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CINEMA/CHICAGO TO SHOW CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS WHAT THE WORLD IS WATCHING AT THE 47th CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Student/Director Discussions to be Held after Select Screenings

WHAT:            Cinema/Chicago will hold 8 free Festival screenings for audiences of public school students as part of its year-round Education Outreach Screening Program. A select number of seats will be available to credentialed media. 

After screenings, students will be invited to participate in moderated discussions with attending filmmakers including Prashant Bhargava (Dir.Patang), David Fine (Dir. Salaam Dunk), Alrick Brown (Dir.Kinyarwanda), and Lee Hirsch (Dir.The Bully Project). 

Selections of the Education Outreach Program include Patang (directed by Chicago-born filmmaker Prashant Bhargava), the story of a successful Delhi businessman who pays a surprise visit to his rural hometown--urban-bred daughter in tow--during India’s largest kite festival; the documentary Salaam Dunk, which chronicles the triumphs and tragedies of the ladies basketball team at the American University of Iraq-Sulaimani; Kinyarwanda an account of the Rwandan Massacre of 1994 through the eyes of a young Tutsi girl and a Hutu boy as they fall in love; and the character-driven The Bully Project, which goes behind the closed doors of homes, classrooms, cafeterias and principals’ offices to reveal the often cruel worlds of bullied children. 

Said Cinema/Chicago Education Program Manager Rebecca Fons, “It’s a thrilling, surprising, and even sometimes moving experience--watching children react to and question films with directors in the room.” 

WHERE:           AMC River East 21 Theatre (322 East Illinois Street) 

WHO:               Directors Prashant Bhargava (Patang), David Fine (Salaam Dunk), Alrick Brown (Kinyarwanda), and Lee Hirsch (The Bully Project), along with Chicago public school students and educators. After-discussion to be moderated by local film critics (TBA) and the Cinema/Chicago Education Committee Advisory Board. 

WHEN:             **Screenings begin at 10:00 a.m., with moderated Q&A to follow. 

Friday, October 7th

Kinyarwanda

Q&A 11:35 A.M. with director Alrick Brown 

Tuesday, October 11th 

Salaam Dunk

Q&A 11:15 A.M. with director David Fine 

Wednesday, October 12

The Bully Project

Q&A 11:20 A.M., with director Lee Hirsch 

Thursday, October 13

Undefeated

Q&A 11:35 A.M., with director Daniel Lindsay 

Friday, October 14

Patang

Q&A 11:25 A.M., with director Prashant Bhargava 

Monday, October 17

Shorts Program

Q&A 11:25 A.M. with directors Victor Carrey, Jonas Rothlaender, Katharine Mahalic and Anna Musso 

Tuesday, October 18

Tomboy

Q&A 11:25 A.M. 

Wednesday, October 19

CineYouth “Best of the Fest”

Q&A begins approx. 11:25 A.M. with CineYouth winning filmmakers (various filmmakers, all under age 20)
 

ABOUT CINEMA/CHICAGO EDUCATION PROGRAM 

Each year Cinema/Chicago brings over 5,000 children from Chicago’s public schools into theatres for special Education Outreach screenings that cover a wide variety of genres, including foreign cinema, documentaries, local productions and international releases. Educators and youth media professionals on the Cinema/Chicago Education Advisory Committee carefully select films that relate to the Chicago Public School curriculum and expose students to new cultures, foreign languages, and thought-provoking subject matter.  

ABOUT CINEMA/CHICAGO

Cinema/Chicago is a not-for-profit cultural and educational organization dedicated to encouraging better understanding between cultures and to making a positive contribution to the art form of the moving image. The Chicago International Film Festival is part of the year-round programs presented by Cinema/Chicago, which also include the International Screenings Program (May-September), the Hugo Television Awards (April), CineYouth Festival (May), Intercom Competition (October) and year-round Education Outreach and Member Screenings Program. 

TICKET INFO

Tickets for the 47th Chicago International Film Festival are on sale now. Opening Night tickets and festival passes may be purchased on the Festival website. All individual tickets must be purchased by phone 312-332-FILM (3456), in person by visiting the Festival box office at AMC River East 21 (322 E. Illinois St.), or through Ticketmaster. 

FESTIVAL SPONSORS
Led by Presenting Partner, Columbia College Chicago, the 47th Chicago International Film Festival’s sponsors include: Premiere Partners-- American Airlines, Lincoln; Producing Partners-- AMC Theaters, DePaul University's School of Cinema and Interactive Media, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; Major Partners-- Allstate, Intersites; Supporting Partners-- Applitite, Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, Brugal Rum, Kodak, Louise, Second City Computers, WBBM, and the Festival's Headquarters Hotel, JW Marriott Chicago. 

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For images and press materials go to http://www.chicagofilmfestival.com/press/

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