Movie up: un percorso di invecchiamento creativo

"<< Background >>We applied for this project in response to the growing need to promote social inclusion and active ageing among older adults, especially those living in remote, rural, or disadvantaged urban areas. Europe is facing a demographic shift, with a rapidly ageing population at risk of social isolation, often exacerbated by disability, low education levels, and limited access to cultural resources. ""Movie Up: a creative ageing path"" aimed to address this challenge by using cinema as a tool for non-formal education and intergenerational dialogue. The project was designed to empower older adults through creative expression, critical thinking, and storytelling, while fostering community engagement and lifelong learning. Our goal was to create inclusive learning environments that support well-being, participation, and the cultural visibility of senior citizens who are often excluded from the mainstream social fabric.<< Objectives >>The main objective of the “Movie Up” project was to promote the use of cinema as a non-formal education tool to empower older adults at risk of social exclusion. We aimed to create new learning and participation opportunities for people aged 65+, especially those facing geographical, social, economic, or educational barriers. Through this project, we intended to:(1) develop local cinema-based educational paths that foster creativity and critical thinking;(2) encourage older generations to re-engage with society by sharing their stories and perspectives through the lens of film;(3) promote intergenerational dialogue and inclusive cultural participation;(4) provide adult educators with innovative methodologies for working with older learners using audiovisual tools.By achieving these goals, the project contributed to increasing the autonomy, confidence, and social visibility of older adults while reinforcing community bonds and addressing age-related marginalisation in an inclusive and creative way.<< Implementation >>The project was implemented through four main activities.A1 – Preparation and Kick-off Meeting (Italy): the partnership agreement was signed, the project communication strategy and logo were defined, and a transnational kick-off meeting was held to plan the work and define responsibilitiesA2 – Methodology Development (Poland): partners co-developed the “Movie Up” methodology based on Kolb’s experiential learning cycle. A guide was producedA3 – Local Pilot Testing (Italy, Poland, Greece): the developed methodology was tested with 30 older adults in each country through cinema workshops, participatory video sessions and storytelling activities.Nine video-interviews were created, collecting real-life stories of active ageing and social inclusionA4 – Final Conference and Dissemination (Greece): a public event showcased the results and tools developed. A 15-minute short film, inspired by one of the most powerful life stories shared during the interviews, was premiered at the final event. The film will be distributed at major international festivals << Results >>The project produced several tangible and intangible results. Among the key outputs were:– 9 video interviews with older adults at risk of social exclusion, sharing personal stories of resilience and community engagement across Italy, Poland, and Greece.– 1 methodological guide for adult educators and organizations, detailing how to use cinema as a tool for non-formal education with older learners.– 3 participatory methodologies based on film and storytelling, developed and tested at local level.– 1 short film ""FORTUNA"" (15 minutes) inspired by one of the video interviews, created with the active involvement of older participants and premiered at the final conference and distributed at major international festivals.– Increased creative and critical thinking skills among 30 elderly participants, who became more engaged and confident in expressing themselves.– Stronger local and transnational networks between partners and stakeholders, including cultural, educational, and social organizations."