Children's International Film Festival School Screenings

Introduce elementary and middle school students to critically acclaimed contemporary and classic films from around the globe. Featured films show students the experiences, concerns, and languages of children from diverse countries and cultures. (Some films are also suitable for high school students.)

School-day screenings are available:
November 27–29 | 12–2:30 PM
November 30 | 10 AM–2:30 PM
December 3 | 12–2:30 PM

After each film screening, groups are invited to stay for an "Expanded Classroom: Post-Film Discussion." Teaching resource materials are provided to all participating schools prior to the screenings.

To schedule a free school-day screening for your school, call (614) 292-6493 or e-mail edweb@wexarts.org. Please have your desired film, date, time, and number of students ready when you call or e-mail. Scheduling begins September 27.

Keep reading for a list of the films available this year, with age/grade recommendations for each one. The Films

MIDWEST PREMIERE
Third Monday in October
(Vanessa Roth, 2006, USA)
Recommended for ages 8 and up (Grades 4-12)

"Imagine Vote for Pedro: The Documentary, and you've got half the appeal of this lively and insightful [film]. Highly recommended!--The Austin Chronicle

Recalling the charm, passion, and suspense of the spelling bee documentary Spellbound, Third Monday in October follows the dramatic details of 11 eighth-graders in four drastically different American schools who are all running for student council president. It's no coincidence that the film is set against the backdrop of the 2004 Bush vs. Kerry campaign, and the students and families profiled in the film take their campaigns no less seriously and earnestly than the national one—even if one candidate gives his speech dressed as Superman and one of the issues involved is better-smelling bathrooms. Director Vanessa Roth comments about the student-candidates, "as they are just beginning to form their beliefs and ideas about the world around them, they risk their views and reputations in front of everyone they know." The film touches on issues of race, class, identity, and the meaning of popularity but does so through entertaining methods sure to spark discussion among the entire class.

Running time: 91 mins. (video)
Curricular connections: school politics and issues, democracy and democratic processes, identity, equality, documentary


COLUMBUS PREMIERE
Darius Goes West: The Roll of His Life
(Logan Smalley, USA, 2007)
Recommended for ages 8 and up (Grades 4-12)

The moving and inspiring documentary Darius Goes West has been winning "audience choice" awards at a dizzying number of film festivals across the country: from Boston to Santa Barbara to Cleveland, where the Plain Dealer called it "the most popular, most talked about film [of the Cleveland International Film Festival] by far." It's impossible to be unaffected by wheelchair-bound Darius Weems, a 15-year-old with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (the most common fatal genetic disease of children). With his generous spirit and a handful of able-bodied friends (one of whom made this documentary), he sets out in an unreliable van to travel from Georgia to California. The initial goal is to get Darius's ordinary wheelchair made over on MTV's Pimp My Ride so that he can help educate and entertain a generation that has no idea who Jerry Lewis is, but the trip turns out to be about so much more. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll cheer, and you'll leave the theater with the knowledge of how one person can help change the world.

Running time: 92 mins. (video)
Curricular connections: identity, equality, Americans with Disabilities Act, journeys, documentary


The Way Things Go
(Peter Fischli and David Weiss, Switzerland, 1988)
Recommended for ages 6 and up (Grades K-12)

The Way Things Go by Swiss artists Peter Fischli and David Weiss is a spectacular piece of explosive sculpture that is as appealing to kindergarteners as to art world sophisticates. This half-hour-long chain reaction of common objects combusting, collapsing, and igniting is set within an elaborate Rube Goldberg-like construction in an abandoned warehouse. The remarkably creative use of chemistry, gravity, and physics turns tea kettles, tires, old shoes, trash bags, and other ordinary items into dramatic players in a suspenseful and riveting lesson in cause and effect.

