By Santhosh Daniel, on January 11th, 2013%
Soup's on: Matt Poland, CEO (far left) and Jerome Meyers, Public Services Director (far right), of the Hartford Public Libary with Jeremy Quist, Global Lens Series Manager and Santhosh Daniel, Director of Programs
Ten years later, the the folk tale is still the best way to define our community, films and programs
Do you know the story of “Stone Soup?” It goes something like this:
Some travelers come to a village, carrying nothing more than an empty cooking pot. Suspicious, the villagers are unwilling to share any of their food with the hungry travelers. So, the travelers go to a stream and fill the pot with water, drop a large stone in it, and place it over a fire…
Eventually, one of the villagers becomes curious and asks what they are doing. The travelers declare, “We’re making stone soup!” “What does it taste like?” asks the villager. And the travelers say, “Why, it tastes wonderful—but could use something to improve the flavor.” Enchanted, the villager decides to give them a few carrots…
A few moments later, another villager walks by. And the travelers again mention their stone soup, which still needs “something” to make it just right. The villager hands them a little bit of seasoning to help them out. Eventually, more and more villagers walk by, each adding another ingredient. And finally, the entire village adds a little something, and
Continue reading TAKE INITIATIVE: The Theory (and Story) of Stone Soup
By Angelica Dongallo, on December 17th, 2012% ‘Change the way you see the world’ with the swipe of a library card, click of a mouse, rip of a movie ticket…
(Photo: Creative Commons)
In a previous post, I discussed the values of education through world cinema, specifically among high school students. But we all know that education really extends beyond school and teachers and students (and books and homework, for that matter), and influences us every day of our lives, regardless of whether we’re enrolled in a formal educational institution. Learning takes place anywhere and everywhere, all the time, and even more so among viewers of Global Lens films.
Take, for example, when a patron enters the Hartford Public Library, seeking to learn about war and its influence on the people living in Iraq. The obvious choice would be to find a book or encyclopedia on the topic, but now that the library is one of several in our Global Public program, anyone can use their library card to check out Global Lens 2012 film QARANTINA (dir. Oday Rasheed, Iraq) for a visceral case-study of a family living in Iraq. The film even shows you the point of view of a military tank as it rolls through the streets of Baghdad…
Continue reading EDUCATION: Learn Everywhere
By The Global Film Initiative, on October 15th, 2012%
 “A gentle political satire set in a remote pueblo in 1980s Argentina…an engaging, often amusing portrait of a community on the cusp of change….” -Variety
“Sergio Teubal’s hilarious satire proves its capacity for both belly laughs and observant political barbs.” -Wines of Argentina
Not many political elections involve a severed finger in a jar, but then, this is not your typical election. Far from the debates and attack ads of Romney and Obama’s current race—but still based on actual events—Sergio Teubal’s THE FINGER concerns a moody shopkeeper bent on ensuring his brother’s mayoral victory, even after the beloved candidate turns up dead just weeks before the election. A guaranteed charmer, this dramatic comedy spins a tale of mystery, village life, revenge, and leadership, suggesting that sometimes a dismembered digit can point the way to a better future than an actual, living candidate!
Programmers and curators: View the 2012 lineup now on Vimeo or Festival Scope and email us at [email protected] to schedule the films today!
Film fans and enthusiasts: Read the list below and click on the map to find out where you can catch these fantastic films!
Continue reading NOW PLAYING: Let THE FINGER Point You Toward Global Lens!
By Angelica Dongallo, on September 13th, 2012% Our education partners are gearing up for the annual November event, and here’s why it’s time your school joined our ranks…
Take a sneak peek of our IEW 2012 films, including AN INVISIBLE EYE (Argentina) seen here!
At GFI, we really enjoy the art of “giving.” Regardless of whether we’re donating films to high schools, hosting free screenings at public libraries or awarding grants to filmmakers, our goal is to give you access to the best films (and stories) from around the globe.
Enter: your local high school.
This fall, we’re continuing this mission by offering your high school two unique (and free!) ways to bring our award-winning narrative world cinema series-Global Lens-to your classroom during International Education Week (November 12-16-less than two months away!):
Continue reading EDUCATION: International Education Week 2012-Give Your Students an Edge
By The Global Film Initiative, on September 10th, 2012%
 “It’s been a while since a film captured an actor’s world with the intelligence, creativity and insight of Craft.“ -Variety
“A wonderful and perfectly calibrated film….” -BrazilNYC
Like a well-seasoned actor who has the ability to charm or break your heart, Gustavo Pizzi’s visually rich CRAFT does both — effortlessly and beautifully. Featuring a pitch-perfect performance by Pizzi’s real-life wife, Karine Teles (upon whom the dazzling narrative of a struggling São Paulo actress/celebrity impersonator is based), this debut feature illustrates the kind of thrill and anxiety that often accompanies one’s dedication to a dream. Now available for booking in your festival or theater, along with nine other award-winning and critically acclaimed films from the Global Lens 2012 series!
Programmers and curators: View the 2012 lineup now on Vimeo or Festival Scope and email us at [email protected] to schedule the films today!
