November 2018

Global partners unite to create a collection of inspirational short films delivering a message of Hope

London 30 October 2018. Children’s broadcasters and media companies from around the world, led by Sky UK & BBC Children’s, have joined forces on an ambitious collaborative project with global reach. Hope Works – a collection of short films offering stories of hope and inspiration – will launch simultaneously on leading children’s networks around the world, and via a dedicated YouTube channel, on World Children’s Day on 20 November 2018. Hope Works is collaborating with UNICEF on this project.

Today’s children are exposed to increasing levels of media output which can cover a range of difficult topics from war to natural catastrophes, from gender intolerance to racism and hate crime. Sensational headlines, social media, access to smartphones and rolling news means this exposure to complex issues is only growing, and with it levels of anxiety. Today’s connected world has also resulted in children experiencing heightened stress around self-image and bullying.

At the 2016 Children’s Media Conference in the UK, broadcasters raised concerns over these issues and questioned what they could do together. As a direct result of this the Hope Works initiative was launched, led by Lucy Murphy, Head of Kids’ Content at Sky TV and Alison Stewart, former Head of CBeebies Production at the BBC.

dock10 has been working with the BBC-based production team to help manage the technical quality of the content and to ensure that it met all broadcast specifications. They were also responsible for managing its distribution to worldwide broadcasters.

The 12 truly inspiring films aimed at children aged 5-12 vary in style and subject matter ranging from pre-school animation to documentary, but all offer young viewers around the world stories of hope – showing them that through thoughtfulness, understanding and kindness they can make a difference to the world.

Leading broadcasters and producers have united to collaborate on the following films:

• What Shall We Do With The Angry Monster? – Ragdoll Productions for Disney, EMEA
• Give a Hand – Hop! Media Group, Israel
• The Nock and The Treeples – DreamWorks Animation, USA
• Spread Kindness around the World – Sesame Workshop, USA
• Balloon Girl – Big Bad Boo, Canada
• Move Mountain – The Brothers McLeod, UK & Corrinne Averiss, UK
• Rise – Sixteen South, N. Ireland and KiKa, Germany
• Children United – Sky/Fresh Start Media and UNICEF UK
• Little Lights – CBC Canada
• A Whale’s Tale – Cartoon Network UK, Turner
• The Cupcake Choir – ABC Children’s, Australia
• Listening to the Silence – TV Escola, Brazil

Participating broadcasters include: ABC Children’s Australia; BBC Children’s, UK; CBC Kids, Canada; Disney EMEA; Hop! Media Group, Israel; KiKA, Germany; Sky, UK; Turner; VRT Ketnet, Belgium. As well as the broadcasts, there will be a dedicated website, which will host all the films plus teachers & parents resources offering suggestions on activities connected with each film, and a YouTube channel – managed by WildBrain – will also air all 12 films from 20 November.

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