CFI Education Program
Turning the Theater into a Classroom
Film has the power to inspire, to educate, to entertain, and to create community.
CFI Education is building the next generation of filmmakers and audiences through
our groundbreaking visual literacy programs. These programs use film as a personalized
educational tool, promoting openness and a sophisticated worldview, and expanding
classroom topics across borders and disciplines.
Working closely with 200 Bay Area schools and community groups, CFI Education
presents the following educational programs to over 4,000 students per year:
CFI Education: Our flagship year-round program
(approximately 50 programs annually), offers free screenings with visiting filmmakers
and subject-matter experts to area school groups. Programs are created with
public and private school curricula in mind, often in coordination with participating
teachers and community leaders. Some of the topics addressed include racism,
poverty, religion, the law, activism, war, and the environment.
A Place in the World:
a year-long curriculum that guides two groups of 100 high-school students from
diverse backgrounds around the Bay Area through a series of carefully selected
international films that address universal coming-of-age issues.
The Young Critics' Jury:
a crash course in critical thinking, filmmaking, film festivals and film curating
for 20 high-school students, a smaller group who then go on to curate a selection
of youth-produced films from all over the world to be screened during the Mill
Valley Film Festival.
My Place: a new program
starting its second year in Spring 2008 targeting at-risk youth. This intensive
workshop focuses on location and its role in filmmaking, with each participant
directing and producing a short film about a specific location that is their
place: their home, church, school, recreation center, neighborhood or place
where they feel safe. Programs have taken place in San Rafael's canal district
and in Marin City and San Francisco's Mission District and Hunter’s Point.
Teacher Workshops: CFI
Education came together with area secondary school teachers and University educators
to create new media literacy workshops for teachers in Marin. Since then this
project has also coordinated with CFI and the Mill Valley Film Festival to facilitate
using the festival films as a teaching tool. Feed-back from teachers has been
wonderful and the program will be expanding in 2008 to other parts of the Bay
Area.
Mill Valley Film Festival In-School
Program: during the annual Mill Valley Film Festival we bring local
and international directors into the classroom with their films. This includes
programs for elementary, middle and high schools as well as colleges and universities.
JOIN US!
Is your school taking advantage of this FREE program?
Would you like your child's school to participate in CFI Education
programs?
Call CFI Education Manager John Morrison at 415 526 5813 or email: education@cafilm.org
