"In the cinema, some of the most important aspects of the human being are formed, from the most purely sensory, through the affective and intellectual, to the most creative or operative. Thus, we go to the cinema to broaden our experience of life." This is the main idea of the doctoral thesis of Carmen Urpí, an educator at the University of Navarra. The professor has analyzed 'La virtualidad educativa del cine a partir de la teoría fílmica de Jean Mitry', work directed by Professor Concepción Naval and obtained A cum laude.

Carmen Urpí has tried to demonstrate in her thesis that cinema can be a very appropriate way to cultivate the aesthetic Education . "It is intended to inculcate in children high intellectual and moral teachings, but these can remain only a nice idea if their connection with the sensitive and concrete acts of life is not experienced. Cinema powerfully facilitates the experience of those acts."

As for the criticized psychological consequences that cinema has on the spectator, Professor Urpí said that "it is precisely these that favor creative participation, which is essential for a film to be effectively educational".

According to the doctor from the University of Navarra, "such participation implies the identification and projection of our person on the action. In this way, we broaden our real experience of life. But this whole process, contrary to what some educators often denounce, does not exempt the viewer from adopting a critical stance towards what is being presented on the screen".

"The educational responsibility is shared and the Education of the public should begin at the very moment when the child begins to be a spectator, from the family, the school or from the audiovisual media itself." In this sense, he pointed out that "a critical sense can be fostered and conscious reflection can be encouraged, already in the youngest."

As he explains, a discussion between a parent and a child after the movie theater about the images that have had the greatest impact on them, the emotions they have felt, if they have felt fear at some point, the funniest characters... "It is important that the experience is not just a pure perception of images".

Viewer effort

Carmen Urpí pointed out that "there is a subject of films that facilitate this conscious participation, but they are generally works that require the spectator to make an effort that he or she is often not willing to make. The professor lamented that the powerful world of entertainment has accustomed the general public to the consumption of films that are almost all made under the same patron saint. "This gives rise to a priori expectations in the spectator-consumer, which run the risk of being frustrated and provoking general dissatisfaction among the public and, above all, among producers.

Among the most recent quality titles offered by Spanish cinema in the last year, Carmen Urpí mentioned some such as Cuando vuelvas a mi lado, Las huellas borradas or Solas, the latter of which has been on the billboards of the major capitals for several months. Among many other foreign films, she pointed out the Danish Mifune and Todo empieza hoy.

Finally, the expert assures that "there is a growing sector of the public that wants information about the films they are going to see because they have already acquired a cinematographic culture B". Professor Carmen Urpí is increasingly convinced that "a good cine-club film with a good publicity campaign can become a blockbuster; and on the contrary, a film that meets all the conditions of locker, without a good distribution, is reduced to a minority audience".