PSIFF ShortFest Student Screening

[Gordon Parr]

 

 

 

 

PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM SOCIETY TO PRESENT

PALM SPRINGS SHORTFEST STUDENT SCREENING DAY FOR VALLEY STUDENTS

 

Palm Springs, CA (September 29, 2011) – The Palm Springs International Film Society, in partnership with the Palm Springs Unified School District and Coachella Valley High School, is pleased to announce the first Palm Springs ShortFest Student Screening Day on Tuesday, October 18^th. Students from Palm Springs High School, Cathedral City High School, Desert Hot Springs High School, and Coachella Valley High School will convene at the Palm Springs High School Auditorium to view four outstanding films from the ShortFest lineup. Following the screenings, students will participate in a Q&A with the filmmakers of each of the films.

 

Based on the highly successful model of the annual Student Screening Day, part of the Palm Springs International Film Festival in January, this event is part of the Film Society's year-round Educational Outreach Programs.

 

Louisa Castrodale, Visual and Performing Arts Specialist with the PSUSD said, "Palm Springs Unified School District is very pleased to be partnering with the Palm Springs International Film Festival once again.  In addition to their annual Student Screening Day in January, they are now offering our students a short film event coming up in October.  We are particularly excited for students to be able to view films, and have interaction with the filmmakers themselves, immediately following."

 

The four films scheduled for the Palm Springs ShortFest Student Screening Day are –

 

AGAINST THE SEA (20 mins.) - Live Action fiction - Directed by Richard Parkin

Director will attend.

Despite his wife's disapproval, Hector bides his time as a deep-sea diver to provide for his family and save for his own fishing boat. But after an accident at sea, Hector is forced to confront the deadly nature of his profession and the responsibilities to his family.

 

DAVID AND GOLIATH (12 mins.) - Live Action fiction/documentary - Directed by George Zaverdas

Director will attend.

Pursued by Nazi soldiers during WWII, a desperate Czech hides out in a doghouse on the property of a German citizen. Will this momentary refuge prove to be his Alamo?

 

THE RENTER (10 mins.) - Animation - Directed by Jason Carpenter

Director will attend.

A little boy is left for the day with an elderly woman, and the scary renter who lets one of her rooms. 

 

SUN CITY PICTURE HOUSE (27 mins.) - Documentary - Directed by David Darg

Kathryn Everett, a director of Artists for Peace and Justice in Haiti will attend.  (Artists for Peace and Justice is one of the film's producers.)

After watching the last of the old movie theaters get destroyed in the Haiti earthquake, a local man enlists the help of a priest, two young aid workers, and the entire community to make his dream come alive on a hill above a tent city.

 

According to Ken Jacobson, Education Outreach Coordinator, PSIFS, "We are thrilled to be adding an additional component to our educational programs that will enable high school students to see four outstanding examples of short films from the ShortFest lineup and interact with the filmmakers who created them.  I feel that the event will educate students about the uniquely creative process of short filmmaking, inspire students' own creativity, and spark interest among young people in ShortFest."

 

The Palm Springs International Film Society’s Education Outreach Program works with teachers and administrators in local school districts to enrich the existing curriculum with screenings and discussions of pertinent films. The Outreach Program's annual Student Screening Day, part of the Palm Springs International Film Festival, engages over 1,000 students from seven Valley high schools in an all-day event at Palm Springs High School.  For the 2011-12 school year, the Outreach Program has launched the Filmmaker in the Classroom, a new pilot program at Cathedral City High School's Digital Arts and Technology (DATA) Academy.  In this project, a screenwriter works directly with students, introducing them to the history and art of film and helping them develop their critical thinking skills.  At the college level, the Film Society has connected with students around the valley through its Internship Program.

 

The expansion of the Palm Springs International Film Society’s Education Outreach Program has been made possible thanks in part to a generous grant from the Bank of America. “Their support has enabled us to work within our community to develop cultural enrichment and educational opportunities for school students and seniors alike. We are privileged to have Bank of America as a partner in this endeavor and wish to acknowledge their ongoing commitment to supporting the arts and education,” said PSIFS Executive Director, Darryl Macdonald.

 

 

 

Contact:               David Lee, Marketing and Publicity Manager

                                Palm Springs International Film Society

                                760-322-2930

                                [e-mail]

                                www.psfilmfest.org