The 2009 Virginia Film Festival Community Outreach Program, funded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, partners with community groups, public and private schools, and arts agencies to engage youth and underrepresented populations in film.
Outreach & Education components include:
Family Day: Age-appropriate feature films, performances, back-lot experience, arts/crafts activities, Hollywood red carpet walk, and healthy food samplings are part of this exciting street fair event on Saturday November 7th. The Paramount Theater will host several of our Family Day events at its 1000-seat historic downtown mall theater. Central Place, the area next to the Paramount, will host performances and activities.
Film Experts in the Schools: Guest speakers and performers share their expertise with local schools. In September 2009, Princeton visiting Professor Maria DiBattista author of Fast Talking Dames, presented workshops on comedy genre and role of women in comedy to four high school classes. Additional scholars, performers, and professionals associated with film making present before and during the Festival.
Young Filmmaker’s Academy: This pilot project is a collaboration between the Crozet Elementary School and the Virginia Film Festival, which engages youth in authentic film production study and introduces students to careers in filmmaking. Students work in teams to write, produce, and edit brief films around a common structure. On Family Day, the Festival honors the Young Filmmakers with a red carpet experience and a screening of the young filmmakers’ films. A select group will produce a mini-documentary of Family Day for reporting/publicity purposes.
Sprout Film Festival Sneak Preview: To serve students with disabilities and to encourage participation in the 2010 Sprout Film Festival, the Festival will be screening two films selected by the Piedmont Regional Educational Program (PREP) and the Parent Resource Center. Proceeds are donated to PREP.
Light House Studio/Music Resource Center Student Film Screenings: Light House Studio and the Music Resource Center, community agencies dedicated to supporting students interested in filmmaking and music production, host screenings of new student works on Family Day.
Piedmont Council for the Arts – Arts Access Project: The Festival’s Family Day is the Council’s feature event for November. The Arts Access Project provides free local arts experiences to encourage low-income citizen participation. Arts Access participants gather after Family Day to discuss the experience and provide insight about expanding and diversifying arts audiences.
Mentor Agencies: The Community Outreach Program invites local mentoring groups to attend Family Day with their mentees. Representative mentoring groups this year include Madison House, Young Women’s Leadership Program, and 100 Black Men of America. Mentor groups select the specific film and activities most suited to the age and gender of their mentees.
AMPAS Future Film Makers: The Festival designates up to three talented high school students as Future Film Makers for the Festival. Training, press credentials, and access allow these students to document the festival in a real-world authentic film making experience.
Adrenaline Project for Youth: Two teams of LightHouse filmmakers, coached by film professionals, compete to can a film in 72 hours. Films are screened and judged at the festival along with the Adrenaline films made by adult teams.
Film Screening for High Schools: High school students enjoy a mini-festival experience with their own curriculum-related screening and panel. This year’s choice, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, connects this classic film to studies in government, American History, journalism, and firm genre. Following the film, a panel will take the discussion to the next level.
Virginia Discovery Museum: A wonderful partnership between the Virginia Film Festival and the Virginia Discovery Museum, brings Family Day participants interactive, film related crafts followed by free entrance to the Museum for Family Day ticket holders. The current exhibition, “Freedom of
Expression” runs through December at the Museum, and as usual provides a great interactive experience for children.
Film Festival at the FoxDen: Annually the Film Festival develops an interactive film experience for the children’s tent at the Fox Field Races. This year’s experience featured assorted props and costumes along with a demo of green screen technology.
To learn more about these programs or to get involved, contact us at
filmfest-outreach@virginia.edu
