Sandlines: The story of History. (Discussion following movie screening with educators Rena Deitz and Kara McBride)
Format Hybrid Panel Discussion
Monday, April 18, 745pm-8:15pm. Hyatt Regency, North Start Ballroom
Please check the conference hub for zoom link to the virtual panel or write us at films@cies.us
Description of the Session
Following the screening of the movie on Monday, April 18, 645pm-7:45pm we will host a discussion on the movie with audience from 7:45-8:15pm facilitated by Rena Deitz and Kara McBride
Movie synopsis: Renowned artist Francis Alÿs, mesmerizes us with a unique visual poem. The story focuses on the captivating children of Nerkzlia, a tiny mountain village near Mosul, Iraq, and their discovery of their country’s history. “Once upon a time the Land was for everyone (…) there was no inside and no outside (…) Until the day oil came out of the land and everyone wanted part of it.” From those ambitions came the roots of dystopia: the secret 1916 Sykes-Pikot Agreement where the French and English divided vast territories of the Ottoman Empire between themselves, literally drawing lines in the sand. The children’s playful innocence (and initial ignorance) is aptly juxtaposed with their own, often humorous, re-enactments of the consequences of colonialism in Iraq and the transition to coups, dictatorships and the American led invasions in 2003 and 2011. What do these role-playing games of historical tragedy reveal about these children’s potential to forge a brighter future? This historical awareness (that transcends the Iraqi context) is not only theirs, it must be ours.
Special instructions. If you are not in Minneapolis you can watch the movie Sandlines: The Story of History on our virtual cinema live at same time 6:45pm-7:45pm and then join us on zoom for a discussion of the film with Rena Deitz and Kara McBride from 7:45-8:15pm CDT. Because of rights we only can screen the movie at certain times. Check our festival scope site for more details on screening times. https://www.festivalscope.com/page/utopia-dystopia-spaces-in-education-film-festivalette-2022/
Chair
Adriana Cepeda, Curator Film Festivalette
Jorge Baxter, Curator Film Festivalette, Universidad de los Andes
Discussants
Rena Deitz, New York University
Kara McBride, World Learning
Katya I Vasya idut v shkolu (Hey Teachers) (Discussion following movie screening with film’s director Yulia Vishnevets and scholar Elena Aydarova)
Format Hybrid Panel Discussion
TUESDAY APRIL 19th, 6:00-6:30pm (CDT), Hyatt Regency , Nicollett Ballroom
Please check the conference hub for zoom link to the virtual panel or write us at films@cies.us
Description of the Session
Following the screening of the movie on Tuesday, April 19, 4:30pm-6:00pm CDT we will host a discussion with the film’s director Yulia Vishnevets and scholar Elena Aydarova
from 6:00pm-6:30pm CDT
Movie synopsis: With a dynamic, observational style, Vishnevets takes us into the often-humorous day-to-day life of two first time teachers, Katya and Vasya, who move to a small industrial town in Russia. Katya teaches literature and Vasya geography. Both are idealistic and want to make changes in the conservative school. They attempt to introduce new teaching practices into their classrooms to promote more active, participatory and critical learning. But they face multiple obstacles along the way including student apathy and ingrained attitudes like excessive nationalism, sexism and homophobia. Their desire to challenge the status quo bumps against a system and school leadership focused on obedience and conformity. The school´s principal lectures the new teachers and states: “You are essentially the sovereign’s people. You are like the military, the FSB Federal Security Service, and others”. Military rituals are also on display at the school, creating a sense of comedy and tragedy.
Special instructions. If you are not in Minneapolis and you can watch the movie Hey Teachers on our virtual cinema live at same time 4:30pm-6:00pm CDT and then join us on zoom for a discussion of the film with film’s director Yulia Vishnevets and scholar Elena Aydarova from 6:00pm-6:30pm CDT. Because of rights we only can screen the movie at certain times. Check our festival scope site for more details on screening times. https://www.festivalscope.com/page/utopia-dystopia-spaces-in-education-film-festivalette-2022/
Chair
Adriana Cepeda, Curator Film Festivalette
Jorge Baxter, Curator Film Festivalette, Universidad de los Andes
Panelists
Yulia Vishnevets, Film Director
Elena Aydarova, Auburn University
Nil Battey Sannata (The New Classmate) (Discussion following movie with film’s director Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and Sashwatti Banjaree, Founder and Director Humanitus)
Format Hybrid Panel Discussion
TUESDAY APRIL 19th, 9:40 PM- 10:10 (CDT): Nicollett Ballroom, Hyatt Regency
Please check the conference hub for zoom link to the virtual panel or write us at films@cies.us
Description of the Session
Following the screening of the movie on Tuesday, April 19, 8pm-9:40pm CDT we will host a discussion with the film’s director Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and Sashwatti Banjaree, Founder and Director Humanitus from 9:40pm-10:10 pm CDT.
Frankly those without a dream are the ones who are really poor,” states Chanda, an extremely hard-working single mother who imagines a better life for her fourteen-year-old daughter, Apeksha (Apu). The New Classmate is a humorous, touching tale about Chanda and her fourteen year-old daughter, Apeksha (Apu). Chanda is a high-school drop-out, now working multiple low-paying jobs, who lives in the slums of Agra, India. Apu is a rebellious, unmotivated high-school student who has no hopes for her own future, beyond low-paying jobs like her mother. Apeksha is on the verge of failing her final exams and following her mother’s footsteps. Chanda, desperate to show her daughter a different path, enrolls in the same school and class as her daughter! This enrages Apu. Math is their biggest challenge. With the help of another classmate, Chanda begins to make sense of it. Director Tiwariin fuses the film with vibrant color, movement, personality, and fabulous music. Will Chanda’s unique efforts inspire her daughter to dream beyond what seems possible ?
