Panasonic‘s Kid Witness News (KWN) programme honoured 27 films of seasons KWN 2021 and KWN 2022, seven of which were awarded top prizes at a ceremony on September 25.

For the KWN 2022 season, the film entitled “If only my father did not smoke” of the Viet Bamboo team was honored with first prize in the 10 to 12-year-old category. The film is a story of a kid helping his family and other people realise the harmfulness of smoking.

The first prize for the student group aged 13 to 18 year old went to the film “Dejavu” produced by students from Dong Anh District. It was an interesting and bright story about a kid who would throw garbage around, but finally changed to care more about environmental protection.

The two winning teams will have the opportunity to exchange their movies with other teams around the world at the KWN Global Summit event held online around end of this year.

“The year 2022 is truly very special to us. It is also the first year of our next 50-year journey with a strong commitment for WELLNESS in Viet Nam. In line with this vision, we have introduced the new Panasonic Sustainable School programme, and KWN is a part of this programme with a new scope and new activities,” said Marukawa Yoichi, General Director of Panasonic Vietnam.

“I was really impressed by the way children told their stories with deep care about the environment, families, friends, and various matters they observe. Throughout the film making journey, we hope kids can develop a deeper understanding of what matters the most to them and the society, and will be inspired to take initiatives for a better future,” said Yoichi.

“It was such a fun and exciting summer, especially when I could participate in the programme with my friends. We learned a lot and would never know that we are able to make an entire film, from the start with our ideas to the final cinematic products. During the journey with KWN, getting to know how to use a professional camera was probably my favorite thing. So, I was the cameraman of the group,” shared Nguyen Danh Khai, a student from the Viet Bamboo team, Dich Vong Hau Secondary School in Ha Noi.

First held in the US in 1989, KWN is a global hands-on video educational program for students supported by Panasonic. Introduced in Viet Nam since 2006, it aims to create a playground for students, where they can enrich their knowledge about environmental and social issues, as well as develop their soft skills through the filmmaking journey. To date, nearly 3,000 students have participated to produce nearly 150 videos. The top films have been sent to the KWN Global summit 14 times. — VNS