Missing shoes, sibling rivalries, Maori tribal traditions, lost creatures, and classroom voting campaigns are among the topics in films included in the “Seeing the world through a different lens: international youth films” project hosted by the Indiana University East Campus Library. Library director Frances Yates received an American Library Association Carnegie-Whitney grant to create a resource guide that organizes international films for youth by theme and curriculum connections. IU East student Jesse Whitton, a psychology major entering his Junior year, received a summer research scholarship to identify international films most appropriate for middle and high school students. He is developing questions to be used in film discussion programs that will help create awareness and understanding of cultures around the world. The project progress can be accessed here: http://iue.libguides.com/internationalyouthfilms
“Seeing the world through a different lens” is a research project that combines the professional interests and personal commitments of Yates and Whitton to provide interesting ways for youth to gain varied perspectives about other cultures. Through the medium of film, content can be conveyed in multi-faceted ways and provide opportunities for lively discussion.
Selection criteria for the films include cultural authenticity, creative film techniques, interesting content, and non-stereotypical depiction of people of diverse heritage, ethnicity, gender, class, faith, and social status. The films explore themes such as class conflict, gender identity, cultural heritage, family relationships, friendship, “fitting in” and “growing up.” The next phase of the project will be film discussion groups and educator workshops about using films in the classroom.
All the films in this project are part of a growing collection of diverse films available at the IU East Campus Library. Additional films on various types of diversity are listed in this resource guide: http://iue.libguides.com/diversityinfilm. Films (not specifically rated for youth) in languages other than English are listed here: http://iue.libguides.com/film
Image credits:
Children of Heaven
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GbUrFJaBzWA/T4IyuPGWg_I/AAAAAAAAAqk/-Gjz4c43gew/s1600/Ali_Zahra.jpg
Azur and Asmar
http://mfdb.eu/rcs_auth/azur_et_asmar1.jpg
Please Vote for Me
