VTIFF for Schools

VTIFF for Schools is partly funded through a generous grant from the John M Bissel Foundation

CLICK HERE for the Student Matinees at the 2015 Vermont International Film Festival

Educational Mission Statement

At the Vermont International Film Foundation, we believe that film and media literacy is an essential component of any well-rounded 21st century education. We advocate for the inclusion of film and media studies in all schools’ curricula as well as within statewide educational standards. We also advocate for the integration of film and media as teaching tools across the curriculum, as both source and supplemental material.

An understanding of televisual communication, graphic representation, and cinematic expression is crucial in an image and media based culture. The analysis and critical consideration of film and media helps to equip students with the skills necessary to interpret, evaluate, and navigate the vast amount of information and spectacle they encounter daily; these skills help enable students to become fully participating, culturally competent members of today’s society.

Cinema exists at the intersections of art, technology, commerce, and culture. It encompasses history, psychology, politics, science, religion, global affairs, societal concerns, issues of race, gender, and class, emotional and personal experience, and even pedagogy itself. As such, cinema is an invaluable resource for educators. Film has the ability to act as both launching and reference points for the discussion and exploration of countless subjects and issues; it is an accessible and effective means of providing students with differentiated and enriched models of learning and engagement.

As part of VTIFF’s mission to enrich the community through film, the foundation aims to act as a resource for educators and institutions across the state.

Objectives

VTIFF’s efforts to advance the educational component of its mission include:

• Establishing and cultivating on-going partnerships with schools and educational centers.
• Promoting cinematic literacy for audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
• Advocating for the inclusion of film and media studies within schools’ curricula as well as within statewide educational standards.
• Partnering with other arts institutions and advocacy groups in concerted efforts to advance the role of arts in education.
• Sponsoring screenings for student groups and institutions, presented during our annual film festival in the fall as well as in schools throughout the year, offering students opportunities to engage in community-based, artistically enriched experiences.
• Programming films designed to expose younger viewers to the power, scope, and diversity of world cinema as well as to provide educators with excellent teaching opportunities.
• Assisting educators in their use of film and media as teaching tools.
  • Offering programming geared toward teachers’ needs
  • Providing supplemental materials, study guides & further resources for VTIFF-presented films
  • Working with teachers to align programmed films with the Common Core Standards Initiative
• Collecting feedback and data regarding the participation and efficacy of efforts.

More Information

For further information about VTIFF for Schools, please contact seth@vtiff.org