Bridge Film Festival News and Updates

Judges' Choice Awards

2012-01-02T10:13:00.001-08:00

The Bridge Film Festival is happy to announce the first Judges' Choice Awards show. The show will be streamed live, 2PM (EST) Tuesday April 24, 2012, and presented in the Walton Center auditorium on the George School campus as one of the Friends Council on Education's 80th anniversary events. All Bridge Film Festival filmmakers, faculty, and parents are invited to attend. Admission is free.

For the past three years films have been submitted and judged on-line by our distinguished judges. The results were announced on-line. This year, the BFF is producing its own "Academy Awards," simply called the Judges' Choice Awards. The top three films in each category (Narrative, Documentary, Public Service Announcement, and New Media) will be nominated for an award, and scenes from each will be screened at the event. Additionally, the coveted "Spirit of the Festival" award will go to the entry that best reflects the mission of the festival.

This year, the event my be viewed live by simply tuning in to the Bridge Film Festival website or by attending in person. If you are interested in attending the event, please fill out our on-line form. Seating is limited.

What Kind of Airplane Are You Making?

2011-11-07T12:52:00.000-08:00

In early November, I gave a talk about how Quaker testimonies influence the Bridge Film Festival, to an all-school assembly at Oakwood Friends School, Poughkeepsie, NY. The entire student body (5th-12th grade) and faculty were gathered in their Meeting House. I brought my laptop with a slide presentation and past Bridge Film Festival videos to screen. I was invited by OFS Art Teacher / BFF contact Randi Chalfin and by Community Outreach Coordinator Julie Okoniewski. Oakwood Friends School is a relatively small, mostly boarding school with a student body that is has a high percentage of Asian students (mostly Chinese.)

Presenting in the Meeting House

The diversity of the student body was going to pose a new challenge for me with regards to the Quaker concepts I wanted to feature and how I was going to communicate them. The teaching of Quaker philosophy in thirty minutes time would be difficult enough; to add to the challenge, many of the students were not fluent in English and didn't share my geographic and cultural background. Randi asked if I would like to have a translator with me for the presentation. I declined for the sake of practicality, given the limited time frame. I struggled with the planning this presentation. After finishing my preparations, I was fairly certain it wouldn't work on several levels: too much Quaker religion at the top, translating Quaker philosophy for people who speak English as a second language, and then ending with a possibly inappropriate film selection that might insult... well, everyone.

It was a sunny, cool, crisp day, with the trees wearing their vibrant autumn colors, as I arrived on campus. I met Julie, who led me to the Meeting House and helped with the set-up for the presentation. Looking around the room, I sensed an old familiar energy of a Meeting House that immediately put me at ease. After setting up and testing the equipment, Julie took me on a tour of the school.

The assembly began promptly at 10:05 with the student body class president asking for silence. He then asked Randi to introduce me. After Randi's kind introduction, I began the presentation by asking for silence again and sat in a chair until the room was still. Standing, I began again with a quote from David Hinshaw's "Rufus Jones, Master Quaker" (G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York):

"The core of the Quaker belief is the Inner Light--that intuition of the presence of God which enables the individual to learn how to discover and realize what is evil for him and by avoiding it to bring himself into harmony with the universal spirit."

I explained that Quaker testimonies, regardless of whether you live across the street or on the other side of the planet, consists of universal values that can be used as sign posts to help guide one in the search for truth. I asked the gathering if anyone knew what Quaker testimonies the acronym SPICES referred to. Several students raised their hands and one correctly rattled off, "Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship." I then displayed a graphic on the projector screen with the words translated into Chinese, Korean, and Spanish. Though the room was already quiet, once the slide was displayed I noticed a deeper concentration level set in.

I further explain how the Bridge Film Festival encourages filmmakers to tell stories that demonstrate these values in action. The gathering viewed five award winning BFF public service announcements as examples of what the festival is looking for. The PSAs were technically superior, with clear messages that could be easily related to specific testimonies.

So far, so good. The audience laughed in the right places and were respectful of the PSAs. I began the introduction of the presentation's featured film by describing its failings. The production hadn't won a Judges' Choice award like the previous PSAs; in fact, the BFF judges scored the film's technical quality and content very low. I said there were some audio problems and holes in the story, but that I selected the film because in its own crude way, its underlying message might resonate with the Oakwood Friends School community. I screened for them the Olney Friends School BFF 2011 entry of "Frustrating Flatulence".

The film begins with a quotation followed by a scene with two Asian students, boyfriend and girlfriend, looking at a computer. At this point, I again felt the concentration level of the room was elevated. These were the first Asian "actors" to be featured on the screen this day. As the scene continues, an "American" student walks into the room looking to borrow a pencil and casually farts in front of the couple. The students get into an angry argument about his behavior. The audience laughed nervously at this part.

Later in the film, the Asian male student has difficulty explaining to the Head Master why he got into a fight over another similar event. Contagious laughter was generated from a single shot of the student with head down in the office, as the students in the audience were able to identify with the issues involved. But then after the Head Master hands out his punishment, he, too, casually farts in front of the student. The student then shouts the only line of dialogue in Chinese in the film. The Chinese students in the audience exploded with laughter and everyone else began laughing too at the sheer joy of moment. It was the single greatest reaction to a BFF film I have witnessed in 12 years. There was a subtitle in English that read, "Why are you doing this? What kind of airplane are you making?" Though something may have been lost in translation, (not only of this scene but perhaps my presentation too), I do believe the underlying truth of the difficulties inherent in bringing community together from such diverse cultures was clear to this audience. The success of this screening was due to the audience being able to identify with characters and situations presented. My hope is that from this communal experience the Oakwood Friends School community will feel supported in their efforts in, as the BFF mission statement states, "providing a forum for dialog, learning, and exchange of ideas of commonality and diversity."

Tandem Friends School "Peace Winds" Screening Event

2011-09-10T09:51:00.000-07:00

The Balloonist BFF 211 Finalist

Tandem Friends School hosted their 2010 – 2011 Bridge Film Festival Screening on May 16^th, 2011, during the school day. Two hundred students and forty teachers attended. The event asked for those attending to bring a dollar or two to give to Peace Winds (an international organization providing aid to the Japanese tsunami victims.) The event raised $500 for Peace Winds. The screening provided the Tandem community an opportunity to celebrate their own BFF film submissions, the BFF winners and many of the other schools’ submissions. The screening also premiered a film created by the 7^th grade documenting a spring service project, Honk for Japan. It was a fantastic event for the TFS community, reminding us of our connection to other Quaker schools and to the world.

