FOR EDUCATORS
REEL CANADA offers film festivals, resources and more for high schools and classes of english language learners. We can help you bring a festival of Canadian film to your school, establish curriculum and lesson plans, and engage students with special guests. See below for more information about what REEL CANADA can offer for you and your classroom.
REEL CANADA offers several different film festival types. In all cases, we provide advice and ongoing logistical and planning support, as well as access to our catalogues, promotional materials and, of course, the films themselves. We also have lesson plans in a variety of subject areas for all the films in our catalogue.
Because we value live engagement at all our events, we’re frequently able to provide trained facilitators for our larger-scale events, who can introduce the films and lead discussions after the screenings. We also always try to bring film industry professionals to events or connect them to students via Skype, though this is not something we can ever guarantee.
The level of screening support that we can provide depends on the size and scope of each event and is determined in consultation with our lead teachers on a case by case basis.
Please contact us if you’d like to put on a festival at your school.
“Full Service” Festival
This is our largest-scale festival model, and often involves a large number of participants (such as an entire school population), and takes place over the course of an entire school day, with participating students watching one film in the morning and another after lunch. Because of the size and scope of our Full Service festivals, they are often multi-venue events, in which up to three rooms (an auditorium, gym, and library, for example) are transformed into screening venues to accommodate the large numbers of participants, turning the school into a multiplex for the day.
These festivals involve a lot of planning and close collaboration with a lead teacher and a team of their colleagues, and we encourage schools to involve participating students as much as possible in selecting films, planning the event, and promoting it to their peers. Full Service festivals are our largest, “showpiece” events and we put a lot of resources into them. These events are also the most demanding on our teacher partners, because of the amount of work and planning involved. For these reasons, we are only able to do a very limited number of these events each year.
Full Day Single-Venue Festival
In this style of festival, two screenings are held in a single venue (such as an auditorium) for two different groups of students – for example, senior grades in the morning and junior grades after lunch. The school commits to a full day event, but each participating student may only participate for half the day, and attends classes during the other half of the day..
Half Day Single-Venue Festival
This style of festival is nearly identical to the Full Day Single-Venue Festival described above, but takes place over the course of a half day (morning or afternoon) only. All the same considerations apply.
DIY (Do It Yourself) Classroom Festival
Working with our team, the lead teacher will choose a film that fits a particular subject area or theme(s) being addressed in class, and plan an in-class screening for a smaller group of students (usually a single class). For teachers who wish to show films during a single class, we can create programmes of short films that will fit the 60-75 minute period. We encourage those who wish to show a feature-length film to treat the event as an in-class field trip, which (like all of the other festival models described above) takes place over two class periods, so that the film can be screened in its entirety without interruption.
Special Presentations
REEL CANADA offers several special presentation screenings throughout the school year. These special screenings include but are not limited to, Black History Month, Asian Heritage Month, Remembrance Day, Halloween. etc. Schools can participate in one of our existing special presentations, which we promote throughout the year. Or, they can approach us about doing a special “themed” screening on a topic or date that is meaningful to the school.
OUR TEAM
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WHO>WHAT< WHERE< WHY & HOW
WHO WE ARE
REEL CANADA is a non-profit organization that celebrates Canada through film. Canadian films are the stories we tell about ourselves – they open the door to so many conversations about place, nation, identity, and what it means to be Canadian. REEL CANADA promotes the power and diversity of Canadian film and encourages this on-going conversation through three core programs: Our Films in Our Schools, Welcome to Canada, and National Canadian Film Day. Through these programs, REEL CANADA increases audiences for our films, encourages dialogue and, most crucially, provides an opportunity to enjoy our great nation through the wonderful stories we tell. By celebrating Canadian cinematic storytelling we can build a stronger and prouder Canada.
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WHAT WE DO
Our Three Core Programs
REEL Canada’s three core programs work to unite Canadians through film and begin a larger conversation about identity and nationhood. Our three core programs are:
Our Films in our Schools – We help teachers and students across Canada organize festivals of Canadian film in their schools, and integrate Canadian film into the classroom. Students learn about Canadian culture and explore issues surrounding identity and nationhood.
Welcome to Canada – We introduce new Canadians to Canadian film and culture through festival events designed specifically for English language learners of all ages.
National Canadian Film Day – We host a national day celebrating the amazing wealth, diversity and creativity of Canadian cinema. NCFD is annual one-day event that brings together Canadians across the country to watch Canadian film and learn more, through screenings, discussions, and appreciation events.
WHY WE DO IT
We believe – and our audiences confirm – that Canadians really do enjoy watching Canadian films, even though they are often difficult to find in the commercial marketplace. We bring Canadian films directly to people of all ages. Here’s what one Adult ESL learner, from Korea, wrote about her REEL CANADA experience:
We agree. Canadian stories truly do have the power to unite us as a nation. Watching Canadian movies is a great way to celebrate our country.
WHEN
The level of screening support that we can provide depends on the size and scope of each event and is determined in consultation with our lead teachers on a case by case basis.
HOW
Uniting Our Nation Through Film.
Please contact us if you’d like to put on a festival at your school.