Since 1991, this educational outreach program has created a vital connection between the annual San Francisco International Film Festival and the local educational community, providing students of all ages the opportunity to participate in the Festival experience. One of the first and largest of its kind, the Schools at the Festival program was founded by the late Robert S. Donn (1931-2003), a retired SFUSD teacher with a tremendous passion for film. Since its inception, the program has attained a level of national prestige and is often used as a model on which other film organizations and festivals have based their own education programs.

Each year more than 3,000 elementary, middle and high school students and their teachers attend weekday matinee Festival screenings, while dozens of local and visiting filmmakers from around the world visit Bay Area classrooms to share their work and interact with students.

Tickets are offered at a subsidized rate (just $2.50 per person) to all participating students and teachers for selected screenings and may be purchased exclusively through the Schools at the Festival office prior to the Festival each spring.

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Click here to browse 2009 Schools at the Festival


2009 Schools at the Festival
Browse Schools at the Festival programs at the 2009 San Francisco International Film Festival. Read more...

2008 Schools at the Festival
Browse Schools at the Festival programs at the 2008 San Francisco International Film Festival. Read more...

Student Essay Contest
The San Francisco Film Society announces the second annual Schools at the Festival Student Essay Contest at the 52nd San Francisco International Film Festival. Read more...