Filmmakers Go to School (FGTS) brings creative filmmaker voices directly into Bay Area classrooms. Through intimate conversations and interactive workshops, students meet filmmakers from around the world, gaining meaningful insight into the storytelling process and the power of personal narrative – offering young people the chance to connect with artists whose films inspired curiosity, empathy, and dialogue.
All programs are free for educators and school groups.
FILMMAKERS GO TO SCHOOL: STORIES BY THE BAY
FALL SEMESTER 2026
This Fall, CAFILM Education highlights films with stories deeply rooted in the culture and environment of the Bay Area and its spirit.
Step 1: Educators, pick a film you would like to bring to your classroom – follow the instructions and register here.
Step 2: Share your preferred date and time for a visit
Step 3: A CAFILM Education staff member will follow up to coordinate and schedule your visit
THE CHILENO VALLEY NEWT BRIGADE
Director: Lori Eanes (US 2025) 13 min | Grades 8-12
For thousands of years newts have been migrating to Laguna Lake in Petaluma, but unfortunately a road has gotten in the way. When rancher Sally Gale noticed that many were being run over she organized The Chileno Valley Newt Brigade, an all volunteer group to help the newts get across the road safely. This inspiring film is about a grassroots effort of community activism to save the newts.
IMPACT:
The Chileno Valley Newt Brigade begins with the story of how a concerned Petaluma rancher formed a volunteer group to try to save migrating newts from being run over on a nearby road. Students will learn about newts, and see them in their natural state. They will hear interviews from scientists, volunteers and kids and learn what is being done to help them. It’s an inspiring story about a small but charismatic animal and why we should care.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER
LORI EANES is a San Francisco-based portrait and food photographer who loves storytelling and recently has begun making short environmental films.
DIPSEA GENERATIONS
Director: Paddy O’Leary (US 2025) 30 min | Grades 6-12
Trail running is disappointingly homogenous, yet the Bay Area is home to a diverse population and some of the best trails in the US. This film follows five young runners from across the Bay Area as they take on the oldest, and perhaps the most unique, trail race in the US, the iconic Dipsea race. Its unique handicap start makes it ripe for improving access to the sport.
IMPACT:
The Dipsea has been a part of my imagination since I first moved to the Bay Area. As a trail runner, I was drawn to the race’s grit and history, but what truly moved me was the community behind it – generations of families, local legends, and newcomers all finding common ground on the trails. This film grew out of my love for that community and my belief that the outdoors should be a space where everyone feels they belong. With Dipsea Generations, I wanted to capture not just the race, but the larger story of access, inclusion, and identity in trail running. I hope this documentary helps reframe who we picture when we think of a trail runner and celebrates the people and programs helping make that future more inclusive.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER
PADDY O’LEARY is an Irish-born trail runner, storyteller, and community builder based in San Francisco. A professional athlete with The North Face, Paddy uses film to explore the people and places that have shaped his journey, from the rugged hills of Ireland to the steep single track of Northern California. He tells stories that highlight the individuals and communities working to make the outdoors more welcoming to all.
RAINBOW GIRLS
Director: Nana Duffuor (US 2025) 15 min | Grades 9-12
Rainbow Girls is a narrative short film about a group of young Black trans women who push back against forces of gentrification and displacement in their community by staging an audacious heist targeting San Francisco’s most expensive luxury brands. Inspired by true events, the film centers the power of sisterhood in the face of systemic inequity.
IMPACT:
ched a string of robberies targeting high-end luxury retailers in San Francisco’s Union Square in the early 2010’s. I was living in Oakland at a time when the influx of wealth from the tech industry spurred unprecedented levels of gentrification and displacement. The film grew out of my love for the Bay Area’s queer and trans community, and my frustrations with the impacts of late-stage capitalism. Students will have the opportunity to consider intersecting issues of race, gender, and socio-economic inequality, while considering joy and connection as key ingredients for resistance.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER
NANA DUFFUOR is a first generation Ghanaian filmmaker whose work thoughtfully blends heart and humor to explore themes at the intersection of the personal and political.She holds a Master’s degree in Screenwriting from Columbia University, and has been the recipient of the NewFest Emerging Black LGBTQ+ Filmmaker Award, the Adrienne Shelly Foundation Award for Female Director, and the SFFilm Rainin Screenwriting Grant. She was also an adjunct assistant professor in Screenwriting at Columbia University. Her graduate thesis short, Rainbow Girls, premiered at Frameline International LGBTQ+ Festival in June 2025, and the feature adaptation is currently in development.
Photos © Tommy Lau Photography