CFI EDUCATION ONLINE RESOURCES

As our day-to-day lives are dramatically shifting, CFI Education recognizes the difficulties educators are facing as we all settle into our new normal. Despite these uncertainties, our team is eager to stay connected with you and your students and will continue to do what we do best to support our community of educators by providing online access to free film content on a weekly basis. This weekly selection of films can be used in a number of ways, either to supplement your curriculum where appropriate, to give students prompts to start conversations at home, or simply to put a smile on your students’ faces.

We want to ensure that we are providing the media resources that are most useful to you and your students. We welcome your input on the types of films (genres, subject areas, themes, etc.) you would like to see.

Please share your ideas with us HERE.

Feel free to encourage fellow educators to sign up to receive this weekly content by scrolling to the very bottom of the page, and entering an email address above the “Subscribe” button.

CFI EDUCATION AT MVFF SELECTIONS

These three films from past Mill Valley Film Festival Education programs have CFI Education curriculum guides available for free download. Each curriculum guide features a variety of discussion questions, lessons, activities, project ideas, and background information to inspire further engagement with your students.

LIYANA
Grades 7-12
Creative sparks fly when young Swazi orphans are invited to tell their own story, inspired by harsh life experience and rich imagination. Together they invent Liyana’s dangerous quest to rescue her twin brothers, which is brought to life by their own charismatic storytelling and gorgeous animation. In English & SiSwati w/ English subtitles. Directors: Aaron Kopp, Amanda Kopp (Swaziland/US 2017) 78 min
Available on Amazon Prime, Google Play, and YouTube
Download the CFI Education curriculum guide here.

THE LONG SHADOW
Grades 6-12
Of all the divisions in America, none is as insidious and tenacious as racism. In this powerful documentary, journalist and activist Frances Causey seeks the roots of our current racial conflicts. Haunted by slavery’s legacy, Causey seeks the untold stories that reveal how the sins of yesterday feed modern prejudice. In English. Director: Frances Causey (US, 2017) 88 min
Available for free on Amazon Prime
Download the CFI Education curriculum guide here.

A NEW COLOR: THE ART OF BEING EDYTHE BOONE
Grades 7-12
Long before Black Lives Matter became a rallying cry for racial justice, artist Edythe Boone embodied it. For decades, the 80-year-old Boone has introduced underserved youth and seniors to the transformative power of art. Her collaborative mural projects have turned neglected community walls into bold commentaries on the social issues of our time. But when her nephew, Eric Garner, dies tragically in police custody, everything that Boone has worked so tirelessly for comes into question. In English. Director: Marlene “Mo” Morris (US 2015) 57 min
Available on Google Play
Download the CFI Education curriculum guide here.

2020 ENVIRONMENTAL YOUTH FORUM FILM SELECTIONS

These are just a few of the films we had planned to screen during our 2020 Environmental Youth Forum, which was cancelled due to the Covid-19 crisis. Thankfully, some of these great films are already available for streaming online.

A REINDEER’S JOURNEY
Grades 3-6
Follow a young reindeer’s first year, filled with moments of wonder, struggle, and delight, as he navigates the icy landscapes of Lapland. Sharing the terrain are a wily stoat, a curious red-eared squirrel, and sharp-eyed wolves, in this snowy story narrated by Donald Sutherland. In English. Director: Guillaume Maidatchevsky (France 2019) 78 min
Available to rent or purchase on Vudu and Amazon Prime

THE EMERGENCY BRAKE
Grades 6-12
Narrated and inspired by the powerful words of Greta Thunberg, this animated short film is a collaboration by students who are passionate about the state of their world and their future. In English. Director: Macy How (Canada 2019) 4 min
Available to view for free on Vimeo

A WHALE’S TALE
Grades 1-5
This lovely animated short demonstrates the impact ocean pollution is having on marine life as witnessed by a young boy on a fishing vessel. Nonverbal. Directors: Robin Celebi & Giovanna Utichi (UK 2019) 3 min
Available to view for free on Vimeo

DEFEND THE SACRED
Grades 6-12
An inside look into the heart and soul of indigenous people who stood in solidarity at Standing Rock to fight the development of the Dakota Pipeline and its impact on sacred land. In English. Director: Kyle Bell (US 2017) 17 min
Available to view for free on Vimeo

JANE GOODALL: THE HOPE
Grades 5-12
Jane Goodall: The Hope celebrates the vast legacy of Dr. Jane Goodall’s four decades of advocacy work for chimpanzees and illustrates the next chapter for generations to come. Picking up where the 2017 documentary Jane left off, this inspiring new film follows her throughout her travels, capturing her relentless commitment and determination to spread a message of hope. The film offers an intimate perspective of Dr. Goodall’s pivotal transformation from scientist to inspirational activist and shows the many obstacles she has faced throughout her career. In English. Directors: Elizabeth Leiter & Kim Woodard (US 2020) 88 min
Premiering on Earth Day (April 22) on the Nat Geo, Nat Geo Wild and National Geographic Mundo channels.

JANE
Grades 5-12
No one had studied Africa’s chimpanzees in the wild before 26-year-old Jane Goodall set up camp in Tanzania’s Gombe forest. What happened? This documentary, using never-seen-before 1960s’ footage by famed National Geographic photographer Hugo van Lawick, captures that revolutionary encounter, which still rocks science. In English. Director: Brett Morgen (US 2017) 90 min
Available to rent or purchase on Amazon PrimeDisney+Google PlayHuluYouTube, and Vudu