On Campus News

The Tribeca Film Institute (TFI) announced the launch of the second annual Tribeca Teaches: Films in Motion. The program, which operates in partnership with the Bronx Preparatory Charter School, runs through April 18 and will also bring films from the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival to the school and local community. This year’s Tribeca Teaches filmmaking project is entitled “The Stereotype Project” and will encourage historically underserved middle school students in the South Bronx to consider the stereotypes that exist in their community and to discover the way those stereotypes and their neighborhood are perceived through film.

Tribeca Teaches is a ten-week program that provides students with the tools to think critically about film through a TFI-created school curriculum. The program teaches students the art of filmmaking and production as a means to promote understanding of others, to cultivate their own unique voice, and to bring the spirit of the Tribeca Film Festival to the Bronx through a TFI-organized community day.

“We have expanded the Tribeca Teaches program this year and again look forward to challenging the students through filmmaking,” said Jane Rosenthal, co-chairman of the Tribeca Film Institute. “The Stereotype Project” will allow students to separate myth from fact and express their point of view through the work they create.”

A total of 110 middle school students will be exploring Bronx stereotypes of violence, housing, education HIV/AIDS and poverty during Tribeca Teaches’ second year. Through written storytelling exercises and basic hands-on filmmaking training, students will be encouraged to examine both the realities and falsehoods of these stereotypes from behind the lens.

Under the guidance of Tribeca Teaching Artists and Bronx Preparatory teachers, students in five classes will interview community leaders and guest speakers from Bronx-area organizations as well as tap into their own stories and experiences to create five documentary films. Each of the five classes will create their own films—sharing common elements such as interviews, voiceovers and still photography. The films will ultimately be compiled into one unified composition.

The Stereotype Project will be screened on May 3 as part of the Bronx Preparatory In-School Film Festival signifying the culmination of the 2008 Tribeca Teaches: Films in Motion program. The Bronx Prep student body and members of the community will celebrate film and enjoy the student-produced work, as well as selected films from the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, making the Festival more accessible to residents of the South Bronx.

“We are thrilled that Tribeca is coming back to the Bronx for Tribeca Teaches: Films in Motion for a second year,” said Jacqueline King, Middle School Principal at Bronx Prep. “Throughout last year’s program, our students discovered their creative and inquisitive sides and were able to learn about themselves and their surroundings in an entirely new way. We cannot wait for this new group of students to learn about, and through film.”

The Tribeca Film Institute’s second annual Tribeca Teaches: Films In Motion program will be held at the Bronx Preparatory Charter School, 3872 3rd Avenue, from February 11-April 18, 2008. For additional information, visit www.tribecafilminstitute.org.

About the Tribeca Film Institute: The Tribeca Film Institute creates innovative programs that draw on the unifying power of film to promote understanding, tolerance and global awareness. Our commitment is to educate, entertain and inspire filmmakers and audiences alike, while strengthening the artistic and economic fabric of New York City and its Lower Manhattan community. For more information visit www.tribecafilminstitute.org.

Bronx Prep is a charter school located in the South Bronx, which was founded on the belief that all children in America deserve an education enabling them to fulfill their potential and realize their dreams. Bronx Prep is committed to providing a quality instruction for underserved middle and high school students that challenges them to achieve at the highest levels and prepare them for enrollment at competitive colleges, civic involvement, and lifelong success. They opened their doors to the founding 100 fifth and sixth-graders in 2000 and are currently serving 540 students in grades 5-12.

Contacts: Rubinstien Communications, Inc. - Public Relations, Tribeca Enterprises, Jodi Sevin (212) 843-8393; Tammy Rosen, (212) 941-2003

http://www.tribecafilmfestival.org