SCAVENGER by 12 children aged 9 to 12 I Belgium
April 7, 2025
The Little Directors: How Children Tell Big Stories Through Film
By Koumoutsi Soultana
In a world where childrens voices are often drowned out by the clatter of adult conversation, the “Short Films Made by Children” program aims to change that. Animation has become an incredible microphone by inviting young filmmakers to shape their own narratives about their fears, their dreams, and the everyday dramas of childhood. Through film, they construct entire worlds, where schoolteachers become prowling felines and authority figures loom as larger-than-life antagonists.
One such creation, Scavenger, is an eight-minute animated short film brought to life by a group of Belgian children aged nine to thirteen. With an astute eye for the dynamics of power and rebellion, they tell the story of a strict teacher left temporarily in charge of a school—a scenario that, in their hands, unfolds into something both unconventional and quietly subversive. The film recently won the Jury Award at the Psaroloco International Film Festival for Children & Young People, a testament of young creators storytelling instincts’ quality. .
At the heart of this project is Nadège Herrygers, an educator, animator, and longtime champion of childrens filmmaking. With over two decades of work, she has helped young storytellers navigate through the delicate balance between structure and spontaneity, discipline and play. In this conversation, she reflects on what it takes to guide children through the filmmaking process, the universal themes that emerge across cultures, and why, the best stories are often the ones we least expect.
Herrygers Nadege
I have a master in comics and in film analysis and writing from Brussels. In 1999, I opened my stop motion workshop for teenagers, l'atelier Caméléon, which has continued every Wednesday since then. For 19 years I worked as an educational animator in an art-house cinema, and now I work for the Province of Hainaut, supervising various groups in the making of short films in live action and animation. I also give audiovisual mediation activities. The aim is for the participants to appropriate the language of cinema and express what is important to them through this medium. Since 2021, I have also been making my own professional short films: ‘Mauvaise graine’ and ‘Le Cadeau’.
In Scavenger, young filmmakers bring their thoughts, fears, and dreams to the screen. How did the film empower them to express themselves in ways they might not have otherwise? Were there particular themes or ideas they were most passionate about conveying?
‘Scavenger’ started with the idea of a day dedicated to children's rights. For the last three years, I've been organising screenings and workshops to mark the International Day of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. We show professional films on the subject as well as films made by children and young people during the year. For this film, the children read the Convention and discussed what they thought about it. The general opinion was that, as children, they are not always listened to as much as adults, either at school or by their parents. They chose to set their story in a school with animals.
Guiding children through the filmmaking process is both an art and a challenge. What approach did you take to help them shape their vision? What moments surprised you the most—either in their creativity, collaboration, or perspective?
This project was carried out as part of an extra-curricular course for 8-13 year-olds. The children didn't know each other and we had to find common ground so that everyone could find their place and express their creativity. I start with drawings where everyone draws a character, a place and an action. A lot of animals and schools came out. We suggested going in this direction and discussed which animals could represent adults and children. In small groups, they then worked on the characters and the first sets. When a set was ready, two children took it in turns to shoot it while the others continued with the production. Everyone gave their voices, agreeing who would interpret what. The sound effects were also created and recorded by the children. When a child plays an instrument, as was the case here, they are asked to create a little melody to accompany the film.
Filmmaking can be a powerful tool for self-expression, but not all children have access to it. What can educators around the world do to foster this kind of creative storytelling? Are there particular techniques or exercises that you’ve found especially effective in encouraging young voices?
I use professional equipment for our workshops. But I also show them equipment they can use free of charge (smartphone application, etc.) to make a film at home or with friends. Some go on and send me their results. I think that the most difficult thing nowadays is not having access to technology, which has become much more democratic, but building something together. Young people are quick to lose concentration and I often have to alternate tasks (set design, animation, voices, posters, etc.) because it's rare to find someone who can animate a whole day. It's also difficult to keep to speaking times and I have to put systems in place to ensure that everyone listens to each other. Young people are in a hurry to get down to business. More and more often I start filming before the script is finished. I used to start in the order idea-script-creation-shooting-editing. With reduced attention spans, that's no longer possible. I start shooting when we don't have the end of the story. That's not a problem, because it leads to some nice surprises.
Cinema has the unique ability to bridge cultures. How do you see films like Scavenger helping children from different backgrounds understand one another? From your experience, do children of different cultures tell stories in distinct ways, or are there universal themes that emerge?
As part of this project, we worked on children's rights. It's an international theme, and I think it affects all children, and even if they don't often know that they have rights, I often hear in my groups that children don't feel listened to, and sometimes not respected.
I worked on another project with teenagers who had just arrived in France, most of them refugees. The aim was to learn French and they were free to choose the subject. Through their film, I thought they would talk about their difficulties and the journey to get to Belgium. They talk a bit about that in their film but, in the end, they talk a lot more about themes that I find with other young people: what we like to do (telephone, sport, platform, etc.), who we love (family, friends), what we do (school), etc. So I think there's a lot of common ground here.
I think these are the big themes that are universal. I think that when we write and film, even if we go into the imaginary, we always include a part of what we experience. In ‘Scavenger’, the children talk about what they experience at school and how it affects a lot of other children.
For educators and filmmakers eager to embark on similar projects, what wisdom would you share? What are the greatest obstacles they’ll face, and how can they create an environment where children feel genuinely heard?
I love working with young audiences because they're so spontaneous and they're not afraid of messing up and starting again, like adults. Even if we make a film in a playful context, without a theme at the outset, I believe that there is always a message in a film and that this message must come from the participants. To achieve this, I get people to write lots of words on post-its or to draw pictures anonymously. Afterwards, we put everything on a board and see together how we can cross-reference it. This discussion time is very important to ensure that everyone is involved in the film. It's important that at least one idea from everyone is retained. At other times, everyone writes down words at random (a character, a place, an action, a character trait, etc.). We mix them up and draw lots to make sentences. Together, we choose what we think is the best way to start the story. Once we've got that, the hard part's over.
For the technique, I come up with a proposal that the participants test. But if I see that the group isn't taking to it, I can change it. It's important to be flexible and have several tools at your disposal. I once started an animated film, but the young people really wanted to be actors. So, we used live action, and they really had a blast. These are normally young people whose faces we couldn't show because they're in complicated family situations. It was difficult to negotiate the theatrical release afterward because they were expressing their experiences at home through their film. But it was so important to them that I stuck to my guns. I give, but the participants give me a lot in return.
Finally, I always try to showcase the film once it's finished. I often work with cultural venues where we can organize a great screening so the young people can present their work.