Film fans and enthusiasts: Read the list below and click on the map to find out where you can catch these fantastic films!
Continue reading NOW PLAYING: Gustavo Pizzi’s Award-Winning Portrait of an Artist, CRAFT!
By Laura Brewer, on August 21st, 2012%
As more and more libraries join GFI’s Global Public program, Laura Brewer discusses how public libraries aren’t just for books anymore…
The dazzling interior of the Seattle Public Library.
Fall, or “Back-to-school” season, used to be one of my favorite times of year. I loved checking school supply items off my lengthy list. I looked forward to pouring over syllabi, seeing my friends more regularly, and holing up in the library doing research for term papers. But more than anything, by the end of August I was eager to leave summer’s freeform behind for the structure of the academic year.
Continue reading FEATURE: Education and Your Public Library
By The Global Film Initiative, on August 9th, 2012%
 “Pegasus is a stunning film…a must watch film from a director who is quickly becoming one of the main voices of the New Moroccan cinema wave.” -Africa Screens
This month’s feature, PEGASUS, is all about memory, and you won’t be forgetting this filmmaker’s debut feature anytime soon. Mohamed Mouftakir’s eerie, David Lynch-like mind-twister—and winner of FESPACO’s highest honor, the appropriately titled Golden Stallion award—is now available for booking in your festival or theater, along with nine other award-winning and critically acclaimed films from the new Global Lens 2012 series!
Programmers and curators: View the 2012 lineup now on Festival Scope and email us at [email protected] to schedule the films today!
Film fans and enthusiasts: Read the list below and click on the map to find out where you can catch these fantastic films!
Continue reading NOW PLAYING: Take a Wild Ride with PEGASUS and Nine Other Global Lens Films that Will Send You Flying!
By The Global Film Initiative, on June 7th, 2012%
“A subtle exploration of a society in flux and divided between morality and passion.“ -Cineuropa
“Even in this, his first feature film, director Bujar Alimani demonstrates an assured hand, timing all his shots with precision so that they are lyrical and contemplative…“ -The Moving Arts Film Journal
The story: A new law allowing conjugal visits in Albanian prisons presents the opportunity for a sympathetic affair between a man and woman visiting their incarcerated spouses—until a prisoner amnesty threatens their fragile new bond.
First-time filmmaker Bujar Alimani’s sensual and pensive drama, AMNESTY (awarded the FIPRESCI Prize and Cineuropa Prize at the 2011 Festival del Cinema Europeo), is now available for booking in your festival or theater, along with nine other award-winning and critically acclaimed films from the new Global Lens 2012 series!
Programmers and curators: View the 2012 lineup now on Festival Scope and email us at [email protected] to schedule the films today!
Film fans and enthusiasts: Read the list below and click on the map to find out where you can catch these fantastic films!
Continue reading NOW PLAYING: There Will Be No AMNESTY If You Miss Global Lens This Summer!
By The Global Film Initiative, on March 10th, 2012%
The Brooklyn Public Library
Our public library program is in full swing this spring with the Brooklyn Public Library! San Francisco and Missoula are next, with Memphis and Park City on the horizon…
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: we love public libraries. From their goals of public education and engagement, to the diverse architecture of buildings large and small all across the country—they are cultural icons that hold a physical space in every community, and represent a truly free exchange of ideas that we cherish.
And so, this month, in homage to our ever-growing affinity for public libraries, our friends at the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) will be presenting our most favorite film series, Global Lens 2012, to audiences in one of New York’s most celebrated boroughs.
Why? Because BPL is one of a handful of lucky institutions invited this year to join our Global Lens Public Library Program, which we launched last year to promote education and cultural literacy in communities all throughout the United States (some of you may remember that we partnered with the Association for Rural and Small Libraries to kick off the program).
Continue reading Global Lens Goes Public!
By Santhosh Daniel, on October 28th, 2011%
Global Lens makes its long-awaited debut at public libraries across the U.S.
 Big books, small books, magazines and catalogs. Shelves that stretch like buildings on a city block. Millions of words by thousands of people, pressed onto paper and compressed into a building…
Ever since I was a child, I’ve had an affinity for libraries. For me, they represent a space without limits or borders, a place of collected knowledge that lends itself to the imagination. In fact, I wrote my first poem in a library (after checking out a book on haiku), and spent many afternoons as a teenager cultivating my then-nascent interest in film, sitting in a corner watching the classics [on a VHS player].
Of course, libraries have evolved since my childhood, and none more profoundly than the American public library; what once began with Benjamin Franklin and a social-activity of lending books to his friends has now evolved into a community institution, media center and learning resource. And also, a crossroads of people and cultures, a place where new immigrants meet old residents, artists share space with academics and every language is within arm’s reach on a shelf.
And so, it’s only natural that we bring Global Lens to that environment.
Continue reading Global Lens Gets a Library Card!
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Arthouse Revival, Beijing Flickers, CAAM, Chinese Culture Center, community, Empress of China, Film, folk tales, global lens, Great Star Theater, hartford public library, jeremy quist, Jerome Meyers, Matt Poland, MoMA, Roosevelt High School, santhosh daniel, Stone Soup, university of texas-pan american 
