Hanoi, Jun 26 – Panasonic Vietnam held the opening ceremony of the film-making program Kid Witness News (KWN) 2023 with the participation of Japan Foundation’s representatives, The Centre for Assistance and Development of Movie Talents (TPD)’s representatives, and more than 100 representatives of parents, teachers, and students from 18 groups from 10-18 years old.

Organized by Panasonic for the past 15 years and enriched with many experiences in recent years within the framework of Panasonic Sustainable Schools, the KWN program has become an interesting and creative playground for students, especially during the summer, where students can enrich their knowledge about environmental issues, social issues, as well as fostering soft skills through filmmaking journey. During the program, children have a chance to learn about filmmaking from famous Vietnamese and foreign directors/actors, using professional equipment (provided by Panasonic), as well as participating in many extracurricular activities.

Attending the ceremony, Mr. Oka Hiroyuki, Director of Panasonic Vietnam expressed: “With a huge number of applications in the KWN 2023 program, not only from Hanoi but from many other provinces and cities nationwide, we could see how parents and schools are keen on helping children to share their viewpoints on social issues. I really hope, after learning professional filmmaking and experiencing KWN’ activities, students could convey their own messages through their creative artworks.”

Mr. Oka Hiroyuki, Director of Panasonic Vietnam delivered the opening speech

2023 marks an important milestone of the 50th anniversary of Japan and Vietnam diplomatic relation. KWN 2023 program are also honored to cooperate with Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam this year, which promises to offer students the opportunity to exchange, learn and experience the culture of “Land of the rising sun”, with many interesting and meaningful activities at the Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam.

Representative of Japan Foundation, Mr. Osuka Shoya, Assistant Director in charge of Cultural Exchange - Art & Japanese Studies, also shared at the ceremony: “The Japan Foundation is honored to be able to support this important project for the Vietnamese children, who are the future leaders of the country. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Vietnam, and we hope that the children, who will play a leading role in the next 50 years, will make full use of their abilities in this project.

There is a phrase that describes the spirit of the tea ceremony: the idea of "harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility”. We believe that this concept represents not only the tea ceremony but also the spirit of the Japanese people. It is often said that Japanese people are good at teamwork, and we hope that the KWN project, in which the children will work together in groups to create a video work, will help them feel the spirit of cooperation, mutual respect, a clean mind, and the ability not to get panic even in some troubles. We hope you can feel this spirit through this project."

More than 80 "young filmmakers" present at the opening ceremony of the KWN are all very excited and looking forward to the opportunity to realize their thoughts and ideas through professional films. Dang Hien Trang, a 6th grader, Doan Thi Diem Secondary School, one of the early students who submitted application to join the program shared: “I really love art, so I have postponed other summer vacation programs to participate in KWN this year for the first time. My film is about environmental protection, I hope that after completing the film, I will spread this message to young students and society.” 

18 teams are ready for an exciting and creative journey of film-making

In this 16th season with many new activities and special guests, KWN is promising to bring students a summer with full of interesting experience.

• Sharing sessions & meet up with famous directors such as: Ms. Ha Le Diem – Director of the movie "Children of the Mist" - the first Vietnamese documentary film in the Top 15 list of Oscar nominations 2023; famous Japanese director Mr. Tsuyoshi Sugiyama, directing theatrical productions that resonated in Vietnam for more than 6 years.
• A series of Japanese cultural exchange activities on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Japan and Vietnam.
• The KWN Day event will gather together many KWN alumni.
• The opportunity to visit and experience at professional film studio.
• Many soft skills training activities, outdoor activities, field trips.

Students are excited with interesting activities in the program

The filmmaking teams with the most impressive scripts selected by the organizers through the application round will have chance to learn professional filmmaking, from writing scripts, acting, filming to post-production to complete their artworks. The films will be judged by famous directors to select the best films to honor at the award ceremony in August 2023, and have the opportunity to participate at the KWN Global Summit online event in this October.

First held in the US since 1989, the KWN program has been implemented by Panasonic Corporation organizing for students aged from 10-18 years old and is completely free of charge worldwide. In Vietnam, after 15 successful seasons, the KWN program has recorded many impressive numbers: more than 3000 students participated with nearly 150 videos were produced, 14 times the top films were sent to attend the KWN Global summit.

For more information, please contact:
Corporate Communication Department, Panasonic Vietnam Co., Ltd.
13th floor, Charmvit tower, 117 Tran Duy Hung Street, Cau Giay District, Hanoi
Ms. Tuyet Nhung - Phone: 024 3955 0111 (Ext 1203).
Email: tuyetnhung01.nguyen@vn.panasonic.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/risupiavietnam/
Website: https://www.panasonic.com/vn/corporate/sustainability/kid-witness-news-2023.html