Panasonic Recognizes 16 Winning Films at Kids Witness News Awards Ceremony
In the heart of Hanoi, Panasonic Vietnam hosted the opening ceremony for the Kids Witness News (KWN) 2025 competition on June 9. More than 200 guests, including student filmmakers, school representatives, artists, and industry professionals, gathered to celebrate the start of this exciting event.
The competition, now in its 18th year in Vietnam, is an international educational video programme initiated by Panasonic. It encourages young filmmakers to document their communities or important social issues, fostering creativity, communication skills, and media literacy among students.
This year, the competition concluded with 16 noteworthy films recognised across multiple categories. Among the winners, the Gems team from Yen Hoa High School and Quang Trung High School took home the first prize for the 13-18 age group with their film Trao (Give). The Little Dreamers team, from Archimedes Dong Anh Inter-level School, won the first prize for the 10-12 age group with their film Con khong phai la Tich Chu (I'm not Tich Chu).
The Little Dreamers' winning film is based on a true story about the family of one of its members. Trao, on the other hand, is a moving work exploring the theme of communication and emphasises the importance of sharing, showing affection, and strengthening bonds between people, especially in relationships with loved ones.
Throughout the summer, the students participated in various activities, such as field trips, outdoor filming practice, cultural exploration, and factory visits. They even used Panasonic cameras for filming, which were sent directly from Japan.
The filmmaking course was the most notable activity during the competition, where 70 selected students learned professional filmmaking under the guidance of renowned Vietnamese directors and actors. The winning filmmaking teams from each age category will have the opportunity to interact with other teams from all over the world at the KWN Global Summit, which will be held online in October of 2025.
Taka Fujino, general director of Panasonic Vietnam, emphasised the company's focus on education as part of their social responsibility initiatives, with Kids Witness News as a key highlight. He also praised the creative filmmaking mindset of the students and expressed admiration for Panasonic's persistence in bringing KWN to Vietnamese children.
People's Artist Lan Huong, a member of the judging panel, shared similar sentiments, praising the students' work and commending Panasonic for their dedication to this programme.
In addition to the competition, Panasonic also took a step to contribute to creating a green Vietnam by organising a tree planting programme to plant and donate 10,000 trees for the Thai Thuy Wetland Nature Reserve in Thai Binh province on March 8, 2025.
For more detailed historical milestones or specific impacts of Panasonic Vietnam’s KWN competition, I recommend checking Panasonic Vietnam’s official communications or educational outreach materials. The current search results did not include this information. If you want, I can help look further.
Embracing a lifestyle that combines education and self-development with technology, Panasonic Vietnam's Kids Witness News (KWN) 2025 competition introduces students to professional filmmaking, fostering creativity and media literacy using advanced equipment like Panasonic cameras.
By participating in the KWN competition, students not only have the chance to win prestigious awards, but also contribute to social change through their documentaries on community issues, while also enhancing their communication skills and promoting an appreciation for environmental conservation, as demonstrated by the tree planting programme in Thai Binh province.
