EVENTS/
SCHOOLS AT THE FESTIVAL SCREENINGS
SCREENINGS
The following are Schools at the Festival programs at the 2011 San Francisco International Film Festival. All screenings take place at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas (1881 Post Street at Fillmore) and at New People ( 1746 Post Street at Webster) in San Francisco.
To find out how to buy tickets, contact Keith Zwölfer at kzwolfer@sffs.org or 415-561-5040.
Download ticket order form
Children of the Princess of Cleves
Tuesday, April 26, 10:00 am, Kabuki
Directed by Régis Sauder (France 2009, 69 min)
In French with English subtitles
Featuring candid discussion about hopes and dreams, love and heartbreak, family and friends, this engrossing documentary makes an inspired connection between classic literature and contemporary teen life in modern-day Marseille as one high school class studies the 17th-century novel La princesse de Clèves. Followed by short Aglaée.
Suggested Subjects: Arts/Media, ESL, French, Hearing Impaired, Literature, Middle School, Peer/Youth Issues
Grades: 8-12
The Colors of the Mountain
Monday, April 25, 10:00 am, Kabuki
Directed by Carlos César Arbeláez (Colombia, Panama 2010, 88 min)
In Spanish with English subtitles
A motley crew of young boys in Colombia lives only for one passion: soccer. But when their precious new ball rolls into a minefield, their dreams are suddenly on hold. Even as the village becomes the center of a tug-of-war between right-wing paramilitary groups and leftist guerrillas, the idea of a rescue attempt is too tempting to resist.
Program Note: Mild profanity and brief violence
Suggested Subjects: ESL, Hearing Impaired, Latin American Studies, Middle School, Peer/Youth Issues, Spanish, World Affairs
Grades: 8-12
Crime After Crime
Monday, April 25, 12:45 pm, Kabuki
Directed by Yoav Potash (USA, 2011, 93 min)
This intimate look at the coming together of a female prisoner and the two pro bono lawyers fighting for her release is a must-see documentary for those interested in the power of film to change the course of events. Shot over a five-and-a-half year period, the saga of one woman’s case resounds with broader social implications.
Suggested Subjects: Ethics, Journalism, Law, Political Science, Social Studies, Women’s Studies
Grades: 9-12
Do You See What I See?
Friday, April 29, 10:00 am, Kabuki
Monday, May 2, 10:00 am, Kabuki
Tuesday, May 3, 10:15 am, Kabuki
Total running time 71 min
In English and French with English subtitles (subtitles read aloud for younger audience members)
Whether young or old, big or small, not everyone sees the world through the same lens. In this collection of shorts for all ages, an assorted cast of characters learns to adjust the focus and view themselves—and others—in unexpected new ways.
Suggested Subjects: Arts/Media, Elementary School, English, Middle School, Peer/Youth Issues
Grades: 2-6
Elevate
*Schools at the Festival Exclusive Screening*
Thursday, April 28, 12:30 pm, Kabuki
Directed by Anne Buford (USA, 2010, 83 min)
In English, Wolof and French with English subtitles
Filmed over four years, from the dilapidated cement courts of Senegal to upscale American prep schools, Elevate documents the extraordinary personal journeys of four particularly tall West African Muslim teenage boys with NBA dreams. Recruited for both their physical and academic skills, Assane, Dethie, Byago and Aziz accept basketball scholarships to schools in the United States—and face the daunting challenges of alienation, a foreign language, American-style basketball and an unfamiliar American culture rife with African stereotypes. But with courage, humor and remarkable resilience, they relentlessly pursue their dreams—to obtain an education and a shot at possibly more. A real story about men helping other men, about hope and opportunity, not pity.
Program Note: Mild profanity
Suggested Subjects: African Studies, Middle School, Peer/Youth Issues, Political Science, Social Studies, World Affairs
Grades: 7-12
From Fact to Fiction
Thursday, May 5, 10:00 am, Kabuki
Total running time 69 min
Collected from around the world, this compilation of short films explores a variety of storytelling techniques, from an investigative documentary about the failing U.S. mental health care system to an animated urban invasion by retro video game characters.
Program Note: Mild profanity
Suggested Subjects: Arts/Media, English, Ethics/Religion, Health, Middle Eastern Studies, Middle School, Peer/Youth Issues, Social Studies, World History.
Grades: 8-12
Hands Up
Tuesday, May 3, 12:45 pm, Kabuki
Directed by Romain Goupil (France 2010, 90 min)
In French with English subtitles
Fearing the deportation of their friend, an 11-year-old undocumented Chechen immigrant, a close-knit gang of children goes into hiding to try to insure her safety. Their disappearance becomes a cause célèbre, compelling the adult world to reconsider their priorities and policies.
