With 37 films from 15 countries screening in 5 different film packages, our school program is one of the largest in the country. Over 1,000 students attended screenings in 2013. The festival also coordinates filmmaker class visits and offers mentorship programs. The following films were selected by teachers on our programming team. The public is welcome to attend any of these screenings:
- Magic Time (Gr 1-3) includes 7 films with a focus on friendship and a 15-minute Q&A with Alison Parker, the Director of The Magic Ferret; total length about 90 minutes. There are 3 screening times suitable for schools and one on the weekend:
- Tues, May 6 @ 9:30 am – Jan Cinema
- Tues, May 6 @ 12:30 pm – Jan Cinema
- Wed, May 7 @ 10:45 am – GPLT
- A New World (Gr 4-6) includes 8 films about friendship, prejudice, bullying, dinosaurs, and pet ownership; total length about 95 minutes. In addition to 3 comedies, there is a documentary, a story from Inuit oral history, and two foreign-language films (French and Dutch) with English subtitles. There are 2 screening times suitable for schools and one on the weekend:
- Wed, May 7 @ 12:45 pm – GPLT
- Thur, May 8 @ 12:30 pm – Jan Cinema
- Step This Way (Gr 7-9) includes 8 films about self-awareness and resisting pressures to conform; total length about 95 minutes. This package is rated 10+ (Violence, Nudity) and includes a documentary, three comedies, and a great stop motion animation film illustrating how to do stop motion animation. Two foreign-language films with English subtitles are also included: a French drama and a Dutch documentary. There are 2 screening times suitable for schools and one on the weekend:
- Mon, May 5 @ 12:30 pm – GPLT
- Thur, May 8 @ 9:30 am – Jan Cinema
- Hidden Stories (Gr 10-12 Social Studies) includes 6 award-winning films that explore world events through the hidden stories of individual people; total length about 120 minutes. This package is rated 10+ (Coarse Language, Gory Scenes) and includes an Oscar-nominated documentary, an Oscar-nominated drama, and four foreign-language films (Somali, Spanish, and German) with English subtitles. In all of them, the strength of the human spirit to connect, to forgive, and to find hope is inspiring. There is one screening time suitable for schools and one on the weekend:
- Wed, May 7 @ 9:45 am – Jan Cinema
- Mark the Day (Gr 10-12 English/Languages) includes films that reflect on questions of identity, adversity, and adventure; total length about 105 minutes. This package is rated 10+ (Coarse Language, Gory Scenes) and includes a drama, two documentaries, and a very funny black comedy as well as four foreign-language films with English subtitles: two in French and two in German. There is one screening time suitable for schools and one on Thur evening:
- Wed, May 7 @ 12:30 pm – Jan Cinema
Mon, May 5 at 9:30 am is available as an optional school screening time. Cost is $5 per person (including teachers and parent helpers) and schools can be invoiced after the festival. Note that popcorn and pop are available to purchase at the Jan Cinema, and Twizzlers and water are available to purchase at GPLT.
Please email terry@reelshorts.ca to book school screenings or class visits by Alison Parker, the Director of The Magic Ferret which is in the Magic Time (Gr 1-3) package. She is available for a 45-minute class visit which would include screening her 12-minute film and then participating in an informal Q&A with the class. Cost for class visits is $75.
