In the final Q&A session, students invited EMA alumna Noémie Ninnin, whose multidisciplinary approach to storytelling was at the heart of the discussion. Nennin, a filmmaker and advocate currently working for UNICEF France, is the co-director of the documentary A Slide and Barber Wires (2024), which portrays children forced into French detention centers after their families’ asylum requests were denied and captures the emotional and psychological impact of their traumatic experiences.
Interdisciplinarity in storytelling and advocacy
The films shown during the festival (e.g., stories of Palestinian children in Israeli detention and of children in a camp for IDPs in Mosul) were a testament to the power of visual storytelling to humanize complex issues. In the Q&A session, Noémie reflected on the significance of such narratives in advocacy. “Numbers can provide context, but it’s stories that move people to act,” she said. She underscored the significance of involving children in the storytelling process, enabling them to reclaim their narratives and assert their voices in often silenced spaces.
Ninnin’s approach combines filmmaking, law, and history to create a holistic understanding of the issues facing children in migration. She noted that this interdisciplinary framework is essential for bridging the gap between data-driven reports and the human experiences they represent. “Statistics inform us, but they don’t tell us what it feels like to lose a home, to grow up in detention, or to fight for an education,” Noémie explained. “By blending disciplines, we can craft narratives that resonate on both an emotional and intellectual level.”
One of the key insights our EMA alumna shared was the ethical responsibility of filmmakers to portray their subjects with dignity and to ensure that their participation is consensual and empowering. “Our role is not to speak for these children but to amplify their voices in a way that honours their experiences,” she said.
A call for proactive storytelling
The session also explored the potential of filmmaking to move beyond documenting violations to actively preventing them. Noémie advocated for proactive storytelling that addresses root causes and highlights positive interventions. “We need to tell stories that not only expose injustice but also inspire solutions,” she urged. Our alumna pointed to the impact of films like Nothing About Us Without Us, which were instrumental in influencing policy shifts, including France’s prohibition of child immigration detention in administrative centers. “Films can be catalysts for change when they connect grassroots experiences with high-level policy discussions,” Ninnin said.
The festival concluded with a clear message: the work continues. Storytelling-inspired advocacy must persist in raising awareness, influencing policy, and fostering a world that truly upholds children’s rights.