Jasmina Kallay
- Writer
- Producer
- Script and Continuity Department
Jasmina Kallay is a Croatian screenwriter and author of Gaming Film, a work she publicly disowns, after taking a strong anti-gaming stance. In 2016 she created Kids Rule! (Bit ce kako ja hocu) for HRT (Croatian National Television), a family reality show in which kids swap roles with their parents over the course of one weekend. Her three animation shorts are on permanent display at Ivana's House of Fairy Tale's, Croatia's first children's museum. In 2014 she co-created Juhuhu, a children's daily morning TV show for HRT (Croatian National Television).
Jasmina obtained a PhD in interactive screenwriting from University College Dublin, which led to research in video games and her book Gaming Film. However, after championing gaming for several years, in 2019 she took a new stance based on the reality of video game consumption and its negative impact on children. This led her to disown her Phd, except the university would not allow her to formally do so. Similarly, the publishers of Gaming Film refused to pull the book from circulation when she made this request.
In 2019 Jasmina also left screenwriting behind. The main reason behind this decision was the unethical system of which she was a part. The film industry in Europe is primarily based on public funding, with large sums being awarded for projects of which only a minority get past development stage, with little or no accountability expected of those who take the funds and do nothing with the projects. And among the projects that do make it to the end, the cultural value, which would justify such public spending, is overall very low. She also realized how little screenwriters, herself included, understood the social responsibility they have when writing. She began to realize that a writer's first and foremost role is to bring light, laughter and positivity to people. Yet far too many writers turn to writing to exorcise personal traumas, unhappy childhoods. That kind of writing should be reserved for personal therapy, not the general public; there is enough difficulty and problems in everyday lives without needing to subject the audience to more bleakness on the screen. A writer who brings joy is the only writer that counts.
Jasmina obtained a PhD in interactive screenwriting from University College Dublin, which led to research in video games and her book Gaming Film. However, after championing gaming for several years, in 2019 she took a new stance based on the reality of video game consumption and its negative impact on children. This led her to disown her Phd, except the university would not allow her to formally do so. Similarly, the publishers of Gaming Film refused to pull the book from circulation when she made this request.
In 2019 Jasmina also left screenwriting behind. The main reason behind this decision was the unethical system of which she was a part. The film industry in Europe is primarily based on public funding, with large sums being awarded for projects of which only a minority get past development stage, with little or no accountability expected of those who take the funds and do nothing with the projects. And among the projects that do make it to the end, the cultural value, which would justify such public spending, is overall very low. She also realized how little screenwriters, herself included, understood the social responsibility they have when writing. She began to realize that a writer's first and foremost role is to bring light, laughter and positivity to people. Yet far too many writers turn to writing to exorcise personal traumas, unhappy childhoods. That kind of writing should be reserved for personal therapy, not the general public; there is enough difficulty and problems in everyday lives without needing to subject the audience to more bleakness on the screen. A writer who brings joy is the only writer that counts.