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GLOBAL LENS DVD SETS
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EDUCATIONAL FILM RESOURCES
Click here for discussion guides and more
In his “A New Beginning” address to the University of Cairo in 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama noted that “All of us share this world but for a brief moment in time. The question,” he says “is whether we spend that time focused on what pushes us apart, or whether we commit ourselves to an effort – a sustained effort – to find common ground.”
The challenge to find a “common ground,” especially with those whose cultures and traditions are not our own, extends beyond the reach of geography, history, social studies and languages. It is no easy achievement, but one that only requires that we see the world through the eyes of others, and share in their daily experience. What matters most to people in China, or Africa, or the Middle East? How do they resolve conflicts? How do they deal with suffering and loss? One of the most successful means of ‘seeing the world through the eyes of others’ is through narrative feature film.
The Education Program of The Global Film Initiative presents full-length feature films from around the world, in specially-designed programs that encourage students to gain a deeper understanding of different cultural points of view. From the opening scenes of these films, students are transported everywhere from the streets of Tbilisi to a mesmerizing and mythological landscape of Iran. Within their cultural contexts, this year's films investigate universal and unique themes:
- BELVEDERE (Bosnia & Herzegovina) Fifteen years after the ethnic cleansing of Bosnian Muslims during the Balkan conflict, a determined widow searching
for the remains of her husband and son quietly attempts to rebuild her life by caring for her troubled extended family.
- STREET DAYS (Georgia) A well-meaning heroin addict whose life and status seem to worsen by the day, finds himself caught between serving a prison sentence and selling out the son of his former classmate.
- A USEFUL LIFE (Uruguay) After financial troubles and a dwindling audience force an art-house cinema to shut its doors permanently, its most devoted employee is suddenly left without a “home” and forced to adjust to life outside of the theater.
- THE WHITE MEADOWS (Iran) Rowing through the salty waters of a vast marsh, a boatman quietly collects and combines the tears and confessions of nearby island residents into a dreamlike mythology of modern Iran.
The Lesson Plans and Discussion Guides that accompany most films provide standards-based, structured learning that supports core programs in the high school curriculum.
Lesson Plans are:
- Performance–based assessment tools that encourage and develop reading, writing, presentation and team collaboration skills. Assessment parameters are specified in the Lesson Plan package.
- Structured on the project-based learning (PBL) model, with warm-up, film screening and post-screening activities driven by the “essential question” in the title.
- Designed to meet the state curriculum and national program standards listed in the package.
Discussion Guides are:
- Comprehensive background resources for the films, including information about the geography, history and cultural setting, the filmmaker’s statement and biography, and a guide to filmmaking techniques.
- Post–screening resources for teachers, providing structured, theme–based discussion questions to encourage deeper understanding of the characters, stories and cultural context of the films.
- Designed to meet national program standards listed in the package.
Lesson Plans and Discussion Guides are available for download on this website, in .pdf format. Additional resources available for download:
- Presenter’s Guides for each film, with film highlights and talking points about the cultural context.
- Fact Sheets for each film, similar to the Presenter’s Guides but with more information about the filmmaker, where the film has been screened and awards received.
- Subtitle Lists that correspond to the subtitles shown on the screen. Subtitle Lists can be valuable for post–screening activities that focus on the details of particular scenes or character development.
If you would like to download any of our educational materials (Teaching Guides, Discussion Guides, Subtitles, Presenter Guides) click here to log-in. |
