Since 1991, SFFILM’s Schools at the Festival outreach program has created a vital connection between the annual San Francisco International Film Festival and the local educational community, providing students of all ages the opportunity to experience stories from around the world.
The Schools at the Festival program introduces students ages 6 to 18 to international film and the art of filmmaking while promoting media literacy, deepening insights into other cultures, enhancing foreign language aptitude, developing critical thinking skills, and inspiring a lifelong appreciation of cinema.
2022 Online Program
Please submit all Schools at the Festival ticket orders online here. Act soon, programs fill up quickly!
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Art & Science of Lucasfilm: Get in the Door
Q&A: Wed, May 4 at 12:30 pm PT | Online
90 min
This presentation marks the 14th year of our exciting collaborative educational series with Lucasfilm, a program that demonstrates the intersection of art, science, and technology in the entertainment industry, all while making connections to current STEAM curriculum. Artists and leaders in the field share their expertise in a behind-the-scenes, interactive multimedia presentation and participate in an in-depth discussion and Q&A. Featuring Get in the Door, a new documentary series developed by a core group of passionate employees from Lucasfilm, Industrial Light & Magic, and ILMxLAB who recognize the entertainment industry’s barrier to entry and the lack of underrepresented groups within the studio. Students will meet some of the artists featured in the episodes and learn about their individual career journey, passion for their craft, and tips for how to get into the industry.
Suggested Subjects/Themes: Arts/Media, Career Path Training, Math, Peer/Youth Issues, Science
Recommended Grades: 6 – 12
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Q&A: Thu, May 5 at 12:30 pm PT | Online
Directed by Joel Coen (USA, 105 min)
Starring Academy Award winners Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand, this exciting Apple TV+ adaptation, directed by four-time Academy Award-winner Joel Coen, embraces the classic text and combines star-studded performances with striking and minimalistic black-and-white imagery. First performed in 1606, William Shakespeare’s Macbeth tells the tale of murder, madness, ambition and wrathful cunning in which a Scottish lord becomes convinced by a trio of witches that he will become the next King of Scotland, nearly destroying the kingdom in the process.
Screening link(s) will be sent to view film at your convenience.
Suggested Subjects/Themes: Arts/Media, Drama/Acting, English Language Arts
Recommended Grades: 9 – 12
Program Note: This film contains violence.
Frederick Douglass: In 5 Speeches
Q&A: Thu, May 5 at 10:00 am PT | Online
Directed by Julia Marchesi (USA, 60 min)
This documentary from HBO brings to life the words of our country’s most famous anti-slavery activist. Actors including Nicole Beharie (Miss Juneteenth) and Jonathan Majors (The Last Black Man in San Francisco), draw from five of Douglass’ legendary speeches, to represent a different moment in the tumultuous history of 19th century America as well as a different stage of Douglass’ long and celebrated life. After his escape from slavery at age 20, Frederick Douglass went on to become the most famous Black man in the nineteenth century, known for the power of his words. Entirely self-taught, Douglass was a powerful writer and master orator, crafting speeches that called out American hypocrisy and challenged the nation to live up to its founding principles. Inspired by David Blight’s Pulitzer Prize winning biography, Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom and executive produced by scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the film reminds us how Frederick Douglass’ words about racial injustice still resonate deeply today.
Screening link(s) will be sent to view film at your convenience.
Suggested Subjects/Themes: Activism, African American Studies, History, Social Studies
Recommended Grades: 6 – 12
Program Note: This film contains historical imagery of violence.
Zero Gravity
Q&A: Tue, May 3 at 12:30 pm PT | Online
Directed by Thomas Verrette (USA, 74 min)
This documentary is a powerful and inspirational story about education, science, and the next generation that follows a diverse group of middle school students who compete in a nationwide competition to code satellites aboard the International Space Station. Seen through the wondrous eyes
of three young innovators and their first-time coach, they each embark on an intimate and personal journey to the final frontier as their team grows from amateur coders to represent California in the ISS Finals Tournament — the culmination of a summer-long adventure that sees their incredible accomplishment performed by astronauts in orbit.
Screening link(s) will be sent to view film at your convenience.
Suggested Subjects/Themes: Arts/Media, Drama/Acting, English Language Arts
Recommended Grades: 3 – 12
Program Note: This film contains profanity.
Shorts 6: Family Films
Q&A: Tue, May 3 at 10:00 am PT | Online
71 min
Titles are listed alphabetically rather than in order of play.
Providing a little something for everyone, this captivating collection of animated, documentary, and narrative shorts spans the globe. Taking us from the moon’s surface to the sacred lands of the Navajo Nation, while finding moments of deep connection in unexpected ways.
Battery Daddy
Seung-bae Jeon (South Korea, 6 min)
In Korean with English subtitles
What’s inside that flashlight and tv remote could save the day in very unexpected ways.
Dream Carriers
Esmeralda Hernandez (USA, 7 min)
Framed through the migration of monarch butterflies, a college bound Chicana reflects on the generations of women before her.
Intervals
Mitchelle Tamariz (France, 3 min)
In French with English subtitles
Scornful looks from coworkers are not enough to squash the joy a baker achieves from baking a cake.
Mama Has a Mustache
Sally Rubin (USA, 10 min)
Whimsical animation about identity and family outside the traditional gender binary, seen through children’s eyes.
Mr. Spam Gets a New Hat
William Joyce (UK, 13 min)
A man with a head full of dreams is unsuccessfully beaten down by the mind numbing factory where he works.
The Ocean Duck
Huda Razzak (USA, 7 min)
An ancient tale comes to life, as a young woman visits her ailing grandmother in the hospital during a magical flood.
‘Ohana and ‘Āina: Connecting Family, Farming, and Freedom
Jade Onaka & Joel Serin-Christ (USA, 6 min)
An inspiring young activist explores her family’s history to learn about sustainable farming practices in Hawaii.
Space Race
Shane Dioneda (USA, 6 min)
Aspirations of glory on the surface of the moon are spoiled by a worthy competitor out for the same prize.
The Trails Before Us
Fritz Bitsoie (USA, 13 min)
In English and Navajo with English subtitles
By revitalizing trails on his grandparents’ land, a young Diné mountain biker and a new generation of riders honor the connection to their land, community, and culture.
Screening link(s) will be sent to view film at your convenience.