12 University of Wisconsin–Madison Arts Institute | Annual Report | 2017–18
WISCONSIN FILM FESTIVAL OUTREACH Big Screens, Little Folks
Screens for Teens
Big Screens, Little Folks hosted 1,875 students, teachers, and chaperones to the Festival. Students in grades K-2 watched a program of international shorts and students in grades 3-5 watched the feature length animated film, The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales. Thirty elementary school and homeschool groups and ten high schools participated in the student matinee field trips. A comprehensive study guide was given to all groups in advance to supplement their learning.
The Screens for Teens program provided nine screenings of these programs: Rwanda & Juliet, or Cliff, Superfan! and Brown Girl in Baraboo, Madison, and Sheboygan. At each screening, the filmmakers joined in for a post screening Q&A session either in person or via Skype. A study guide was provided at each screening to explore media literacy and the films’ themes.
Due to popular demand from previous years, another “Stop Motion Animation Workshop” was held in partnership with the Madison Public Library and Glendale Elementary School. High school students from around the state were treated to a feature film from China, The Taste of Rice Flower, as part of World Cinema Day.
Acclaimed documentary Rwanda & Juliet, traces the impact of the Rwandian genocide with a contemporary production of Shakespeare’s masterpiece Romeo and Juliet. Cliff, Superfan! and Brown Girl, two shorts from Wisconsin’s Own, address issues of racial identity in contemporary American culture. Supplemental study guides
Tuesday Night Movie Club As part of the celebration surrounding the 20th annual Wisconsin Film Festival, a monthly screening series, Tuesday Night Movie Club, was held from October through March. This collaboration with the WUD Film Committee was free to the public and presented a selection of features and shorts from past Wisconsin Film Festivals. Screenings were held at The Marquee at Union South. The series started with the popular Best of the British Arrows and ended with a special screening of Joe Swanberg’s Happy Christmas highlighted by a post-film Q&A with the filmmaker.
explored the films’ themes and media literacy.
“The Screens for Teens project is an amazingly worthwhile and important program which brings quality films to many students who might not otherwise have the opportunity to engage in these works. Young people are enriched, inspired and challenged in ways that only quality film and filmmakers can.” – Ron Parker, Appleton North High School Pictured Left to Right: Elementary students on a Big Screens, Little Folks field trip; Child at Big Screens, Little Folks program; Tuesday Night Movie Club postcard. Design by Cathy Sheets. Photos by Mary Ladoni and Jing Zeng.
