School screenings

Presented during both our March festival of international cinema, and in October, our School Screening Series is an important component of the Festival's commitment to film education for Bermuda's young people.

Part of our BIFF Film Academy, the Festival's School Screening Series offers an educational opportunity to nearly 1,000 students from Bermuda's nursery, primary, middle and secondary schools.

We present a series of educational programmes over three days in October for kids aged 4-13. BIFF volunteers introduce the films and lead discussions. We provide teaching materials to help integrate the films into Bermuda's classroom environment.

Each March, we present a screening of an issue-oriented documentary for Bermuda's secondary school students, with the director of the film in attendance to introduce the film and engage in a question and answer session with the students. The March programme is designed to stimulate students to think about issues of global importance and to assist teachers in their efforts to educate our young people. In 2011 we added a primary and middle school focus as well.

March 2011 schools programme

Coordinated by Toby Butterfield, more than 200 students enjoyed a screening of Brownstones to Red Dirt.

This touching documentary about a simple pen pal programme, captures the growth of sixth graders from housing projects in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn and civil war orphans from Freetown, Sierra Leone. An endearing glimpse into the lives of children left behind.

Each pair of pen pals highlights a major issue faced by kids across the world. Isaiah's father left him as a baby; Abdul was first taken, then abandoned by the rebel commander that killed his parents. Malik and Balla each use art, not vengeance, to heal. Augusta's peaceful definition of friendship reaches Destiny in Bed-Stuy, where loyalty is often proven with violence, not love. Fred and Emmanuel, both cast aside by a world that expects nothing from an inner city black teen or a third world war orphan, are defiant in their quest to better themselves.

As the kids get to know each other, they realise the struggles they face make them more alike than they would have thought. In the film's climax, the Brooklyn students decide to enact change themselves and organise a fundraiser to help buy necessities for their pen pals - an act of generosity that transforms lives. The unscripted voices of the children guide the story and provide a singular authenticity to this inspiring film about friendship, love and humanity.