AGAINST THE CURRENT screens at the Cinejoy Film Festival March 20-30 as part of a lineup of 200 films from 55 countries (111 of them world and U.S. premieres) and virtual experiences for a 10-day event that kicks off March 20.
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AGAINST THE CURRENT screens at the Cinejoy Film Festival March 20-30 as part of a lineup of 200 films from 55 countries (111 of them world and U.S. premieres) and virtual experiences for a 10-day event that kicks off March 20.
It was an exciting world premiere screening and panel discussion of L’CHAIM for the Harmonie Club with the young filmmaker (Semon Shabaev), his mentor (Anja Baron), Semon’s sister and best friend – all from Berlin. We all learned so much about what it means to be Jewish and German. L’CHAIM will broadcast as part of the national Films BYkids series on WNET on Sunday, April 18 at 7:30.
A group of 20 college kids from the Transdisciplinary Education and Arts Collaboration Hub (TEACH) imagined and organized a powerful night of film, conversation and engagement by partnering with the California Film Institute EDUCATION and BYkids with a screening of I COULD TELL YOU ‘BOUT MY LIFE (documenting Mike Martin’s return to Harlem after five months on Rikers Island), a live conversation between director Mike Martin and his mentor Chiemi Karasawa and moderated by Kenyamarie Mahone (TEACH member and Pomona College student) with a lively audience Q&A, a virtual after party featuring musical performances by Mike Martin, New York-based poet/Hip-Hop artist Messiah Ramkissoon and percussion artist Bashiri Johnson and an opportunity to TAKE ACTION.
We welcome two new Board members who bring amazing expertise to our mission, Maya Kopytman and Brian Mateo. Maya Kopytman is a partner at C&G Partners in New York City, a multi-specialty creative studio dedicated to design for culture. She has three decades of design experience and is internationally recognized for her pioneering work in interactive media. After more than a decade at IconNicholson, where she served as Chief Creative Officer, Maya joined C&G Partners in 2006, where she leads interactive, web and branding for non-profit and cultural institutions.
Brian Mateo is Bard College’s Associate Dean of Civic Engagement and Director of Strategic Partnerships for the Globalization and International Affairs Program. Brian is also a term member on the Council on Foreign Relations, a trustee at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, a Truman National Security Project fellow and a Climate Reality Leader.
BYkids screened FAITH’S WORLD and discussed the film and models for civic engagement with the film and educational resources with student leaders from Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey from the Civic Engagement in the 21st Century: Leadership and the Challenge of the Engaged Citizen program. We discussed the universal needs of being seen and heard despite our visible and invisible disabilities, as well as the worry of a parent about their kid’s future when they are gone.
Brian Mateo, Bard’s Associate Dean of Civic Engagement and BYkids Board member, said, “students were able to explore how to tell their own stories with Holly Carter, executive director of BYkids, as well as learn more about living with cerebral palsy through the film FAITH’S WORLD.”
Screening I COULD TELL YOU ‘BOUT MY LIFE, middle and high school teachers joined veteran educator, Matt Nink, to talk about Black History Month and racial justice and explore resources for using this powerful film in their classrooms. TEACHER QUOTES: “If we are to build a better world for our children and future generations, then we must act now – there is simply no time left for the privileged few to live without consideration of the disadvantaged many–these films help me and my students to see with new eyes,” HS teacher in Connecticut “This workshop was very helpful for me to add to my tool box. Thanks for such timely resources and ideas. ~MS teacher in Wisconsin Another 75 minute workshop for teachers to experience MY BEAUTIFUL NICARAGUA plus resources to explore climate change is happening May 11. SIGN UP HERE. |
PBS LearningMedia creates free, standards-aligned videos, interactives, lesson plans for grades 7-12 for the Films BYkids series. The digital resources help parents and teachers empower children for success in school and in life.
“The films are fascinating for me and my students. They offer a perspective that my American students rarely see–that of a child in another part of the world.,” says one educator. “The films not only inform, they engage students’ imagination and passion–which is always at the heart of true learning, true understanding and insight. These films are important in building bridges of understanding across cultures,” says another.
Amelia Spalter (Brown University, Class of 2022) interviews Founder and Executive Director of BYkids, Holly Carter, for “Brown University Interviews”.
Holly Carter is the Founder and Executive Director of BYkids, a non-profit organization pairing master filmmakers, including Albert Maysles and Joyce Chopra, with youth from around the world to create short documentaries that educate Americans about globally relevant issues. She began her career as a writer and editor at The New York Times where she was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. She was awarded a Henry Luce scholarship and moved to South Korea where she reported for Sisa Weekly Magazine. She went on to produce the critically acclaimed documentary Margaret Sanger, co-found North Carolina’s Full Frame Film Festival, produce the PBS series Media Matters, and serve as the Executive Director of the Global Film Initiative before ultimately founding BYkids. BYkids films will enter their third season on public television in April 2021. READ FULL ARTICLE HERE
BYkids has been named one of the world’s top eleven innovators promoting Visual Arts Education #ArtED!! We are featured in the HundrED 2020 #VisualArtsED Spotlight. Thanks to @hundredorg and @supercell. Their new report about the value of arts education and honoring our work is at: http://ow.ly/l1pX50CGNi8 Check us out directly on the HundrED website at: http://bit.ly/37mUwsZ
The United Nations Association of New York and BYkids present a virtual screening of FAITH’S WORLD. Faith Guilbault, age 16, invites us to share in her world and experience life with cerebral palsy. Faith’s world view is centered on what we have in common. She begs us to consider those with physical disabilities as differently abled, not disabled.Our screening is followed by a conversation with H.E. Luis Gallegos Chiriboga (Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador), Faith Guilbault (BYkids filmmaker), Joyce Chopra (filmmaker and BYkids film mentor) and Holly Carter (BYkids Founder and Executive Director). SEE THE CONVERSATION