The quiet coastal village of Colares, nestled between the mountains of Sintra and the Atlantic Ocean, became the stage for Film Frequency, a dynamic Erasmus+ youth exchange that united participants from Portugal, Czechia, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia.
More than just a filmmaking experience, this activity was a space for intercultural learning, creative expression, and personal discovery. Through a packed program of workshops, group challenges, beach adventures, and cultural exchanges, participants explored the power of storytelling, not only through the camera lens but through human connection.
First Connections
The activity began with a series of ice-breaker games and group dynamics activities, where participants got to know one another, shared their fears, expectations, and personal goals for the exchange. This helped build trust and a strong sense of community that carried through the entire activity.
Photography, Sound & Short Film Challenges
Early in the program, participants took part in a series of hands-on workshops focused on photography and visual composition, video editing with DaVinci Resolve, and sound creation and music production using FL Studio and Ableton Live. These sessions gave them both the technical knowledge and creative confidence to begin experimenting with audiovisual storytelling.
To put their new skills into practice, participants were given an exciting one-day challenge: to create a short film using only original sounds they recorded and produced themselves. This exercise encouraged rapid collaboration, creativity under pressure, and a deeper understanding of how sound can shape atmosphere and emotion, setting the stage for the larger final challenge developed later in the exchange.
Pitch, Produce, Create
Midway through the activity, the energy reached a new peak; it was time for the final creative challenge. Participants formed production teams and pitched their ideas, stepping into full creative control of their short films. The concepts that emerged were incredibly diverse: vlogs, documentaries, conceptual films, music videos, and trailers, each short video capturing the unique identity and vision of its team.
With limited time and lots of pressure, the groups threw themselves into the process with focus and passion. Some ventured into the historic center of Sintra to find inspiration in its architecture and atmosphere, while others headed to the beach or the forest, where one group explored poetic parallels between the human body and nature. Every element of the films, from the footage to the entire soundtrack, was created by the participants themselves, including all recordings, edits, and sound design. What resulted was a powerful collection of personal and expressive films, born from teamwork, creativity, and a shared drive to tell meaningful stories.
Sea, Surf & First-Time Wonders
Beyond workshops and film sets, Film Frequency offered unforgettable moments by the ocean. Participants had the chance to explore local beaches, enjoy the sun, and connect with nature, many for the first time ever.
Some even went surfing during lunch breaks, bravely stepping on a board and catching waves for the very first time. For several participants, this was their first time seeing the ocean or even stepping onto a beach, an emotional and life-changing experience that added a magical layer to the exchange.
Goodbyes, Youthpasses & Premieres
On the final day, emotions ran high. Participants revealed their secret friends, received their Youthpass certificates, and proudly presented their completed films in a celebratory screening.
As the final films lit up the screen, the room filled with laughter, applause, and wide-eyed surprise. The creativity, dedication, and teamwork behind each film were impossible to miss, and the pride on everyone’s faces said it all. It was the perfect way to wrap up an intense, inspiring, and unforgettable week together.
A Story That Stays With Us
Film Frequency wasn’t just a youth exchange; it was a time full of creativity, learning, and new connections. Young people from across Europe came together to share ideas, tell stories, and build something special as a team.
The ocean waves might be behind us now, but the memories, friendships, and inspiration from this experience will stay with us for a long time.
Results
Some of the cool things we did during this activity:
Photo Challanges
Participants set out to explore the surroundings of Sintra while taking part in a photo challenge focused on composition rules. Working in small groups, they were tasked with capturing specific types of shots, such as the rule of thirds, leading lines, framing, and symmetry. The activity encouraged them not only to observe their environment more thoughtfully, but also to experiment with their cameras and explore their full range of possibilities.
Guerrilla Filmmaking
In this fast-paced creative challenge, participants teamed up to produce original music videos in just one day, composing soundtracks using instruments, voice, or found sounds, and filming video clips that brought their audio to life.
Drowned Silence
Cowboy Meets The Office Meets Tecno
Final Movies
For their final challenge, participants set out to create an original short film from scratch, producing every sound, from music to effects, entirely on their own without using any online libraries.
Entering Reality
Voices of Sintra
We Are History
When The Land Ends And The Sea Begins
Photo Gallery
A few more moments from this activity :)
Dissemination Events
Our participants actively took part in numerous disseminations and exploitation activities, sharing the knowledge, skills, and experiences gained during the activity within their communities.
Bucharest, Romania, May 2025
Denis presented the Film Frequency youth exchange to 10 classmates at the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies. He introduced the activity and E29 network, then showcased the activity’s trailer, shared photos, and screened the short film created during the exchange.
Budapest, Hungary, May 2025
Dissemination by Zsombor at Budapest University of Technology and Economics to 24 students, introducing E29’s mission and activities, sparking interest and questions about future activities.
Ploiesti, Romania, May 2025
Dissemination by Alexia at National College Ion Luca Caragiale to 15 classmates, sharing her Film Frequency experience and skills gained, while encouraging interest in future Erasmus+ opportunities.
Bartninkai, Lithuania, May 2025
Dissemination by Pedro, reaching 40 young people, where he shared his experience and encouraged others to take part in similar activities.
Felsopakony, Hungary, May 2025
Dissemination by Tunde, who created a poster and placed it at the Felsőpakony Town Hall and Library, while also speaking with locals about the activity.
Bratislava, Slovakia, June 2025
Dissemination by Laura, who handed out flyers across the city of Bratislava.
Pitesti, Romania, June 2025
Teodora presented her Erasmus+ experience at Alexandru Odobescu National College to 10 students. She shared a PowerPoint presentation, screened the final activity video, and explained how to join future E29 activities.
Brno, Czechia, June 2025
Dissemination by Tereza and David to 10 members of their student club SP-PDF MUNI, combining a creative tools workshop with teambuilding, and sharing information about upcoming Erasmus+ youth exchanges.
Trnava, Slovakia, June 2025
Ondrej and Viktoria gave a presentation to 20 classmates, sharing their experience in Film Frequency and explaining how Erasmus+ and E29 work. They discussed logistics, benefits, and what to expect, showed the official aftermovie and some short films, and wrapped up with a short Q&A session.
Online, Romania, June 2025
Dissemination by Paula, to 7 participants from The Animation Incubator NGO, sharing her E29 experience, presenting the final film, and sparking interest among youth from Romania and Moldova.
Esztergom, Hungary, June 2025
Noel held a presentation at Geza, Fejedelem Vocational High School for 30 classmates, where he shared the documentary created during the activity, spoke about the experience of making it, and reflected on what he learned. He also introduced E29 network and Erasmus+, explaining how others can join similar opportunities.
Budapest, Hungary, June 2025
Dissemination by Zoltán at Károli Gáspár University in Budapest to 10 Portuguese-speaking peers, where he presented the Film Frequency youth exchange in Portuguese, shared insights about Erasmus+ opportunities, and answered questions from the audience.
Pezinok, Slovakia, June 2025
Dissemination by Ondrej at Gymnázium Pezinok to 8 classmates, where he shared photos and videos from the youth exchange, talked about the programme and activities, and answered questions about E29 network and Erasmus+ opportunities.
Lisbon, Portugal, June 2025
Dissemination by Clara at home in Lisbon to 2 friends, where she shared photos, screened the final video she created using film footage from the activity, and presented the collective film produced during the youth exchange.
Jablonec Nad Nisou, Czechia, June 2025
Dissemination by Sara at VOSMO A OA to 16 classmates, where she shared her experience in the activity, showed photos and a video created with her group, and introduced E29 network and how to apply for similar opportunities.
Queluz, Portugal, June 2025
Dissemination by Maria and Sara to 35 people at the “Mostra de Curtas - Bicartes” in Queluz. They presented the short film developed during the activity and held a Q&A session explaining how the video was made, promoting Erasmus+, E29 network, and the opportunities they experienced.
Labanoras, Lithuania, June 2025
Dissemination by Pedro, reaching 39 young people, where he shared his experience and encouraged others to take part in similar activities.
Bratislava, Slovakia, June 2025
Dissemination by Petra, who designed a poster and displayed it around Comenius University.
Budapest, Hungary, Aug. 2025
Dissemination by Erik, who showed the aftermovie to 5 people and shared how the sessions worked, the tasks, and the role of the 8 key competencies.
Bratislava, Slovakia, Aug. 2025
Dissemination by Daniil at the Faculty of Management of The Comenius University in Bratislava, where he presented to 22 classmates.
Motru, Romania, Aug. 2025
Dissemination by Maria, who gathered 7 friends in an online meeting to share her experience in the youth exchange.
