The following are Schools at the Festival programs at the 2009 San Francisco International Film Festival. All screenings take place at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas at 1881 Post Street (at Fillmore) in San Francisco.

To find out how to get tickets, contact Keith Zwolfer at kzwolfer@sffs.org or 415-561-5040

The Age of Stupid
Monday, May 4, 12:15 pm
Directed by Franny Armstrong (England 2008, 89 mins)   
In English and French with English subtitles
An archivist on the dying planet Earth circa 2055 looks back at our species’ current reluctance to address climate change in this cautionary, pre-apocalyptic tale that blends verité storytelling, cutting-edge graphics and gallows humor.
Suggested Subjects: African Studies, American History, Environmental Studies, Journalism, Political Science, Science, Social Studies, World Affairs/History
Grades: 8-12

Artemisia
Tuesday, May 5, 12:45 pm
Directed by Chiang Hsiu-Chiung (Taiwan 2008, 85 mins)             
In Mandarin with English subtitles
A powerfully subdued Taiwanese drama about a widowed career woman, Ai-tsao, who must reconcile her traditional beliefs with the unexpected realties of her modern family.
Suggested Subjects: Asian Studies, Chinese, ESL, Gender Studies, Hearing Impaired, Peer/Youth Issues, Social Studies, Women's Studies
Grades: 9-12

Battle for Terra
Monday, April 27, 10:00 am
Directed by Aristomenis Tsirbas (USA 2007, 100 mins)   
With an all-star vocal cast and lush CGI animation, this family-friendly film offers sci-fi action with a social conscience. When Earthlings try to make the peaceful planet of Terra their new home, it becomes a desperate fight for survival.
Suggested Subjects: Arts/Media, Environmental Studies, Science, Social Science, Social Studies, Women’s Studies, World Affairs
Grades: 4-12

Crude
Wednesday, April 29, 12:45 pm
Directed by Joe Berlinger (USA/Ecuador/England 2008, 101 mins)    
In Spanish, A`ingae, English and Secoya with English subtitles.
This lively and gripping documentary follows the shifting course of a lawsuit brought by 30,000 Ecuadoreans against Chevron for the contamination of the waters and streams of the Ecuadorean Amazon.
Suggested Subjects: Environmental Studies, ESL, Health, Journalism, Latin American Studies, Political Science, Science, Spanish, World Affairs/History
Grades: 8-12

D tour
Thursday, May 7, 10:00 am
Directed by Jim Granato (USA 2008, 99 mins)       
Pat Spurgeon, charismatic drummer for local indie rockers Rogue Wave, needs to keep playing music—and he needs a new kidney. This remarkable travelogue follows his double quest during an eventful tour, mixing interviews with performances by Rogue Wave, Ben Gibbard and other musicians.
Program Note: Mild profanity
Suggested Subjects: Arts/Media, English, Ethics, Health, Journalism, Music, Peer/Youth Issues, Science, Social Studies
Grades: 9-12

French Girl
Tuesday, May 5, 10:00 am
Directed by Souad El-Bouhati (France/Morocco 2008, 84 mins)            
In French and Arabic with English subtitles
Sofia, the “French girl” of this finely observed debut feature, is wrenched from her beloved France back to her family’s North African homeland, where she contends with issues of immigration and identity.
Suggested Subjects: African Studies, ESL, Hearing Impaired, French, Peer/Youth Issues, Political Science, Social Science/Studies, Women's Studies, World Affairs/History
Grades: 7-12

New Muslim Cool
Friday, May 1, 12:30 pm
Directed by Jennifer Maytorena Taylor (USA 2009, 83 mins)
From behind the headlines on the War on Terror comes this unexpected yet utterly American story: an intimate portrait of Hamza Pérez, Puerto Rican–born former gang member turned politically conscious hip-hop musician, community activist, family man and devout Muslim.
Program Note: Mild profanity
Suggested Subjects: African American Studies, American History, Ethics, Journalism, Latin American Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Music, Peer/Youth Issues, Political Science, Religion, Social Science
Grades: 9-12

No Voice Too Small               
Two shows: Friday, May 1, 10:00 am & Monday, May 4, 10:00 am
Total running time 77 mins
We all just want to be noticed and understood, but it sometimes takes extra effort for the smallest among us to be heard or seen. But audiences of all sizes can be entertained by this multilingual collection of shorts.
Suggested Subjects: Arts/Media, English, Peer/Youth Issues, Science, Social Studies, Women’s Studies
Grades: 2–6

Oblivion
Tuesday, April 28, 12:30 pm
Directed by Heddy Honigmann (Netherlands 2008, 93 mins)
In Spanish with English subtitles
Heddy Honigman returns to her native Peru for her latest deeply humanist exploration of everyday resilience and resignation. In Lima, “the forgotten city,” in the shadow of the presidential palace, bartenders and buskers create their own reality to survive an economy in ruins.
Program Note: Mild profanity
Suggested Subjects: Arts/Media, ESL, Hearing Impaired, Journalism, Latin American Studies, Political Science, Social Science/Studies, Spanish, World Affairs/History
Grades: 9-12

Pressure Cooker
Exclusive Schools at the Festival-only screening: Wednesday, May 6, 10:00 am
Directed by Jennifer Grausman & Mark Becker (USA 2009, 99 mins)
This inspirational journey of self-discovery and cooking follows three seniors at Philadelphia’s Frankford High School and one legendary teacher whose blunt boot-camp method of teaching culinary arts is validated by years of scholarship success.
Suggested Subjects: African American Studies, English, Health, Home Economics, Journalism, Peer/Youth Issues
Grades: 6-12

Son of a Lion
Wednesday, April 29, 10:00 am
Directed by Benjamin Gilmour (Australia/Pakistan 2007, 92 mins)   
In Farsi with English subtitles
This beautifully shot debut film follows a nonprofessional cast through the harsh terrain of remote northwestern Pakistan, in a story of a boy who’d rather go to school than make firearms for his father.
Program Note: Mild profanity
Suggested Subjects: ESL, Hearing Impaired, Middle Eastern Studies, Peer/Youth Issues, Political Science, Social Science/Studies, World Affairs/History
Grades: 7-12

Speaking in Tongues
Thursday, April 30, 12:45 pm
Directed by Marcia Jarmel & Ken Schneider (USA 2009, 60 mins)
In English, Mandarin, Spanish and Cantonese with English subtitles
Veteran documentarians Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider tangle with the debate over bilingual education by following the diverse stories of four San Francisco public schoolchildren enrolled in Chinese and Spanish language–immersion programs.
Shown with: Immersion (Richard Levien, USA 2008, 14 mins)
A bright young Mexican immigrant who speaks only Spanish struggles to succeed in school. Using untrained child actors from Bay Area public schools, Immersion captures a child’s attempt to understand his new environment.
Suggested Subjects: Chinese, English, ESL, Journalism, Peer/Youth Issues, Political Science, Social Studies, Spanish
Grades: 5-12

Youth Bring the Truth                                
Thursday, May 7, 12:45 pm
Total running time 81 mins
They may be underage, but they’re not to be underestimated. Young filmmakers are grabbing their cameras and tellin’ it like they see it. From voting to NAFTA, Vietnam to immigration, their take on the world is both fresh and focused.
Suggested Subjects: American History, Arts/Media, Latin American Studies, Journalism, English, Peer/Youth Issues, Political Science, Social Science/Studies, Spanish, Women's Studies, World History/Affairs
Grades: 7-12