As part of its 8th edition, Bullies and Heroes - the international film festival dedicated to young people and unspooling between Val di Chiana Senese, Val d’Orcia and Val Tiberina Aretina in November and December - is strengthening its commitment to emotional education and bullying prevention through audiovisual works. In this interview, artistic director Paola Dei, who’s also an art psychologist and a development educator and expert, clarifies how the project functions, the tools used to measure its impact, and why cinema can be a real lever in the fight against abuse.

Cineuropa: How do you get schools involved whilst also working towards emotional education in the festival?
Paola Dei: The schools take part in the festival in two main ways: as authors of audiovisual works and as remote juries. The students make short films, music videos and other expressive works along the themes of respect, inclusion and bullying prevention, while the classes who take part as juries get to watch works by established directors and authors, discussing them and developing their ability to listen, empathise and make conscientious evaluations.

Our approach towards emotional education involves workshops, meetings with experts and guided activities in classes to help these young people recognise emotions, construct positive relationships and manage conflict. Each of these activities is based on cutting scientific research: our aim isn’t didactic but to help develop their emotional intelligence, an area which Italy is struggling with these days. There was a time when we were seen as sociable and welcoming; now things have changed, and the festival is looking to help bridge this gap.

How do you manage the great variety of artistic languages on offer whilst also ensuring editorial cohesion?
We accept works ranging from short films and music videos to storyboards, dance shows, drawings and filmed theatre. Our editorial line is based on coherent values: all of our works must promote respect, inclusion, dialogue and emotional responsibility. Each and every language makes a specific contribution: short films offer immediate narratives, storyboards inspire project design, dance and filmed performances value physical expression, while drawings provide space for personal development. Together, it creates an educational mosaic which is in step with the festival’s mission.

How do you measure the impact of this project on young people and schools?
We measure impact through questionnaires and interviews geared towards students and teachers, by observing workshops, and by gathering feedback on the different works and class discussions. We cross-reference this data with research on bullying, socio-emotional education and media education.

As well as being an educator and expert, I’m an art and development psychologist, and I work with different collaborators and psychology students: this allows us to use statistics more meaningfully too. This year, for example, we used a National Research Council tool and we’re finalising our data analysis as we speak: it will help us better understand the importance of film in emotional education. We also carefully monitor the quality of work in the tertiary sector: too many initiatives are limited to organising events without any real expertise, and the results are often underwhelming. We want every educational decision to be based on awareness and verified efficacy.

Bullying is on the rise in recent years. What causes bullying and how can films help?
The rise in incidents of bullying is linked to various factors: exposure to social media, peer pressure, fragile or less present families, overexposure to violence and the difficulty young people have recognising and managing negative emotions.

Cinema can play a fundamental role. Telling stories which speak to young people’s experiences encourages them to empathise and identify with others and provides tools for them to reflect upon their choices and behaviour. The works presented in the festival allow young people to become authors of positive messages and to help to build a culture of respect. It’s not just audiovisual education, it’s an approach which integrates psychological, neuroscientific and statistical elements too.