Children Say That Theme Year's Name Filmjam Tastes Like a VCR

Finland is currently celebrating the Children's and Youth Film Theme Year which has been named as Filmjam.

The name is certainly original, it also makes us wonder what on earth is this Filmjam.

We visited Videotivoli event in Pakkahuone of the Old Customs House and asked what children thought of the name.

Pre-school children Rasmus (6) and Jani (6) believe, that Filmjam means that "when you are watching a film, you are eating jam at the same time". According to them filmjam is something you eat while watching a film.

Rasmus' and Jani's filmjam would not taste good though.

"It would taste like a VCR," Rasmus says.

The filmjam that tastes like VCR
gets what it deserves from Rasmus
and Jani.

Josefiina (6) and Terhi (5) have a different opinion than the pre-school boys.

"Filmjam might be a film that has something about jam," Josefiina says.

"It would be a kind of film, where you hold a jam jar in your hand," Terhi added.

Josefiina and Terhi think that in
Filmjam-movie you could hold a jam
jar in your hand, like this.

Saku (10) has never even heard of Filmjam. Still, he quickly came up with a meaning.

"Well it is jam made out of films," Saku explains.

He came to the Videotivoli with his classmates but beforehand he was not quite sure what would happen in the Videotivoli.

"I think some films will be shown there," Saku assumed.

Saku thinks that Filmjam is "jam
made out of films".

Saku's classmate Maija (9) was equally unaware of the Filmjam.

"It is jam made out of films," she said, anyhow.

Maija was quite sure that that kind of jam would not taste good.

"I do not think you can eat that," Maija thought.

Maija (in the middle) came to the Videotivoli with her classmates. She does not think that filmjam tastes good.

Outi Freese is the Executive Director of Koulukinoyhdistys (School Cinema Association) that coordinates the theme year. She says that the name is supposed to attract attention.

"The combination is unusual. We tried to come up with a brand new name that is both positive and ironic," she says.

Freese reveals that Anna Eloaho, a reporter from Turku, was the one who came up with the name.

Eloaho was asked to invent a name for the event and then she considered different names for a couple of weeks and finally handed the list over to School Cinema Association.

According to Freese, the long list had "one crazy name", and it was the one that interested the association.

The crazy name, Filmjam, can be understood in many ways. In every case, it is supposed to evoke positive associations. According to project secretary Anna-Liisa Puura-Castren:

"The name has a positive ring to it. We want to tell people that films have a lot of positive things."

Read more
Facts about Filmjam (FN 2004 / Wednesday)