Running time: 30 mins. (16mm)
Curricular connections: physics, chemistry, kinetic sculpture, time-based art


Saturday Morning Cartoons Go to the Dogs
(Various directors, USA)
Recommended for ages 4 and up (Grades K-6)

Do your students like cartoons? Or have a fondness for dogs? If you answered "yes" to either of those questions, they’ll find plenty to enjoy in this program filled with cartoons many favorite animated canines. Among the pooches barking (and sometimes talking) their way across the movie screen are Pluto, Droopy, Goofy (let's all just assume that he's a dog), and other surprise guests.

Running time: approx. 45 mins. (35mm)
Curricular connections: classic animation, comedy, visual narrative


COLUMBUS THEATRICAL PREMIERE
Opal Dream
(Peter Caettano, 2005, Australia)
Recommended for ages 7 and up (Grades 4-12)

"A worthwhile family film with just the right touch of cinematic poetry."--Chicago Tribune

Opal Dream shows a great sense of what life is like in a sun-scorched opal mining town in the Australian outback, where young Kellyanne spends much of her time playing with her imaginary friends Pobby and Dingan. Her family decides to indulge her and play along. But, when the invisible friends go "missing," a misunderstanding within their small town creates hostility. With honesty, humor, and hope, Kellyanne and her family show their community that you don't necessarily have to see to believe.

Running time: 86 mins. (35 mm)
This film is rated PG for mild thematic elements, language, and some violence.
Curricular connections: family and community relationships, drama narrative


COLUMBUS THEATRICAL PREMIERE
Offside
(Jafar Panahi, 2006, Iran)
Recommended for ages 12 and up (Grades 9-11)

"A cross between socially conscious cinema and the irrepressible Bend It Like Beckham, Offside is a charming, character-driven film that conveys enormous feeling for its characters."--Los Angeles Times

An exuberant, gentle comedy by one of the world's leading filmmakers, Offside offers a realistic but entertaining glimpse into the lives of young women in Iran, where females are prohibited by law from entering public soccer matches. The simple but sophisticated story centers on a group of teenaged girls so soccer-crazy that they dress up as men and sneak into a stadium in order to see their team play in a World Cup match. It's shot almost like a documentary during a real soccer match, and the energy of the event makes the action especially exciting and gripping. Some of the girls don't make it past security, and their defiant butting up against the naïve stubbornness of the guards results in humorous dialogues and absurd events leading to an unexpected and hopeful close.

Running time: 93 mins. (35mm)
This film is rated PG for language throughout and some thematic elements more suitable for teen and adult audiences
Curricular connections: gender issues, politics, culture & religion, cultural & sports


NEW 35MM PRINT
City Lights
(Charles Chaplin, USA, 1931)
Recommended for ages 6 and up (Grades 3-12)

Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times was such a hit with family audiences at last year's festival that we're bringing his famous Little Tramp back for a return engagement. It's a joy to be able to present a beautiful new print of City Lights--perhaps Chaplin's most beloved film and considered by many to be one of the greatest films ever made. His character romances a blind flower girl, who can't judge him by his scruffy appearance, in a tale with a perfect mix of comedy and tenderness. Chaplin's antics build to a heartrending finale that the Los Angeles Times called "one of the most hauntingly beautiful scenes put on film." Seeing City Lights on the big screen is always a treat, and if your students have never seen it before, it’s one of those special moviegoing experiences that they'll remember forever.

Running time: 87 mins. (35mm)
Curricular connections: physical comedy, classic cinema, visual narrative


Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas
(Jim Henson, USA, 1977)
Recommended for ages 4 and up (Grades 1-5)

As an encore to last March’s tremendously popular Jim Henson tribute at the Wexner Center, we have arranged for a special screening of one of Henson's most heartwarming creations, Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas. This music-filled seasonal classic tells the story of Ma Otter and her son, Emmet, who both secretly enter a talent contest to win money for each other's Christmas present. We'll be showing the rare original TV version, which contains scenes with Kermit the Frog cut out of the DVD release. Also included in the program will be some surprise Christmas-themed Muppet rarities from the Jim Henson archives.

Running time: 62 mins. (video)
Curricular connections: puppetry, holiday traditions, American culture