Hanging Out

2011-08-29T07:45:00.000-07:00

Photo by Gerri Faivre

Bridge Film Festival award poster, proudly hanging in the Westbury Friends School Library.

Optimizing Your YouTube Video

2011-08-28T05:19:00.000-07:00

One of the goals of the BFF is to communicate our students' messages of concern to as large an audience as possible. The first thing to do is make a good film and enter it into the festival. That's the hard part. The next thing is to give the film the best chance to be found and viewed on the internet by enhancing the videos' metadata. This is called Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and it's pretty simple to do.

Title: Title your project carefully. If possible, use a KEY word or words that describe the content. These key words are used by people via search engines to find your video. Please add the BFF category after title.
Description: Write a brief description of the film using short simple sentences. Please include the information that the film is an entry and BFF Finalist and add http://www.bridgefilmfestival.org/ in the description. By adding http:// to a URL in the description, it becomes a live link.
Tags: It's very important to add KEY words and phrases about your film here. Place commas after phrases. Please cut and paste these keywords into your tags, then add more if you like. "Bridge Film Festival" "Brooklyn Friends School" "Friends Council on Education" "film festival" international spices simplicity peace integrity community equality stewardship values nonprofit charity Friends Quaker "student film festival"
Video Thumbnail: Choose the most interesting looking thumbnail (still image) to represent your film.

Cells Within Walls news from Lincoln School (reprint)

2011-08-13T04:13:00.000-07:00

The Bridge Film Festival Winners

Posted 04/21/2011 01:01PM

Bridge Film Festival Winners

Lincoln juniors Erin Murphy and Tess Van Schepen recently earned first place in the "narrative" category of the Bridge Film Festival. Erin and Tess submitted a kinetic-text video entitled Cells Within Walls that they made for their American Studies class in December.

Read full article here.

Blink News from George School (reprint)

2011-08-11T09:20:00.000-07:00

Emily Honer Wins Judges Choice Award at Bridge Film Festival

Issued: Tuesday, April 12, 2011 http://www.georgeschool.org
Blink by Emily Honer ’11 of New Hope, Pennsylvania, won the 2011 Judges’ Choice Award for the Public Service Announcement (PSA) category at the Bridge Film Festival. Blink reminds people to appreciate the small things in their lives. A copy of the video is available on the Bridge Film Festival YouTube Channel.

Read full article here.

Woolman Semester Does Film Festival's Too

2011-06-06T16:11:00.000-07:00

Woolman Semester BFF Post

Bridge Film Festival Award Posters

2011-05-29T05:46:00.000-07:00

The Bridge Film Festival Award Posters are available on-line.

Talk of the Town

2011-05-09T11:14:00.001-07:00

2011 Judges Choice Awards

2011-04-12T12:29:00.000-07:00

The votes are in and the On-Line Judges have spoken!

Judges Choice Awards 2011

Cells Within Walls

Narrative Category

Lincoln School

Quakerism in a Nutshell

Documentary Category & Spirit of the Festival Award Winner

Friends Seminary

Blink

Public Service Announcement Category

George School

Complete scoring and comments are available on the Bridge Film Festival web-site. Remember these are the results from the "on-line" judges only. Each BFF Screening Event may offer additional awards to entries screened at their events.

It was a very competitive field this year as evidenced by 6 different nominations for the Spirit of the Festival Award. This year we had 24 entries from 3 countries, 13 schools and one Meeting. Congratulations to all the student filmmakers and their advisors!

23 Entries, 13 Schools, 3 Countries

2011-03-31T08:44:00.000-07:00

The films are here! Now the BFF Judges will evaluate the entries and the Screening Event Committees can select films for their events.

Nobis Project Announces Annual Film Festival

2011-01-06T10:07:00.000-08:00

Christen Higgins Clougherty, PhD, founder and director of the Nobis Project (and a Bridge Film Festival Judge), announced the first annual Nobis Project Film Festival, which celebrates the use of digital media as a tool for youth to explore social issues that affect the community, locally and abroad. The festival gathers entries from Savannah students, grades K-12. Genres include animation, documentaries, narratives, music videos, digital slideshows, public service announcements and more. The judges for the Nobis Project Film Festival include educators, community leaders, and experts in the field of digital media. A screening event will be held in the Spring of 2011, in Savannah, Georgia.

BFF - The Nobis Project is a non-profit organization that supports educational and community leaders and youth in building skills to analyze issues that impact our society and take actions towards initiating positive change. Why do you think holding a student film festival will help your organization meet its mission, and where did you get the idea?

Christen - The idea for the Nobis Project Film Festival came from the AMAZING work that I witnessed coming out of the Bridge Film Festival! I found myself telling everyone I know about the festival and many people commented that they wished there was a similar opportunity for youth who don't attend Quaker schools. And I feel that the important messages explored by youth in their Bridge Film Festival films are important for people to see outside of the Quaker community, specifically in my community of Savannah, Georgia. As for our mission, I believe that the medium of film can be a powerful tool for youth or adults to use to advocate particular viewpoints and to disseminate information in a persuasive manner. This is clearly evident in entries from past Bridge Film Festivals.

BFF - What are some of the challenges of organizing this kind of event?

Christen - As I'm sure your student organizers are aware, there are quite a number of challenges when organizing a film festival. In year one, the trickiest part will be recruiting student entries. I have to find ways to let students know about this exciting opportunity AND find ways to convince them that they have what it takes to create the masterpieces I know they are capable of. In addition, I have to locate a venue, find sponsors for prizes, and advertise to the public to come to our event! My best word of advice to other organizing screening events is to ask for help from friends and family - many hands make light work! Another tip would be, if you think you want to host the event annually, make sure to collect your guests' contact information (emails) so you can let them know about the event in future years.

Photo Credit: C. Clougherty

BFF - What do you hope to achieve in the first year of the event?

Christen - My goal would be to have 25 entries and 75 people at the event. And I hope that viewers leave inspired to take action, in one form or another, at home, school or in the community.

BFF - What are some of your long term dreams for the festival?

Chirsten - My long-term vision of the festival is for it to expand nationally or even internationally, so that students who make films for the Bridge Film Festival can ALSO submit their work to the Nobis FIlm Festival. More festivals and screening events means more people see the important messages of the students' imaginations!

BFF - What kind of screening event are you organizing?

Christen - I am hoping to hold our "red carpet" event at the local art museum's fancy new auditorium. I think it would be fun to actually have a red carpet, and maybe I can find some students to be the paparazzi and take lots of fake pictures of people as they arrive. For the first year, I plan to screen all the entries and to announce the winners at the end, and present them with prizes. We haven't figured out what the prizes will be quite yet - any suggestions?

BFF - Can you see any relationship between the Quaker testimonies of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, and equality and the mission of your film festival?

