Audiovisual education is one of the most dynamically developing trends in contemporary education. According to a Safer Kids Online survey, almost two-fifths of teenagers spend between 4 and 9 hours a day on audiovisual content. One of the concrete steps to respond to this trend is the opening of the Audiovisual HUB in the Kino Kavalírka in Prague, which was established in pilot mode on 1 August 2024 and is now opening up to a wider professional and pedagogical community and joining the emerging network of regional HUBs across the Czech Republic.
The Audiovisual HUB will serve as a centre for methodological support, research, teacher training, examples of good practice and advocacy. In connection with the newly prepared Framework Educational Programmes, it will assist schools in introducing new forms of media and cultural literacy into teaching - in addition to music and art education, it will also now include film, drama and dance.
Behind the creation of the Audiovisual HUB is the association krutón, which runs the Kino Kavalírka, distributes short films for children and youth, implements the international educational projects Cinemini and FilmED, and is the organiser of the new BOO International Film Festival. The Audiovisual HUB is the result of two years of research into foreign approaches and methodologies, taking inspiration from, for example, the Dutch Film HUB network.
"We spent two years researching models of good practice abroad. We have created a place that is dedicated not only to film, but also to broader audiovisual education - from short films to video games to testing methodologies. The HUB will also serve as a contact and methodological centre for educators and experts from Prague," says Filip Kršiak, chairman of the krutón association.
Jana Minaříková, executive director of the krutón association, adds: “The HUB in Prague is primarily a place of cooperation and search for systemic solutions - we translate and adapt foreign methodologies, share examples of good practice, provide advice to schools and establish partnerships with representatives of the film and video game industry.”
The project has a strong international dimension thanks to Radka Hoffman, Head of International Relations and Industry Programmes at krutón, who has been newly elected to the board of the European Children's Film Association (ECFA), Europe's most prestigious children's film organisation. Her task is now to actively connect Czech and European actors in the field of film and audiovisual education and to create a space for joint projects, sharing experiences and mutual inspiration.
The opening of the HUB is part of a broader strategy for the development of film and audiovisual education coordinated by the Association for Film and Audiovisual Education. The project was created in partnership with the krutón association and the Documentary Film Centre in Jihlava and was supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic. The Minister of Culture Martin Baxa signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Association for Film and Audiovisual Education, which enables further systematic development of audiovisual education across regions and institutions and its deeper embedding in the education system. In addition to Prague, other HUBs are currently being established in Jihlava and Brno.