Jeonnam Small School Students Take Up the Megaphone: Filming the World Beyond the Classroom

The Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education has taken proactive steps to enhance the expertise of teachers at small schools in the province in film education and to strengthen a specialized education system that coexists with the local community.

On April 21, the Office announced that it had successfully held the “Jeonnam Small School Specialized Education: Film Humanities Special Lecture” at Mokpo Namdo Bookstore (Namdo Village-ro Culture Center), with the participation of more than 50 faculty members.

Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education received great response by inviting film director Byun Youngjoo, known for the documentary trilogy "Low Voice" and the film "Helpless," as an instructor. Provided by Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education

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This event went beyond a simple training session; it was designed to establish a virtuous cycle of specialized education, where film projects at schools lead to actual student productions and regional film festivals.

Currently, the Office’s “Small School Film Specialization Education” program is being carried out in active collaboration with private cultural and artistic organizations such as CJ CGV, the Independent Film Association, and Community Cinema. This initiative is being recognized as a mutually beneficial model that provides high-quality cultural and arts education to students at small schools and revitalizes the local cultural ecosystem.

The special lecture drew attention as renowned film director Byun Young-joo, known for the documentary trilogy “Low Voices” and the movie “Helpless,” was invited as the guest speaker. Taking the podium with the theme of “Principles and Attitudes of Creation,” Director Byun emphasized, “A good film begins with the fundamental question: ‘What are the thoughts and perspectives of the people who live in this world with me?’”

She underscored the educational value of having students capture the vivid stories of their local communities and school lives through their own lens. She also shared hands-on know-how about constructing effective narratives and delivering messages, which resonated strongly with participants. In particular, this special lecture was highly praised as a “communication-oriented training” that moved away from one-way information delivery and provided an open forum for teachers to discuss and seek solutions to the practical challenges they face in the film education process.

Participants engaged in in-depth discussions on how to incorporate the unique philosophy and values of small schools into the curriculum through the medium of film. To share the energy and insights from the lecture with a broader educational community, the Office plans to upload a recording of the lecture to the “Jeonnam Education TV” YouTube channel at a later date.

Kim Jongman, Director of the School-Age Population Policy Division, said, “Small schools are the most creative educational spaces, where the potential of each and every student can be deeply nurtured. We will support students in reaching out to a wider world through glocalized film specialization education that coexists with the region and allows them to dream globally from Jeonnam.”

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