Christen - I see ALL of the Quaker testimonies you listed in the mission of the Nobis Project Film Festival. From our mission to "analyze issues that impact our society and take actions towards initiating positive change," I see the following parallels:
Simplicity - I define simplicity as "simplifying your life so that every action deliberately supports what you are most committed to." When I watch Bridge Film Festival entries that explore simplicity or use simplicity as a creative technique, I find I am reminded to live my life to the fullest. I hope some of the Nobis Project Film Festival entries will use simplicity as a technical tool to help emphasize their message.
As for peace, integrity, and equality - when actions lead to positive change, peace, integrity and equality are in motion.
Community - community is at the crux of the Nobis Project Film Festival - using film to explore social issues that affect the community, locally and abroad.

BFF - Please add anything else you would like the student filmmakers and screening event organizers to know.

Christen - I think your question prompts hit about everything - I'd just add that I'm looking forward to judging the new entries for the Bridge Film Festival. After viewing each film, I find that I am inspired to be creative and to live out the Quaker testimonies every day! Keep up the great work!

- Show quoted text -

Happy New Year

2010-12-30T06:42:00.000-08:00

5 Easy Steps to Help The BFF in the New Year!
ENTRY DEADLINE MARCH 21, 2011

Follow the BFF Blog - Select the Follow gadget at top left of blog
Subscribe to the BFF YouTube Channel
Download a BFF Poster
Speak to Community Service
Link the BFF on your school or Meetings web-site

BFF Judge Bernardo Ruiz - Notes From the Field

2010-12-04T14:11:00.000-08:00

Courtesy of Quiet Pictures

Bernardo Ruiz is a filmmaker who has been associated with the Bridge Film Festival for 10 years as a guest lecturer and Festival judge. He is currently working on a documentary about the Mexican border.

Project Description - Gardens of Paradise

There are ebbs and flows to the news cycle, but what is the deeper story of a place? That is the question tugging at a veteran reporter and photojournalist on the Mexican border. He tackles the same stories that filled his reporter's notebook early in his career: immigration, corruption and narco-related violence. Today, the stakes are vastly different.

BFF - Why did you choose the border crossing issue to explore?

BR - The film I am making, Gardens of Paradise, is the story of a place. In this case, the place is the California-Mexico border, which is home to the world’s busiest land-border crossing in the world. I’m working to create a sense of both the beauty and the challenges facing the residents of this region through the work of a veteran reporter and photojournalist. Investigative journalism is hard work anywhere, but it is especially so in Mexico. More than 30 journalists and media workers have been murdered or vanished there since December 2006.[1]

BFF - What about the issue has been confirmed from your research?

Courtesy of Quiet Pictures

BR - Here in the U.S. we are in the midst of a conversation about the decline of print journalism. Conventional wisdom would say that “print is dead.” In Mexico, only 27%[2] of the population is wired and the country has an adult literacy rate of somewhere between 86%[3] and 92%[4] depending on which source you use. What that means in practice is that for Mexicans, print is anything but dead – it continues to be a necessary and vital part of how people get their information. However, many news outlets self-censor for many reasons—most recently, for very real fears of violent reprisals from the drug cartels. But the news organization we feature in our film has refused to bow to many outside pressures. They, and the reporter at the center of our film, publish crime articles under a collective byline to protect the individual identities of journalists. But they don’t stop reporting.

BFF - What has surprised you most about what you've learned?

Courtesy of Quiet Pictures

BR - On a recent production trip, I met an American woman from Philadelphia in Tijuana. She had flown to Mexico to have a complicated dental procedure done there. Her U.S. insurance wouldn’t cover the work. It ended up being cheaper for her to fly all the way from Philadelphia to Mexico to have work done. She is part of the growing phenomenon of “medical tourism.” She is a migrant from the north, traveling to the south seeking economic advantage. We don’t often hear this woman’s story, or the stories of people like her.

BFF - What are you trying to communicate with this film, and to whom? Who is your audience?

Courtesy of Quiet Pictures

BR - Often times, films about “the border” or “immigration” provoke yawns or glazed eyes. Understandably, there is a kind of fatigue about this issue. I think part of that has to do with how many activist films have been made. Many “issue-oriented” films neglect the aesthetic side of filmmaking. On the other end of the spectrum, the news media here—especially the cable news media—often create shallow and sensational coverage without context. It can be de-sensitizing. The typical scenario is a production team that just “parachutes” in for a day or two, gets the “story” and flies right out. My goal is to make a longer-form reflection on what this region is like, day-to-day. It's not breaking news I’m after and it’s not what I would consider activist or propaganda filmmaking. What I’m most interested in is how people lead lives in difficult situations. I’m hoping to catch glimpses of the unexpected beauty and humor in the lives of the region’s residents…let’s see if I can pull it off.

BFF - Can you see any relationship between the Quaker testimonies of simplicity, peace, integrity, community and equality and the content of the film you are making?

Courtesy of Quiet Pictures

BR - What a good question. I think in some ways this film is an examination of the meaning of community. In speaking about television dramas, David Mamet says that the concept of “tribe” is central. “We all want to be part of this little tribe…The small clan.”[5] How do we construct a community? Who gets to decide who is part of our community, who is not? I would say those questions apply to our story. Another theme that I think applies is integrity. How do you maintain integrity in situations where it is easier to do the opposite? How does one push for equality and transparency in the world? I certainly don’t have these answers—not by a long shot—but I think it's valuable to pose these questions within the world of the film.

“What are the risks you are taking to see this project to its conclusion?"

The people at risk are the Mexican journalists who cover organized crime and corruption, as well as the ordinary citizens trying to go about their daily lives. I and my production team have the luxury of leaving if things get hairy. Having said that, we do take basic precautions. Even from far away, though, I think it is important to ask ourselves, what is our country’s responsibility in Mexico’s security crisis? Last year, Hilary Clinton acknowledged that the biggest market for drugs shipped through Mexico is in the U.S. and that guns from the U.S. are illegally smuggled across the border into Mexico. “I feel very strongly we have a co-responsibility,"[6] she said. The idea that our two nations are linked isn’t an abstract concept.

Courtesy of Quiet Pictures

BFF - Please add anything else you would like the student filmmakers to know.

BR - If you really believe in turning an idea into a film, don’t let anybody stop you from doing it. I know it sounds like a cliché, but it's true. Sometimes you have to stick with something for a long time before it bears fruit. I started developing this project back in 2006—only now in 2010 am I in production! I struggled to get support from a variety of sources. I was rejected by a number of funders. It was just hard. I decided to stick with it. I kept reading, asking questions, filling a folder on my desktop with articles and interviews. I made playlists of music that inspired me and I talked to my friends to test out my ideas. Eventually support came from four different and important funders, including some that had rejected my project early on. But I listened to advice that resonated with me and continued to develop my idea. There’s something to be said for committing to an idea. If you really believe in something, make it happen!