Program Note: Mild profanity and brief nudity
Suggested Subjects: Arts/Media, ESL, Ethics, French, Hearing Impaired, Immigration, Peer/Youth Issues, Political Science, Social Studies, World Affairs
Grades: 8-12
Let the Wind Carry Me
Friday, April 29, 12:30 pm, New People
Directed by Kwan Pun Leung and Chiang Hsiu-chiung (Taiwan 2010, 88 min)
In Mandarin with English Subtitles
Focusing on Mark Lee Ping-bin, one of the most talented and prolific cinematographers in Asia, Let the Wind Carry Me details the itinerant lifestyle of a deeply observant and philosophical artist and the tolls that his profession takes on his family life.
Suggested Subjects: Arts/Media, Asian Studies, Chinese, ESL, Hearing Impaired, Photography
Grades: 9-12
Marathon Boy
Tuesday, May 3, 10:00 am, Kabuki
Directed by Gemma Atwal (England 2010, 98 min)
A scrappy slum kid with a gift for running meets a driven judo instructor with dreams of Olympic fame. Their complicated relationship turns India upside down in a documentary that expertly guides us through a series of twists and turns that are exciting and unsettling at once.
Program Note: Mild profanity and brief violence
Suggested Subjects: Journalism, Peer/Youth Issues, Political Science, Social Studies, World Affairs, World History
Grades: 9-12
Miss Representation
Friday, April 22, 12:30 pm, New People
Directed by Jennifer Siebel (USA 2011, 90 min)
Through interviews with Gloria Steinem, Margaret Cho and dozens more, this documentary explores women’s under-representation in positions of power, challenging their limited, often disparaging portrayal in the media. Can we convince a new generation that women’s primary value lies in their capacity as leaders rather than merely their youth, beauty and sexuality?
Program Note: Mild profanity
Suggested Subjects: Arts/Media, History, Peer/Youth Issues, Social Science, Social Studies, Women’s Studies
Grades: 8-12
The Pipe
Monday, May 2, 12:45 pm, Kabuki
Directed by Risteard Ó Domhnaill (Ireland 2010, 83 min)
*Thanks to the generous support of the Goldman Environmental Prize, tickets for this screening are free.
You will still need to fill out a ticket order form.*
A grassroots campaign to halt the construction of a high-pressure gas pipeline through a town’s pristine land is the basis of this rousing and utterly timely portrait of an Irish community straining under a titanic battle against a Goliath of money power and a largely compliant state.
Program Note: Mild profanity
Suggested Subjects: Environmental Studies, Science, Social Studies
Grades: 9-12
Soul Birds
*Schools at the Festival Exclusive Screening*
Thursday, April 28, 10:00 am, Kabuki
Directed by Thomas Riedelshiemer (Germany 2009, 90 mins)
In German with English subtitles
You may never hear the brand name Gogurt quite the same way again after watching veteran German documentarian Thomas Riedelsheimer’s lovely and emotional account of parents caring for children with leukemia. As he did with his masterful films Rivers and Tides and Touch the Sound, Riedelsheimer involves the audience’s total senses, while crafting a tender chronicle of three kids’ valiant battle against a terrible disease. Beauty and mortality swing back and forth, whether it’s with darling little Lenni (who loves his Gogurt), ten-year-old Richard or 15-year-old Pauline, whose fight includes meditation, qigong and philosophy. A heartbreaking celebration of life on earth and the cinema’s power to touch body and soul.
Suggested Subjects: Arts/Media, Ethics/Religion, German, Health, Social Science
Grades: 9-12
Third Monday in October
*Schools at the Festival Exclusive Screening*
Wednesday, May 4, 10:00 am, Kabuki
Directed by Vanessa Roth (USA 2008, 91 mins)
Special retrospective screening in honor of our 20th anniversary. Originally screened in 2007.
Fall 2004. Bush and Kerry debate Iraq and the economy. But for 11 candidates running for middle school president, junk food and bathroom stalls are the issues of import. Election meets Spellbound in this engaging exposé of the Future Politicos of America.
Suggested Subjects: African American Studies, History, Middle School, Peer Issues, Political Science, and Social Studies
Grades: 6-12
The Tiniest Place
Wednesday, May 4, 12:00 pm, Kabuki
Directed by Tatiana Huezo (Mexico 2011, 100 mins)
In Spanish with English subtitles
Years after the Salvadoran military destroyed the village of Cinquera in that country’s civil war, survivors have returned to rebuild their community. Soulful, beautifully rendered, this amazing debut is an evocative testament to place, memory and the power of life to rebound from tragedy.
Program Note: Brief descriptions of violent military conflicts
Suggested Subjects: Hearing Impaired, Latin American Studies, Political Science, Spanish, World History
Grades: 9-12
Youth Media Mash-Up
Thursday, May 5, 12:45 pm, Kabuki
Total running time 69 min
A fascinating fusion of ideas, perspectives, genres, styles and voices, this creative concoction of short documentary, narrative and animated films is an inspired and inspiring look at the world as interpreted by today’s teen filmmakers.
Program Note: Mild profanity
Suggested Subjects: Arts/Media, English, Peer/Youth Issues, Social Studies
Grades: 9-12
