Abstract
The following article describes the process of a documentary filmmaking programme at a secondary school in Chile, which encourages students to engage with a sense of place and intangible cultural heritage. Run by Gaticine – Centro de desarrollo social del cine (Centre for the Social Development of Cinema) in partnership with A Bao A Qu, a non-profit organization based in Barcelona, the programme assists students in discovering and analysing documentary films from different times and cultures over the course of a year, while performing practical filmmaking inside and outside the school. At the end, a short film project is developed that is premiered in a local cinema. This essay provides a brief overview of the principles and methodology of the Cinema en curs programme, before offering a socio-educational consideration of the school in which it was developed and, finally, an analysis of the project’s delivery.
Highlights
In Chile, several initiatives related to film education have recently been developed within school contexts, among them the Cineteca Nacional’s Escuela al cine (School to Cinema) and Cero en conducta (Zero in Conduct)
As part of ongoing work exploring ways in which film might be taught in schools, Gaticine frequently works with other organizations to develop programmes such as Cine en curso Chile
In the final written assessment of their experience of Cine en curso Chile, the students who had participated in the project at Alicura School reported that they felt themselves to be real filmmakers, able to analyse documentary films ‘as professionals’, as well as aspects of their own reality with a critical, aesthetic sense
Summary
In Chile, several initiatives related to film education have recently been developed within school contexts, among them the Cineteca Nacional’s Escuela al cine (School to Cinema) and Cero en conducta (Zero in Conduct). The photographs were reviewed in class, with students encouraged to participate in discussion and critical analysis, based upon the criteria given for the photograph’s realization This first part of the project concluded with an open exhibition (within Alicura, which the entire school community was invited to attend) of printed photographs in the ‘Cinema Space’, a place within the classroom where we organized and displayed all the images, texts, film titles and material worked on throughout the project. This first exercise allowed students to begin exploring and observing everyday life in a different way. We were able to see evidence that the students recognized that their teachers had believed in them, and that the latter had accompanied and supported them despite the difficulties, alongside their own effort and dedication in engaging with Julio González and the opportunity to learn about cinema and (with patience and perseverance) make a film
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