Director Bio – Bernardo Ruiz

Bernardo is the director/producer of American Experience: Roberto Clemente (PBS, 2008). The broadcast documentary was awarded the Alma Award for Outstanding Made for Television Documentary. He is the co-producer of The Sixth Section (P.O.V.), winner of the top short documentary prize at the 2003 Morelia International Film Festival in Mexico. As a director/producer for hire, he has directed programs for PBS, MTV, the Discovery Networks, Travel Channel, Planet Green, and the National Geographic Channel. He is the recipient of a New York Foundation on the Arts fellowship in film and his work has been supported by grants from the Ford Foundation, Sundance Doc Fund, Cinereach, and ITVS, among others. He is at work on Gardens of Paradise and teaches a course on producing in the newly created MFA Social Documentary program at the School of Visual Arts.

For more information about this and other projects, visit:

http://www.quietpictures.com

[1] http://cpj.org/reports/2010/09/silence-or-death-in-mexicos-press.php

[2] http://www.internetworldstats.com/am/mx.htm

[3] https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2103.html

[4] http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/mexico_statistics.html

[5] http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/tt/tt060405david_mamet

[6] http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE52O5RF20090325

Animation Class Gets Moving

2010-10-13T16:41:00.000-07:00

A Brooklyn Friends Middle School animation class is producing a public service announcement about childhood obesity for entry into this year's Bridge Film Festival. Based on research by the students and information from Michele Obama's, "Let's Move" initiative, a script was written. One student was selected to be the narrator and voiced-over the script. Segments of the script were then assigned to members of the class to animate. Once the scenes have been animated they will be edited together with the sound track. The software applications used for this production are: Google Docs, GarageBand, Toon Boom Studio, iMovie.

Listen to the Sound Track

TOP 10 MOST VIEWED BFF FILMS

2010-09-12T06:51:00.000-07:00

For the past two years all entries for the Bridge Film Festival have been submitted, uploaded and included on our WBFF YouTube channel. Additionally, entries (when uploaded to YouTube) from years previous have been included too. YouTube publishes the number of views each film accumulates. As of September 12, 2010, (in blue) here is a list of the top 10 viewed films.

How To Get More Views on YouTube

It's one thing to make a great video. It's another to attract an audience to view it. Above is a link to a simple video guide to help you reach a greater audience and to maximize the impact of your message.

Brooklyn Friends School Screening Event!

2010-05-04T07:04:00.000-07:00

Student Judges award Best Picture to "What Do Your Eye's Say"

from Pickering College

Photography by Kaveise Cadogan

Students from Brooklyn Friends School hosted the first student-run Bridge Film Festival Screening Event. The event was held on Friday, April 9th, in the Brooklyn Friends School Meeting House to benefit the St. Bernard Project. The evening began with a Mexican themed dinner in the cafeteria, followed by the screening event.

12th grader Maqueda Sylvan and 11th grader Conway Boyce were the co-clerks of the student organizing committee. Maqueda welcomed the audience and spoke about the event. She said, "Tonight you will see films from Friends schools throughout the world, and you will be helping a good cause too. Our festival will offer one grand prize for the film that best reflects the values of our school."

5th Grader Tyler Roberts spoke about how funds from the event will go to help rebuild homes damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Tyler said, "All of the proceeds from tonight's festival will go to the St. Bernard Project. Liz McCartney, the director of development and a co-founder, was a 2008 CNN Heroes Award winner. I find it amazing that after almost five years, a majority of the homes have still not been rebuilt. They are rebuilding these homes to bring displaced families back to their communities."

20 entries from 14 schools and one Meeting were screened, including films from Lebanon, Australia and Canada. Entries were submitted in four categories: narrative, documentary, public service announcement and digital slide show. The films all depicted Quaker values in action. All the entries can be seen on the Bridge Film festival's YouTube channel.

The student judges awarded the Grand Prize to the documentary "What Do Your Eyes Say" because it was technically well executed and entertainingly communicated a message concerning integrity.

The Judges were, from right to left, Staver Klitgaard, Conway Boyce and Rufaro Gulstone.

Judges Corner

2010-04-06T05:59:00.000-07:00

Who is Jon Watts and Why is He a BFF Judge?

Jon is a self described "Quaker spoken word poet, guitarist, producer, and performer." A traveling minstrel, when he performs, some consider it a "public ministry."

"Ministry: Sharing or acting upon one's gifts, whether in service to individuals, to the meeting, or to the larger community."

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting – Faith and Practice glossary

Jon is currently embarked on his 3rd annual one month Richmond to Boston tour. His preferred mode of transportation is a cargo style bicycle. Jon's music is "young and current, rap-inspired, deeply intimate and profoundly spiritual." He currently travels among Friends, sharing "stories of his spiritual journey and the accompanying songs." You can follow his adventures here on his vlog.

The Bridge Film Festival looks for judges that include filmmakers, social activists, teachers, and Quakers. Jon fits into all of those criteria and therefore makes a wonderful candidate for BFF Judge.

I learned of Jon Watts when he subscribed to the BFF YouTube Channel the day before he uploaded his breakout video sensation, Dance Party Erupts During Quaker Meeting for Worship, (now with over 30,000 views.) Once I saw the video, I contacted Jon and congratulated him on it and asked him to keep track of the ensuing feedback. Because of the varied thoughts and practices of the Religious Society of Friends, the video has created a bit of a stir in the small but very diverse community. Here is a post explanation about the video from Max Carter, Director of Friends Center at Guilford College.

Jon is currently on his tour--really a journey--in Washington D.C. and took time out to answer some questions.

BFF - Jon why have you decided to make this tour on bicycle?

JW- While it would be easy to give the run-of-the mill "save the planet" answer to that question, I've felt nudged to dig a little deeper. For one thing, I've felt inspired in my life to (as John Woolman suggested) let love be the first motion... that is, to make decisions based on what brings me joy rather than what I see as needing fixing. So while I have felt critical about our culture's dependence on fossil fuels and the violence that it has led to, that's not why I decided to make this trip on bicycle.

Strangely enough, it's not because I like riding bicycles either. I'm really not in shape for this; I'm not a cyclist and I've never done an extended trip like this before. It's actually quite uncomfortable. But the experiences I've had in this life that have been most powerful and I've felt most alive were the ones in which I was out of my comfort zone.
So the truth is: I'm having a new experience. I'm trying to be the change I wish to see in the world. I'm hoping to have a creative, adventurous life. And I like being a little different.
Read more about why I chose to bike in this blog entry.

