The Fribourg International Film Festival (FIFF) has been drawing on all its expertise in educational support for the Festival Culture & École, which will end on 30th November. This activity tops off an anniversary year for the Festival’s cultural projects team – as a pioneer in Europe, FIFF has been providing an educational dimension since 1983. Following record attendance last March and various events throughout the year, the Festival is now extending the celebration of the 40th anniversary of Planète Cinéma – its school screenings – with new workshops on the history of film, as well as reduced registration fees for all classes attending the 38th edition of FIFF, from 15th to 24th March 2024.
Schools in the Canton of Fribourg and beyond deciding to send their classes to the screening rooms of the 38th FIFF will enjoy reduced prices of up to 25% per pupil. The Festival is offering this gift to celebrate its 40 years of educational activities, with the registration fee for Planète Cinéma dropping from CHF 7 to CHF 5 for primary school classes. Teachers of all levels looking to book their place at the Festival now can sign up using the online form (available in French and German).
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"FIFF has been a pioneer in this area. Its expertise in educational support currently brings together over 10,000 young people of all ages every year”, recalls FIFF’s Artistic Director, Thierry Jobin. “Quite simply, it is the most well-attended school programme in Switzerland. We want to use this gift to thank the teaching profession for its support over the past four decades and to make matters easier for them. It's also about encouraging new generations of cinema-goers keen to discover cultures and styles that differ from the mainstream. This is because, although filmmakers have been telling us how they have observed a rare cinematographical culture among the region’s public during events, we are concerned about the collapse in cinema attendance outside of the Festival. In 1980, Swiss people went to the cinema on average 3.3 times per year. In 2000, it was 2.2 times. Last year, it was just once. We absolutely must reacquaint audiences with the joys of cinema as a collective experience."
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Since 1983, FIFF’s school programme has enabled over 200,000 young people, from primary schools to vocational colleges, to experience an incredibly enriching journey through the cultures of every continent, thanks to the screenings as well as educational guidance and events. All of this has been accompanied by an awareness of the language of images, which has become increasingly necessary to cope with the fake news and deep fakes that are taking over social media. These school screenings have helped forge the careers and artistic vocations of several audience members over the years, including editor Myriam Rachmuth and director Annie Gisler.
The Planète Cinéma team is committed to perpetuating people’s love of film, complementing its usual offering with various workshops aimed at raising awareness of film history, the language of images (with the collective production of short films) and the professions that go into organising a festival. Offered all year round, in Fribourg and throughout Switzerland, these workshops are intended both for schools and for companies looking for an original team building experience. Camille Huygen, Head of Planète Cinéma, enthuses: “Learning to see, to analyse images, to be sensitive to others thanks to the medium of film, all of this is Planète Cinéma’s mission. We offer pupils and students the tools they need to take a step back from the constant stream of information. The aim is also to offer young audiences an unforgettable experience of encounters and events tailored to their needs. Moreover, I am convinced that the annual theme of the 38th FIFF, which will take a close look at hip-hop culture, will lead to the building of intergenerational bridges while showcasing young people’s talent."
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Donwload the press release as PDF
KEY DATES
- Publication of the programme of Planète Cinéma and opening of the registration: 9th January 2024
- Fares and practical information: fiff.ch/en/scolaires
- Deadline for registration: 9th February 2024
- School screenings takes place every morning between 18th and 22nd March 2024
