Movie Club: International Film Festival
NEWSFLASH!
There’s an entire world of storytelling beyond the Hollywood story arc!
There are other ways of acting, filming, and pacing. International films ignite curiosity about other places, leading to juicy dinner table conversations on geography, religion, and socialization.
Brave Writer’s online International Film Festival movie club selections are world-class.
The Movies:
- Wadjda, a story about a Saudi girl who wants to buy a bicycle.
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the movie that changed martial arts in film.
- The Red Balloon, a French film that captures childhood innocence.
- Kirikou and the Sorceress, an animated feature that takes place in West Africa.
Brave Writer writing coach (and my daughter!), Johannah, says:
I love teaching foreign films in the movie discussion clubs because students are so surprised by how much they love the movies. They share (very proudly) that the subtitles are easy. They get a window into someone else’s world. And, for many of them, it’s a special opportunity to talk about what it’s like to live outside of the United States.
How It Works
- The movie club lasts one month. We watch one movie per week.
- Students get to obsess over each movie with other fans in our online classroom
- Our coach leads specific discussions to
- Explore character
- Uncover themes
- Dissect plot points
- Examine cinematic technology and art
Don’t tell your kids—while they are exploring and sharing with their new friends in class, they are gaining transferable thinking skills and growing their writing proficiency! (I know!)
What students say:
I love the way it doesn’t feel like writing, even though it is! And, instead of just watching the movie, I got to ponder deeper into the movie, versus skimming the surface. – Brian
I knew I would enjoy watching the movies in this class, but I didn’t know how much I would enjoy writing about them and sharing my thoughts. – Mark
I was surprised that we dug so deep! At first I just took this class to have an excuse to watch more [movies] but then I started to really enjoy it. We explored way more than I thought we would. – Sarah
Sign up for Movie Discussion Club: International Film Festival (March 28 – April 22)!