BFF - What do you think about when you're riding? Do you work on your music?

JW - I just completed my first week of the trip - from Richmond to DC - and most of what I thought about was how much my legs and butt hurt. And how much I dislike hills. But I'm starting to get used to it. Yes, there is a rhythm to biking which, like hiking, is very conducive to writing. But it also helps if I'm not exhausted, which I'm sure will change when I'm in a little better shape for this.

BFF - What are some of the best reactions you received while on the road?

JW - People tend to treat my bicycle like it's some kind of an exotic animal. And it is really cool. You can see photos of it here.

BFF - What are some of the challenges you've had on the road?

JW - This week I ran into a military base. The route I was taking went 15 miles out of the way to avoid it. I decided to risk it and go straight through, and got stopped at the gate by some dudes with guns. I found an alternate way, though. I cover that whole story in the vlog entry from that day. I really hate retracing my steps.

BFF - Do you consider yourself a "minister?"

JW - I think that everyone is capable of ministry. I happen to be on a path that has me outwardly sharing a lot, so minister is a hat that I wear more than some, perhaps... but often I'm just a musician or performer. The sacred is there whether we name it or not and "ministry" is a term that might turn some people off. I had the great fortune to get involved in an undergrad program at Guilford College in which we dissected spiritual terms like "God", "ministry", "obedience" and started to unpack some of their meaning. Sometimes that's a longer conversation that I'm able to have with an audience, so I just settle for being a performer and try to nurture the group into inviting the sacred into the room.

BFF - What are you trying to say with your music?

JW - I think the more appropriate phrasing of that question is, "What is my music trying to say with me?" I often feel like the music is writing itself and I'm just the tool. That's coming from years of trying to write music in the dominant model of "I am the artist and now I will make a song" and having the results stink. I find that only the songs that are supposed to be written end up having momentum, and I am hardly in charge of that. There's something bigger than me at work here and I have to put my own will aside.
But to answer your question... these are songs about our culture's destruction of the natural world, reflections on the spiritual state of this society, growing up Quaker, etc.

BFF - What's the funniest or strangest thing to happen on this tour?

JW - The second day I had a guy in a Jeep slow down alongside me and proceed to drive slowly next to me for five miles, talking to me out of the passenger's side window about his days of touring and my technique and how I was doing it all wrong. He was obnoxious but we both needed the company, so I think we were glad for each other. The drivers behind him were probably not as grateful.

BFF - What do you hope to accomplish with this tour?

JW - I hope I make it to Boston!! I've got a lot of riding ahead of me!

For more information about Jon Watts you may visit his website@: http://www.jonwatts.com/home/

Judges Choice Award Winners 2010!

2010-03-24T13:57:00.000-07:00

The votes are in and the On-Line Judges have spoken!

Judges Choice Awards

Montag
Narrative Category
Tandem Friends School

Every Little Drop Counts

Documentary Category

Frankford Friends School

Thee Quaker Rap

Digital Slide Show Category

Oakwood Friends School

Life Just Isn't
Public Service Announcement Category
&
Spirit of the Festival Award Winner
Princeton Friends School

It was a very competitive field this year as evidenced by 7 different nominations for the Spirit of the Festival Award. This year we had 29 entries from 5 countries, 14 schools and one Meeting. Congratulations to all the student filmmakers and their advisors!

Record Breaking Year! 29 Entries, 14 Schools, 5 Countries

2010-03-03T13:28:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to all the student filmmakers and their advisers for all the hard work and dedication.

It is a record breaking year for the 11th annual Bridge Film Festival with 29 entries from 14 schools and one Meeting (the Brooklyn Meeting.) The films include eight public service announcements, six documentaries, two digital slide shows and 13 narrative productions. This year the quantity of entries is only surpassed by the content and technical quality of the films.

SEE THE FILMS HERE ON OUR WBFF YOUTUBE CHANNEL

5 Countries Represented

Schools from the United Kingdom, Lebanon, Canada, Australia, and the United States are represented in our international student film festival.

Participating Schools:

Ackworth School
Brooklyn Friends School
Brummana High School
Frankford Friends School
Friends School of Baltimore
George School
Oakwood Friends School
Olney Friends School
Pickering College
Princeton Friends School
Tandem Friends School
The Friends' School
Virginia Beach Friends School
William Penn Charter School

If your school or Meeting is interested in hosting a screening event, here is an article about how to get involved. Screening Events

Quaker Youth Leadership Conference 2010

2010-02-07T14:40:00.000-08:00

Am I Leading or Being Led?

There is no gathering in Friends education more significant than the annual Quaker Youth Leadership Conference. I have attended five of the thirteen conferences and each time I have been nourished by the spirit of community that is formed by student and faculty leaders from Friends schools far and wide. Student committees with faculty support, organize and run the three day event.

Quaker Youth Leadership Conference 2010

Each year has a unique theme. This year's was, "How do you let your life speak?" The event plan includes, a keynote speaker, daily meeting for worship, a community service component, workshops, meals and time to make friends and bond.

At past QYLC's I have been a chaperon and workshop presenter. This year it was my privilege to be selected as the keynote speaker. I was given the charge to talk about the spiritual aspects of my work as teacher and founder/director of the Bridge Film Festival. The event organizers including George School student co-clerks, Caitlin Brimmer and Emma James, and faculty advisor Tom Hoopes couldn't have been more gracious hosts. George school performing arts teacher, Scott Hoskins, did double duty by introducing me and running tech for the speech.

The audience was engaged and very kind, asking and answering relevant questions. After the speech I went over to the library where everyone was hanging out. I had numerous students come up and introduce themselves, asking questions about the speech and how they could get their schools involved in the Bridge Film Festival.

After breakfast the following day, I had the opportunity to observe Scott Hoskin's video class in action. The students were all busy editing unique and fascinating projects. Scott requires these projects to meet the BFF guidelines for entry. Scott asked me again this year if the "one entry per category" rule is still in effect because there are so many fine productions coming out of his class. Unfortunately, yes, the rule is still in effect. The BFF is trying to have as many schools participate as possible.

Included here is the video of the keynote presentation. I hope you enjoy it.

Andy

P.S. Special thanks to Keith Sequeira for videotaping and being a mensch.

1st One Minute 4 Peace PSA and 1st Digital Slide Show BFF Entries!

