INTERSECTIONS
RACE • FILM • LEARNING
At the California Film Institute we recognize the significant impact systemic racism has had on communities of color. And as a long-standing arts organization, we acknowledge that we have contributed to this problem by not adequately reflecting the racial diversity of our community in our organization, our artists, and our audiences. We are actively engaged in learning how to do better.
We also want to explore how our industry has historically curated and talked about film from the gaze of the dominant culture. Through this new film series presented by CAFILM Education at the Rafael Film Center, we aim to interrogate this practice and engage in constructive conversation with you. These will often be challenging conversations—as art is often meant to challenge us and how we see the world—and we want to lean into that for the betterment of our community.
As film educators and programmers, we often come across content that encourages a higher level of reflection and dialogue than we are able to provide during traditional Q&As. Current events now demand that we leverage the resources available to us to engage more openly, directly, and collaboratively with our audiences—to bring you the films, filmmakers, experts, and community forums to dig deeper and think more critically about race and racism.
We hope you’ll join us.
PAST PROGRAMS
A video goes viral, showing a white police officer in South Carolina pulling a Black teenager from her school desk and throw her across the floor. Healer-Activist Vivian Anderson uproots her life in New York City to move to South Carolina to support the girl and dismantle the system behind the assault at Spring Valley, including facing the police officer. Adding context, geographer Janae Davis treks the surrounding swamps and encounters the homes of formerly enslaved people of African descent, connecting the past to the present. Against the backdrop of a racial reckoning and its deep historical roots, one incident illuminates how Black girls, with the support of organizers, are creating a more just and equitable future for themselves and our entire education system. Director Garrett Zevgetis (US 2021) 108 min
The stream includes a recording of the panel discussion that followed the live screening, a conversation focused exclusively on student voices, featuring representatives from Police-Free Schools Marin and moderated by CAFILM Education Outreach Manager, Shakira Refos.
THANK YOU TO OUR COMMUNITY PARTNER SURJ MARIN
UPCOMING PROGRAMS
NEW EVENTS TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON!