Screenings
Now in its third year, FilmMatters continues to offer schools the opportunity to attend free screenings of films that deal with issues of cultural and religious diversity. Through the generous support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the support of Cineplex Entertainment LP, we are able to offer our program not just during the Festival, but also throughout the year.
During the 2010 Festival, FilmMatters is pleased to offer a range of films that are relevant to multiple courses across the curriculum. Teachers of history will likely be familiar with the infamous case of Leo Frank, a white Jewish male who was lynched by an angry mob after being wrongfully convicted for the rape and murder of young girl who worked in his factory. The People vs. Leo Frank is a fascinating documentary that offers a thought-provoking look at racial and religious prejudice in the early 20th Century by combining dramatic re-enactments created verbatim from transcripts and letters with rare archival images. Interviews with politicians and descendants of the original participants infuse these nearly century-old events with a special resonance for today. The Leo Frank case inspired two conflicting legacies: some of Frank’s lynchers went on to form the modern Ku Klux Klan that would expand its mission from inciting hatred against Blacks to include the spread of hate towards Jews and Catholics. On the other side, the Frank case provided the impetus for the formation of the Anti-Defamation League that, to this day, remains a powerful defender of civil rights and social justice throughout North America. This documentary is must-see viewing for teachers and students of History.
Where The People Vs. Leo Frank highlights the discrimination faced by Jews and Blacks in the early part of the 20th Century, Heart of Stone explores the tension between these two groups in contemporary society. Before 1960, Weequahic High School (WHS) in Newark New Jersey was one of the top schools in the United States, comprised mostly of middle class Jewish students. The race riots of the 1960s initiated a moral and physical deterioration of the city itself and the relationships between the various ethnic and religious groups that once shared the neighbourhood. By the time Ron Stone became principal of WHS in 2001, it was one of the most violent schools in the country. Determined to restore the school to its former glory, Principal Stone resolved to work with gang members, creating a non-violence zone where grievances were solved through conflict-resolution sessions. Stone also enlisted the help of former WHS alumni, mostly older, white Jewish males and young African-Americans to raise scholarship funds and encourage students to pursue their education. Heart of Stone is an inspirational film that demonstrates how disparate groups can join forces to give their old communities something that they have not had for generations: a future.
Continuing with the theme of individuals who have worked tirelessly to build a better world, FilmMatters is thrilled offer students the chance to meet Dr. Rick Hodes whose efforts in securing life-saving surgeries for children in Ethiopia have earned him the honour of being named on of CNN’s Heroes in 2007. Dr. Hodes will be here for a screening of Making the Crooked Straight, a documentary about him that played to a full house at last year’s Festival. Don’t miss this opportunity for your students to meet a real hero for our times.
Finally, the documentary Off and Running offers Social Studies and Family Studies students a chance to gain insight into the issue of interracial adoption. Avery is an African-American teenager who lives with her adoptive white, Jewish, lesbian parents who have also adopted two boys, one Korean and one of mixed white and African-American parentage. Despite the love and support she receives from both of her mothers, Avery is curious to know more about her biological family. Her decision to contact her birth mother sparks a complicated exploration of race and identity, leaving Avery feeling displaced and alienated from her friends and family. Lacking the Hollywood sentimentality of Blind Side, a film dealing with a similar theme, Off and Running is a unique North American coming-of-age story that highlights the complexities of interracial adoption.
All screenings will be held at 10:00 a.m. on each of these dates at the Bloor Cinema.
For more information or to book tickets, contact Susan Starkman at filmmatters@tjff.ca or call 416-324-9121.
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This program is made possible through a grant from
the Ontario Trillium Foundation.  |
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Generously sponsored by
 ® Cineplex Entertainment LP used under license. |