2010-01-26T06:45:00.000-08:00

Brooklyn Quaker Meeting youth lead the way with the first BFF PSA of 2010!
and
Oakwood Friends School enters the first ever Digital Slide Show
Deadline for entry is March 1st, 2010

Judges 2010 ANNOUNCED

2010-01-19T13:09:00.000-08:00

The Bridge Film Festival 2010 is honored to announce this year's Finalist Judges! Each year we select judges who are educators, social activists, filmmakers, and Quakers. Because the festival is on-line, they will be able to view and evaluate the finalist entries from wherever in the world they happen to be (as long as they have a computer and internet connection.) The judges will determine the winners for best narrative, documentary, digital slide show, and public service announcement categories and help determine the Spirit of the Festival Grand Prize winner. Some of the judges are new to the festival and others have agreed to return once again to contribute their expertise. For a more information about this year's judges, go to the Bridge Film Festival website.

Bernardo Ruiz, Callid Keefe-Perry, Chris Plutte, Patricia L. Schall Ph.D, Stacey Chanin Reed, Gail Walker, Christen Higgins Clougherty Ph.D, Jon Watts, Linda Shockley, Martin Kelly

Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T08:16:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year from the Bridge Film Festival.

The Bridge Film Festival needs your help spreading the word about this year's "bridging" initiative. Here are some simple things you can do, to make a positive contribution.

Sign up to follow the BFF News and Updates blog. This will help keep you up to date.
Watch a BFF video on our Youtube channel: WBFF (This really does help)
Download, printout, and hang up (with permission of course) a BFF poster in your School or Meeting.
Speak to your community service faculty about the screening event opportunity.
Ask your web master to post the BFF link on your school's website.

Thanks for all your efforts and support through out the year and remember to "Let your STUDENT films speak."

All the best and in friendship,

Bridgy

"The Courageous Mr. Penn"

2009-12-19T12:54:00.000-08:00

Now playing in the WBFF YouTube channel theater...

"The Courageous Mr. Penn"

1942 film in 8 parts
Starring Cliff Evans and Deborah Kerr

WBFF YouTube Channel

"Penn of Pennsylvania" was the original British title of the economical biopic "The Courageous Mr. Penn". Clifford Evans stars as Quaker leader William Penn, who leaves the comfort of his family estate to fight for the rights of his religious brethren. Penn's crusade for spiritual freedom leads him to the New World and the ultimate founding of the colony of Pennsylvania. The film's highlight is Penn's courtroom trial, an admittedly overlong sequence redeemed by the give-and-take between actors Evans and Joss Ambler (as the judge). Deborah Kerr is merely decorative in the thankless role of Penn's wife Gulielma. Honorable in its intentions, Penn of Pennsylvania is compromised somewhat by its minimal production values, including some of the most unconvincing miniature work ever seen on film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Quaker Youth Leadership Conference Keynote Invitation

2009-12-16T07:42:00.000-08:00

Newtown, PA. December 2009. Caitlin Brimmer and Emma James, co-clerks of the Quaker Youth Leadership 2010 Steering Committee have invited Andy Cohen, Director of the Bridge Film Festival, to be this year's keynote speaker. The theme for the event is "Quaker Values: Letting Our Lives Speak." Ms. Brimmer asked Andy if he would talk about the spiritual aspects of his work and explain how he lets his life "speak" through his work. Andy replied that having attended four QYLCs in the past, he was honored to be considered for this opportunity and was willing to speak to the spiritual aspects of his work as a teacher and film festival director.

About the 13th Annual Quaker Youth Leadership Conference:

QYLC is an "energizing tradition that brings together students from Friends high schools around the world for an intensive retreat focusing on supporting, cultivating and connecting leadership through service, integrity and community."

"George School is expecting over 130 students from more than 20 Friends high schools around the United States and beyond to gather for three days of learning, activism, service, community-building and fun. (Yes, fun!) Each Friends high school is invited to send up to seven participants, including at least one faculty chaperon. For the registration form, click on the Registration link."

(Taken from the George School QYLC website: www.qlyc.org)

Make Your BFF Screening an In-School Event!

2009-12-13T10:14:00.000-08:00

Simple Screening Event Plan

Find a Place to Show Films		Select and Download Films		Screening Event
March 1st		April 1st		April 9th

	March 7th		April 8th		April 10th
	Advertise the Event		Prepare Event		Acquire Feedback

With schools planning to host Bridge Film Festival screenings as elaborate, community-wide events, complete with red carpets, film workshops, and guest judges, you might be thinking that hosting a screening means a big commitment of time and energy. While some schools may choose to host screenings after school hours, it's not always feasible to reserve space, recruit faculty, and ensure student participation for extracurricular events. Not to worry! Though an after school screening may suit some school's needs, there are plenty of other ways to share these films with your students. Here are some alternatives you may not have considered:

Use the films as the foundation for a school-wide or divisional Day of Concern. Select the films that best suit your students' needs and your school's curriculum, and show them at an assembly. Then, break students up into small groups--by class, grade, or interest--to discuss the issues raised in the films. You can develop lesson plans around the films to share with other teachers, who can then facilitate these discussions.
If it's not possible to devote an entire day to discussions about the films, consider showing the films during a regularly-scheduled assembly. Students can vote for their favorites on line or through their homerooms.
Share the films with students in your classes via the WBFF Youtube Channel. Select films that connect with curricular themes and have students watch the films in class. Students can also be assigned to watch films for homework and respond to them through written responses and in-class discussions. Develop related activities that tie in to your curriculum: for example, students in an English class could write critiques of the films.
Complement student screenings with a separate evening screening for parents. Invite them to attend a special screening, followed by discussions with school guidance staff, Quakerism teachers, or other selected faculty.

Service Learning Peer Network Teachers Plan Screening Events

2009-12-01T15:11:00.000-08:00

November 16, Friends Center, Philadelphia.
Photo by David DiMicco

As part of the Friends Council on Education's Service Learning Peer Network conference, Andy Cohen, director of the Bridge Film Festival, presented the concept of "bridging" Friends Schools via Bridge Film Festival Screening Events, to be planned and run by students as community service projects.

Mr. Cohen said, "These events will enable students to learn new skills, manage responsibilities and gain confidence through the experience of service to others." The screenings will strengthen bonds between Friends schools and are also designed to raise money for one annually targeted charity. This year's charity is the St. Bernard Project of Louisiana.

