilmzentrum (KJF, German Centre for Youth and Children's Films) is a national centre for cultural media education. It offers information and expertise, orientation and inspiration for the use of audio-visual media, and establishes the required framework conditions to enable a responsible and creative approach to media. Offering a large variety of activities, it targets children and teenagers, families and older people, educationalists and facilitators in the fields of social work, education or culture.
The world children and teenagers live in
The world children and teenagers live in today is dominated by media. The globe-spanning Web2.0 culture is part of their childhoods and youth culture. Digital media determine the way we interact and communicate, are a means of expressing culture, facilitate educational processes and play a major role in how leisure time is spent. They influence children's and teenagers' patterns of thought and perceptual patterns, and, consequently, their experiences and actions.
Setting the stage for the future
The Deutsche Kinder- und Jugendfilmzentrum (KJF, German Centre for Youth and Children's Films) promotes the chances and opportunities audiovisual media afford us. It provides guidance with independent and scientifically founded information, and gives food for thought on a critical and creative approach to media, thus contributing to the future development of the media landscape.
On behalf of the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, the Centre arranges national creativity contests, publishes film reviews and film editions, and develops concepts and programme offers to promote media literacy. We constantly review and extend these offers according to educational needs, their relevance to social policy, technical perspectives and scientific findings.
The Deutsche Kinder- und Jugendfilmzentrum (KJF, German Centre for Youth and Children's Films) was founded in 1977. It is sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth with funds from the Federal Children and Youth Plan. Legally, KJF is part of the Remscheid Academy of Art and Media Education. A board of trustees consisting of representatives of the Federal and State governments, universities and associations defines the guidelines for the Centre's work.