Our unique two-tiered school outreach program brings thousands of young viewers to the Festival and sends local and visiting filmmakers to Bay Area classrooms.

The Schools at the Festival program is dedicated to exposing a new generation of viewers to the best in international and independent cinema. A forum for education, understanding and awareness, the program introduces students to the art of filmmaking and celebrates both the differences and the shared values of the many cultural groups that make up our community. The program aims to broaden insights into other cultures, enhance foreign language aptitude, develop skills for critical analysis of film and inspire a lifelong appreciation of cinema.

This unique outreach effort creates a strong connection between the Festival and the local educational community, providing students of all ages the opportunity to participate in the Festival experience. Scheduled weekday matinee screenings for elementary, middle and high school groups are supplemented by special visits to classrooms by filmmakers whose work is being shown at the Festival. Each year, the program provides valuable teaching tools for a visual age by offering Festival tickets at a subsidized rate to over 4000 students and teachers, and sending dozens of local and international filmmakers into classrooms to share their work and interact with students.

Weekday matinee screenings will be held at the AMC Kabuki 8 Theatres and Castro Theatre in San Francisco and the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley.

View the film selection from 2005.

In keeping with the San Francisco Film Society’s ongoing commitment to educational outreach, Bay Area students and their teachers enjoy a significant discount on Festival admission (only $2.50 per person) to allow easier access to greater numbers of young people. Tickets for the program are available exclusively to Bay Area educators and students and may be purchased only through the Schools at the Festival office (see contact information below). Schools at the Festival tickets cannot be purchased through the regular Festival box office.

One of the first and largest programs of its kind, Schools at the Festival was founded in 1991 by the late Robert S. Donn (1931–2003), a retired San Francisco high school teacher with a tremendous passion for film and its potential for inspiring and enlightening young people. The great success and impact of this education program is due to Bob’s vision, dedication and unflagging enthusiasm.

For questions aobut the Schools program, contact Keith Zwölfer at 415-561-5040.