PHILIPSBURG--St. Maarten’s premiere of the United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF Children’s Rights Film Festival was a success, stated the group in a press release on Sunday. Close to 250 persons, including parliamentarians, Government officials, teachers, students and public figures came out to the inaugural showing held at Belair Community Centre on Friday.
The films screened were from Methodist Agogic Centre, Hillside Christian Schools, Oranje School and the Youth Council. Some of the children’s rights highlighted in the films were freedom of religion, freedom of expression, right to privacy, right to a good development, right to no drugs, right to education, and right to play, rest, and relax.
TelEm Breakthrough star Tyler Percival entertained the audience by playing soca hits such as “Hello” by Kes and “Who Yuh Fah” by St. Maarten’s very own Kenyo Baly on his steelpan.
International star Kenyo Baly, who has been featured on international channels such as ABC, NBC, and CNN, was one of the three judges for the evening.
The jury panel of three included Clara Reyes, a cultural icon who holds a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Dance and Choreography with a specialisation in dance in education and is now the recently-appointed head of the Department of Culture.
The third judge was Peter Sagnia, a film-maker and music producer who has been involved in theatre for more than 20 years. He is originally from London, England, and has spent a considerable amount of time in the United States. He is the director and producer of “Consumed,” a St. Maarten-based film that has been seen in film festivals around the world.
Five films were scheduled to be screened at the premiere, but only four of them were screened. No Kidding with Our Kids Foundation has been a part of the entire process, but due to a technical matter that was not its fault was not able to have the film completed for the premiere.
Organisers decided that in the spirit of fairness, especially for the children who have worked hard, No Kidding with Our Kids Foundation could still take part although its film will be shown after the premiere – at the Lion’s Club at 6:30pm today, Monday. The screening of “Privacy is Must” will take place with the same judges.
The scores from the premiere were sealed in envelopes and given to Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Jorien Wuite for safekeeping to ensure that there are no improprieties with the scores. These scores will be tallied on Monday evening and the winner will be announced on Tuesday when a delegation will go to the winning school with the prize.
Students of the winning school will fly to Curaçao on Friday, April 13, to represent St. Maarten in the regional competition and at the UNICEF Children’s Rights Festival Caribbean. These students will form part of the St. Maarten delegation, which will include the film coach and project coordinator.
The delegation will return to St. Maarten on April 15. Parents are encouraged to ensure that students who have participated have valid passports and signed consent forms to ensure that their child, in the event he or she will be part of the St. Maarten delegation, will be able to travel.
The Department of Youth and UNICEF representatives have worked tirelessly over the past two months to facilitate this process and raise the awareness of children’s rights with both the teachers and the children. This was made possible due to Netherlands Recovery Fund St. Maarten. The premiere was the final step for St. Maarten to showcase these rights and, most important, to display the undeniable talent within the youth.
Organisers thanked the Department of Youth, UNICEF, school directors, teachers, parents, supporters, service providers and especially the children for making the premiere a success.