Special instructions. If you are not in Minneapolis and you can watch the movie The New Classmate on our virtual cinema live at same time Tuesday April 19th, 8pm-9:40pm CDT and then join us on zoom for a discussion of the film with film’s director Ashwiney Iyer Tiwari and educator activist Sashwatti Banjaree from 9:40pm-10:10pm CDT. Because of rights we only can screen the movie at certain times. Check our festival scope site for more details on screening times. https://www.festivalscope.com/page/utopia-dystopia-spaces-in-education-film-festivalette-2022/
Chair
Adriana Cepeda, Curator Film Festivalette
Jorge Baxter, Curator Film Festivalette, Universidad de los Andes
Panelists
Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, Film Director
Sashwatti Banjaree, Founder and Director Humanitus
The Sequel: What will Follow our Troubled Civilization? (Discussion following movie with film’s director Peter Armstrong, Executive Producer and writer Shaun Chamberlin, and educator Carine Vershueren, Teachers College Colombia University)
Format Hybrid Panel Discussion
WEDNESDAY APRIL 20th, 4:15pm to 4:45pm (CDT): Minneapolis Institute of Art Open to the Public.
Please check the conference hub for zoom link to the virtual panel or write us at films@cies.us
Description of Session
Following the screening of the movie on Wednesday, April 20, 3:15pm-4:15pm CDT we will host a discussion with the film’s director Peter Armstrong, Executive Producer and writer Shaun Chamberlin, and educator Carine Vershueren at 4:15pm to 4:45pm (CDT).
This hopeful documentary shines a light on the work and legacy of David Fleming, a historian, economist, and ecologist with a deep understanding of how we got to this point in our planetary crisis. How can we grapple with the impossible promise of eternal economic growth? Fleming presents a compelling vision of how we can recover what we have lost in his posthumously published book: “Lean Logic: A Dictionary for the Future and How to Survive It”. Fleming’s work inspired the vibrant Transition Towns Movement. The people his work influenced show us a different type of idealism, rooted in a clear-eyed realistic view of the problems. We meet fascinating renegade economist Kate Raworth, Gaian ecologist Stephan Harding, and Fleming’s young collaborator (and the movie’s executive producer) Shaun Chamberlin. They show us a path to transformation that starts with idealism (reimagining civilization), shows us simple steps such as reclaiming our humanity, through community, carnivals, and a sense of place.
Special instructions. If you are not in Minneapolis and you can watch the movie The Sequel on our virtual cinema live at same time Wednesday April 20th, 3:15pm-4:15pm CDT and then join us on zoom for a discussion with the film’s director Peter Armstrong, Executive Producer and writer Shaun Chamberlin, and educator Carine Vershueren at 4:15pm-4:45pm CDT. Because of rights we only can screen the movie at certain times. Check our festival scope site for more details on screening times. https://www.festivalscope.com/page/utopia-dystopia-spaces-in-education-film-festivalette-2022/
Chair
Adriana Cepeda, Curator Film Festivalette
Jorge Baxter, Curator Film Festivalette, Universidad de los Andes
Panelists
Peter Armstrong, Film Director
Shaun Chamberlin, Dark Optimism
Carine Vershueren, Teachers College Colombia University
Dreams of Birds Flying in the Sky (Discussion following movie with film’s producer and educator Mathew J Schuelka, University of Minnesota)
Format Hybrid Panel Discussion
THURSDAY APRIL 21st, 4:15pm to 4:45pm(CDT): In Minneapolis, Minneapolis Institute of Art
Please check the conference hub for zoom link to the virtual panel or write us at films@cies.us
Description of Session
This slice-of-life, multi-character, moving documentary puts us in the shoes of people living with disabilities in Bhutan. Their different disabilities don’t prevent them from pursuing their dreams. “My friends, they enjoy the beauty of nature. Birds might be flying in the sky, it might be snowing on mountain peaks, and then one of nature’s gifts is the rainbow, it might be so splendid, but we can’t see it”. A young man works at a radio station (he is also partly blind). Another stitches uniforms for kids in the village (while in a wheelchair). They all dream of living a meaningful life and, in many different ways, of being an active part of their communities. Dreams that are not so easy to fulfill given the myriad challenges they face in a country known as the land of “Gross National Happiness”. Much more must be done to support their inclusion. “You should be able to explore all kinds of jobs and unreservedly enjoy your life,” says one of them.
Special instructions. If you are not in Minneapolis and you can watch the movie Dreams of Birds Flying in the Sky on our virtual cinema live at same time Thursday April 21, 3:15pm-4:15pm CDT and then join us on zoom for a discussion with the film’s producer and educator Mathew J Schuelka, University of Minnesota 4:15pm-4:45pm CDT. Because of rights we only can screen the movie at certain times. Check our festival scope site for more details on screening times. https://www.festivalscope.com/page/utopia-dystopia-spaces-in-education-film-festivalette-2022/
Chair
Adriana Cepeda, Curator Film Festivalette
Jorge Baxter, Curator Film Festivalette, Universidad de los Andes
Panelists
Mathew J Schuelka, University of Minnesota