25 faculty and staff members from many Friends schools and organizations were on hand to listen, learn, and participate. After presenting a brief history of the Bridge Film Festival and information about this year's service learning opportunity, the attendees were split into groups and given instructions to brainstorm plans and ideas for a screening event. Here are some of the ideas they developed:

Team #1

Set ticket prices at $5 for adults and $3 for students
Sell baseball caps with BFF logo
Have an outdoor screening
Invite guest speakers
Collect contact info of attendees
Allow audience to vote for favorite film
Award prizes for films with most votes
Link BFF films on school's website
Invite area schools and organizations
Invite local media to cover event

Team #2

Hold an outdoor screening with tent backup
Award films in each division
Set a fancy dress code for a red carpet event
Set a theme for the screening based on one Quaker testimony
Publicize city wide
Have food based on where the film entries were made
Invite non-profit organizations based on the themes of the films and allow them to have table displays
Make sure that films selected will be cross-divisional and age appropriate
Have student photographers document the event

Team #3

Offer lots of buttered popcorn
Invite both students and parents
Host a Sunday afternoon event
Have students run set-up and staffing
Invite area Meetings
Invite student finalist filmmakers
Have a suggested admission price
Invite a professional documentary filmmaker to speak

Team #4

Make the screening a student leadership event
Have student event coordinate with Quest Center
Involve US Service Committee
Have it as part of the visual arts evening
Include our own school's non-finalist entries
Have a Faux Hollywood Opening Night theme
Encourage students to make a PSA with a local community service partner

Team #5

Hold the event at Friends Center
Offer freshly popped popcorn
Have learning games for youngsters
Invite representatives from student groups and associations
Form a student panel of judges to choose awards for films
Have a filmmaking workshop to create short films
Serve refreshments

Testimonies in Action--Films from the Visual Arts in Friends Schools Peer Network Conference

2009-10-22T16:11:00.000-07:00

Check out three films made by art teachers at the Friends Council on Education's 3rd annual Visual Arts in Friends Schools Peer Network conference at Pendle Hill. Visual Art Teachers were split into groups and given a Quaker testimony, a Flip Video camera, and one hour to plan and film a story that would reflect the testimony "in action." Andy Cohen, media arts teacher at Brooklyn Friends School says, "I have already employed these films in class by having students first view the films, then evaluate the stories on how effectively they conveyed their given value."

Here are the links to the films.

Integrity

Service

Simplicity

Here's what Tom Hoopes of George School had to say:

"These are FABULOUS! They are fun, crisp and engaging... these are great tools for promoting discussion of the Quaker testimonies. I plan to forward these to everyone in the GS Religion Department to encourage them to consider using them in their classes."

Tom Hoopes '83 (2008)
Religion, Coach, Consulting Director of the Children's Center

Service Learning Peer Network Presentation

2009-10-21T12:52:00.000-07:00

“Celebrate Friends School Student Filmmaking Through Service Learning"

Time: November 16, 2009 from 8:30am to 3pm
Location: Friends Center, Philadelphia, PA

As part of the Friends Council on Education's Service Learning Peer Network event, there will be a presentation and discussion with Andy Cohen, Founder and Director of the Bridge Film Festival and Media Arts Teacher at Brooklyn Friends School, Brooklyn, NY.

The Bridge Film Festival, in association with the Friends Council on Education, introduces bridging, a service learning opportunity. As a natural extension of our film festival, bridging encourages students to take action by coordinating "Screening Events" to raise funds for one annually-targeted charity. Bridging demonstrates the power of collective action through our network of Friends schools and institutions, while extending the impact of our student filmmakers' messages of concern. To learn more about this unique opportunity for your school and students, visit www.brooklynfriends.org/bridgefilmfestival.

Reflecting Quaker Values in Action

2009-10-11T06:28:00.000-07:00

14 Visual Art teachers from Friends schools came together for the Friends Council on Education's 3rd annual Visual Arts in Friends Schools Peer Network conference at Pendle Hill, organized by upper school art teacher Randi Chalfin of Oakwood Friends.

As part of the conference, Jim Talone, (formerly of Tandem Friends School) and Andy Cohen from Brooklyn Friends School facilitated a "Digital Media Challenge" workshop.

First teachers learned how to evaluate entries for the Bridge Film Festival. Then they were split into groups to conceive, plan, and film projects using criteria from the BFF. Teams were given a flip video camera, a Quaker testimony, the instruction to film a variety of angles including 5 POV shots and had a 60 minute time limit.

The results can be found here on the BFF YouTube channel. Enjoy!

3 Schools On Board for Screening Events...Who Will Be Next?

2009-09-27T05:39:00.000-07:00

Tandem, Oakwood and Brooklyn Friends School lead the way by setting dates for hosting a Bridge Film Festival Screening Event in Spring 2010. These events will be organized and run by student committees as service learning projects to raise funds this year for the St. Bernard Project .

Contact us if your Friends organization is interested in hosting a BFF Screening Event and we will post it on our calendar.

Calendar of Screening BFF Events

April 9th, 2010 - Brooklyn Friends School, Brooklyn, NY
April 9th, 2010 - Oakwood Friends School, Poughkeepsie, NY
April 16, 2010 - Tandem Friends School, Charlottesville, VA

Visual Arts Peer Network

2009-09-23T15:06:00.000-07:00

Bridging Alert!

Come join us for the Digital Media Challenge for Teachers!

Andy Cohen, Director/Founder of the Bridge Film Festival and Jim Talone will be facilitating a one day hands-on workshop as part this year's Visual Arts Peer Network conference at Pendle Hill on
October 8th and 9th.

Randi Chalfin, Oakwood Friends School Upper School Art Teacher and Director/Founder of the Visual Arts Peer Network says, "the first day will consist of creativity and curriculum: discussion and journaling using the work of Howard Gardner and Project Zero, art creation and much more. Friday will be dedicated to learning about the BFF though doing by creating a film for entry in the festival from concept through filming and editing.

Fore More information and/or to sign-up for this year's Visual Arts Peer Network conference go to the Friends Council on Education site here.

Lesson Plans & Links Collaboration

2009-09-09T05:35:00.000-07:00

The Bridge Film Festival is happy to announce a new program feature to involve students and faculty in learning:
Lesson Plans

If you would like to contribute a lesson plan for this collaborative effort, please submit it for consideration by emailing an attached pdf file to: bridgefilmfestival@gmail.com.

"Let your films (and lesson plans) speak."

Here is a brief description of our first one.

Bridge Film Festival Lesson Plan 001
Judging a Bridge Film Festival Entry

Conceived by Andrew S. Cohen, Edited by Dr. Tica Vreeland

Overview

Students will learn the rules for entry and judging criteria for the Bridge Film Festival and use this knowledge to critically analyze, understand the message and technically evaluate video entries.

Goals

The students will judge Bridge Film Festival entries.
The students will explain their rationale for their scores.

Organize Your BFF Event with Google Sites

2009-08-30T07:20:00.000-07:00

The Bridge Film Festival recommends using Google-sites, (Google Docs) to organize event information.

