FEB—MAY 2008
Film literacy programs for elementary, junior high, and high school students.

INTRODUCTION
ELEMENTARY AND JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS (kaBAM)
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS (Generation BAM)

INTRODUCTION

Pre-Show Preparation Workshops and Teacher's Study Guides
The following provide links to the curriculum, the Learning Standards, the Blueprints for Teaching and Learning in the Arts, and students' personal experiences.

Pre-Show Preparation Workshops
Every class attending a performance or film receives an in-school, pre-show preparation workshop. In these interactive workshops, BAM's extraordinary teaching artists provide essential context and behind-the-scenes information to enhance the students' appreciation of what they will experience at BAM.

Teacher's Study Guides
Teachers receive an extensive study guide for each performance or film. These materials are tailored to each program and explicitly relate to the Learning Standards and the Blueprints for Teaching and Learning in the Arts; they typically include:

• Background information about the company, artists, or film
• Historical and cultural context
• Curriculum connections
• Writing assignments
• Classroom activities
• Tools to foster analytical thinking

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ELEMENTARY AND JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Note: All films are screened at BAM Rose Cinemas at 10:30am.
Tickets are $6 per film, which includes an in-school, pre-screening preparation workshop, a teacher's study guide, and a post-screening discussion (approx 30—45 minutes).

Screening Inspiration:
A Film Literacy Series For Elementary and Junior High School Students

BAM's film literacy series is designed to introduce students to important films, instruct them on how to analyze cinema as an art form, and engage them in stimulating discussions on the issues raised. Each film in this series is chosen for its artistic excellence, the significance of its theme, and its curricular connections. Pre-screening preparation workshops and post-screening discussions with distinguished writers, artists, community leaders, and critics help to place the films and related works of literature in their social, artistic, and historical contexts. Screening Inspiration features films in which young people overcome obstacles to achieve beyond all expectations.



FILM
Akeelah and the Bee
2006
Directed by Doug Atchison
Starring Keke Palmer, Laurence Fishburne, and Angela Bassett

Thu, Jan 31 at 10:30am
Running time: 2hr 45min (includes post-screening discussion) Rated PG
Recommended for grades 4—7

When eleven-year-old Akeelah Anderson realizes that she has a gift for spelling, she has to struggle with her own sense of self-esteem, her fear of being ostracized by her peers as a "brainiac," and the hardships of her family life with her widowed mother living in south Los Angeles. Her opportunity to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee not only leads to discoveries about her own potential, but also unites the community behind her. Post-screening discussion with Francesca Burgess, the Children's Nonfiction and Media Materials Specialist at Brooklyn Public Library. In 2007, Ms. Burgess was a spelling bee coach and judge for the Out of School Time Citywide Spelling Bee, sponsored by the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development.



FILM
BAMkids Film Festival: Selected Short Films

Fri, Mar 7 at 10:30am
Running time: 90min (includes post-screening discussion)
Recommended for grades K—2

These films from the sure-to-sell-out annual BAMkids Film Festival, a weekend family event, will be screened for school audiences. Compiled especially for grades K—2, this program features the best of international films—from innovative animation to engaging live action movies—providing a superior artistic and educational alternative to the standard fare of children's entertainment. This screening is presented in association with the Chicago International Children's Film Festival, curated by Nicole Dreiske. Check back in January for information on the films and guest speakers.



FILM
The Secret Garden
1993
Directed by Agnieszka Holland
Starring Kate Maberly, Heydon Prowse, and Maggie Smith

Thu, Apr 3 at 10:30am
Running time: 2hr 30min (includes post-screening discussion)
Rated G
Recommended for grades 3—7

This film is a stunning adaptation of the beloved children's classic by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Although set at the beginning of the twentieth century, this version has a modern sensibility that will engage, delight, and inspire today's students. Strong-willed orphan Mary Lennox is sent to live with her mysterious uncle in a gloomy mansion in England. There she uncovers several family secrets including a young bed-ridden cousin. Her determination to resurrect a forbidden garden also leads to renewed life for her new family. Post-screening guest TBA.

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HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Note: All films are screened at BAM Rose Cinemas at 10:30am.
Tickets are $6 per film, which includes an in-school, pre-screening preparation workshop, a teacher's study guide, and a post-screening discussion (approx 30—45 minutes). More films to be announced in the spring.

Screening Literary Adaptations:
A Film literacy Series for High School Students

From mythology to the works of Shakespeare, literature has been a source for some of the most acclaimed films of our time. This year, BAM's film series Screening Literary Adaptations focuses on a diverse selection of films adapted from a variety of genres of classic and modern texts. This unique series encourages teachers and students to explore literary works while also becoming acquainted with some of cinema's most compelling films and filmmakers. This film literacy series is designed to introduce students to important films, instruct them on how to analyze film as an art form, engage them in stimulating discussions about issues raised by the films, and compare original literary text with cinematic adaptations.

Each film in this series is chosen for its artistic excellence, the quality and importance of its literary source and themes, and its curricular connections. Pre-show preparation workshops and post-screening discussions with distinguished writers, artists, community leaders, and critics will help to place the films and related works of literature in their social, artistic, and historical contexts.



FILM
Pan's Labyrinth
2006
Directed by Guillermo del Toro
Starring Ivana Baquero, Sergei López, and Maribel Verdú
In Spanish with English subtitles

Thu, Mar 6 at 10:30am
Running time: 2hr 45min (includes post-screening discussion)
Rated R
For grades 11 and 12 only

Pan's Labyrinth is set in Spain in 1944 during Francisco Franco's fascist dictatorship. While not explicitly drawn from a single source, it is a unique kind of adaptation: it uses the timelessness of fairytales to examine an important episode of world history.

Ofelia, a young lover of fantasy literature, is taken to live with a terrible new stepfather, a cruel captain in Franco's regime. Taking shelter from her tense new environment in a fantasy world, she meets a faun and fairies who believe that she is their princess. The real-world conflict escalates as Ofelia's quest through the fantastic labyrinth comes to a climax. The two worlds converge as dizzying special effects adapt the fantastic to the realistic, and then back again.

Pan's Labyrinth is a history lesson told in the language of dreams and mythology. It uniquely combines historical themes with an exploration of the power of literature.

This joint production from Mexico, Spain, and the US won numerous awards including best foreign film at several festivals, and three Academy Awards for art direction, cinematography, and makeup. Post-screening guest to be announced.



FILM
Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes
2006
Directed by Byron Hurt

Tue, Apr 8 at 10:30am
Running Time: 1hr 45min (includes post-screening discussion)
Grades 10—12 only

How did the political message of hip-hop transform into the gangster rap that dominates urban radio today? Leading rap and hip-hop artists including Mos Def and Busta Rhymes answer challenging questions about the genre, taking an in-depth look at the messages behind rap music songs and videos.

This award-winning documentary challenges young people to examine issues of masculinity, sexism, violence, and homophobia in hip-hop culture. This documentary includes clips of controversial music videos containing strong language and images of sexuality and violence, so it is only open to grades 10—12.

Post-screening discussion with the director/screenwriter Byron Hurt and Monifa Akinwole-Bandele, consultant to the film's national education campaign.

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