The BFF Market Place Grand Opening

2009-08-19T11:55:00.000-07:00

The Bridge Film Festival announces the grand opening of the BFF Marketplace. This on-line store was created to make it easy to purchase Bridge Film Festival gear for yourself or for resale at your School or Meeting's "screening event." There is no requirement to use this store. A small percentage of the sales goes to support the film festival. Please look at the merchandise and if there is a product you would like that we don't offer, please let us know.

Quaker Thought Videos

2009-08-04T07:02:00.000-07:00

The Bridge Film Festival's YouTube Channel, WBFF "Quaker Thought" play-list, offers a varied and diverse selection of videos about Quakerism. This collection is for educational purposes only and educators should carefully review the contents of the videos before sharing in the classroom. The ideas and opinions expressed in these videos do not necessarily reflect those of the BFF. If you have any suggestions of videos to be added to this list, please forward the link to...
bridgefilmfestival@gmail.com

One Minute for Peace BRIDGING ALERT!

2009-07-21T11:20:00.000-07:00

The Bridge Film Festival and the American Friends Service Committee are excited to announce a new "Bridge" for this year's festival. In connection with the AFSC's One Minute for Peace Campaign, all PSA's submitted to this year's Bridge Film Festival that address the One Minute for Peace theme, will be considered for featuring on their Youtube channel. Aaron Crosman of the AFSC says, " AFSC is excited to be taking part in this competition, and looks forward to your videos."

Ackworth Today July 2009

2009-07-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

by Lorna Anthony, Deputy Head Ackworth School

The Bridge Film Festival Ackworth School was delighted to host this year’s Festival on 28th March. To celebrate the 10th Anniversary, the Festival was held in England as the birthplace of Quakerism. We welcomed students and staff
from Friends' Schools in the USA – Brooklyn (New York), Sidwell (Washington) and Tandem (Virginia), the newest Quaker school. We were also joined on the evening by guest speaker Charles Sturridge and representatives of the Yorkshire Quaker Arts Projects.

There were 28 film entries from 14 schools in 5 countries. The entries “should reflect Quaker values or have Quaker resonance”. The topics were diverse and included Time, Integrity, Friendship, Violence, Bullying, Helping Others and Love. Global issues such as conservation, recycling, use of resources and sustainable agriculture also featured strongly.

The film viewing was highly entertaining and thought-provoking and was followed by a gala dinner and awards. Charles Sturridge spoke with great enthusiasm of his work as a filmmaker. He has directed films for cinema and TV including Brideshead Revisited, Gulliver’s Travels, Longitude, No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, Lassie, Where Angels Fear to Tread and many more. This was an extremely enjoyable festival and a fine example of Quaker outreach. Congratulations to all who took part. It was a pleasure and a privilege to host the event and to build bridges with Friends’ schools across the Atlantic.

WBFF Makeover

2009-06-26T04:19:00.000-07:00

WBFF Youtube Channel has a new look. See for yourself or better yet leave a comment, rate a video, tell a friend or "friend" the channel. Every little bit helps...Thanks

Google Learning Institute at BFS

2009-06-21T12:22:00.000-07:00

On June 24, 2009 Brooklyn Friends School
will host a professional development opportunity:
The Google Learning Institute

If you are going to host a Bridge Film Festival Screening Event, there is no better way to organize it than utilizing the simple yet powerful tools of Google Docs. I know, that's how I organize the Bridge Film Festival.

Registration is now open- click here to register.

Search, learn, share! Brought to you by the producers of the Google Teacher Academy, the Google Learning Institute (GLI) introduces participants to innovative ways Google tools can be used in education. A full day of fast-paced presentations and hands-on activities includes experience with advanced search techniques, collaborative web-based applications, and inspirational instructional strategies. Google Certified Teachers share ways they've implemented tools such as Google Docs, Google Earth, Google Sites, and... even more. Participants who complete the event are given access to the Google Learning Network (GLN), an online community focused on supporting educators as they learn more about the power of Google to drive student learning.

St. Bernard Project in the Spotlight

2009-06-21T05:00:00.001-07:00

Get your students involved in this year's "bridging" effort to help rebuild homes and lives in St. Bernard Parish. Make a film for the Bridge Film Festival, sponsor a Screening Event at your school or Meeting or simply participate. For more information go to our BFF website.

Celebrate Friends School Student Filmmaking Through Service Learning

2009-05-12T05:45:00.000-07:00

The Bridge Film Festival in association with the Friends Council on Education is proud to announce, “bridging,” a service learning opportunity. As a natural extension of our film festival, bridging encourages students to take action by coordinating Bridge Film Festival "Screening Events" to raise funds for one annually targeted charity. Bridging demonstrates the power of collective action through our network of Friends schools and institutions while extending the impact of our student filmmaker’s messages of concern. To learn more about bridging, go to the 11th Annual Bridge Film Festival 2010 information page.

This year's targeted charity is the St.Bernard Project in Louisiana.

Watching a Dream Grow Up

2009-05-09T14:00:00.000-07:00

Watching a Dream Grow Up - NEW The Bridge Film Festival turns 10 in the country where the Society of Friends began.

Ten years ago I returned from summer vacation to begin my second year as a film and video teacher at BFS with a simple idea to create a film festival that encouraged students to produce work containing messages of concern. Combining that idea with the ready-made Quaker pedagogical philosophy and network of schools under the umbrella of the Friends Council on Education, I recognized a unique opportunity to reach out to student filmmakers on an international scale. This festival would have the added benefit of strengthening bonds among Friends schools around the world. Imagine that...

Select above the link Watching a Dream Grow Up to view the entire article.

Join the BFF/FCE Discussion Group

2009-04-25T06:13:00.000-07:00

Please join the Bridge Film Festival discussion group on the Friends Council's Online Forum. It's easy to join the group and the forum. It also gives you access to many other groups with-in the forum. This forum is for Friends School educators only.

The Bridge Film Festival discussion group is the place where we can exchange ideas with each other about the ever evolving festival we have created. Over the years I have valued the feedback and suggestions from the BFF faculty advisers to make the festival an evermore meaningful, unique and relevant experience for all involved.

Bridge Film Festival Discussion Forum

Free Event, The Best of the Bridge Film Festival!

2009-04-22T07:24:00.000-07:00

Co-sponsored by The Brooklyn Meeting Care and Relationship Committee and Brooklyn Friends School all are invited to an evening of the Best of the Bridge Film Festival. 7 to 9PM Friday May 29th, 2009 at Brooklyn Friends School, 375 Pearl Street, Brooklyn New York.

See films from the first 10 years of the Bridge Film Festival.