Cinema at school? For the Cineteca di Bologna and the schools it collaborates with, this is already a reality. On 27 May, the ‘Cinema at School’ project, implemented by Cineteca di Bologna, was wrapped up. 440 teachers and 4,900 students from 79 schools were involved.
“A scuola di cinema” is an initiative curated by the Cineteca di Bologna and its educational department Schermi e Lavagne, and implemented within the framework of the National Plan for Cinema and Images in Schools, promoted by the Ministry of Culture – General Directorate for Cinema and the Ministry of Education & Merit. In the last school year, the project successfully involved 79 schools (19 kindergartens, 33 primary schools, 13 middle schools, 14 high schools) across eight regions: Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Tuscany, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Campania, Molise, Basilicata, and Sardinia. This was achieved through training days with teachers, 120 screenings held in cinemas or schools, and 820 hours of workshops, addressing 440 teachers and 4,900 students.
Online resources
Cineteca di Bologna has created a series of online resources directly usable by teachers, published on the “A scuola di cinema” web platform: an educational kit consisting of video clips produced by the Cineteca’s trainers and industry professionals, analysing the basic elements of cinematic language through sequence analysis, key moments in cinema history, production phases, and the professional roles necessary for filmmaking. There are also in-depth sheets, technical sheets, and educational sheets on every topic covered. These pedagogical guides are designed with school subjects in mind that cinema can connect with, for example, the relationship with other arts and scientific aspects.
Workshops and competitions
In the workshops, in which students practically experimented with different aspects of cinematic language, several short films were created. The films then participated in the Luca De Nigris Prize, a competition established 26 years ago for schools in Emilia-Romagna, which nowadays also welcomes productions from other regions. The winners were announced in the meeting on 27 May.
Together with the Cineteca Italiana in Milan and Lanterne Magiche – Fondazione Sistema Toscana, two other organisations that have implemented nationally significant projects within the National Plan for Cinema and Images in Schools, the Cineteca di Bologna also promoted the “For a Fistful of Films” competition, which involved three classes (from Liceo Laura Bassi, Bologna; Istituto Statale Gramsci Keynes, Prato and Liceo Carducci, Milan). The ‘final challenge’ focused on sequences from significant works of contemporary Italian cinema: IO CAPITANO (Matteo Garrone), PALAZZINA LAF (Michele Riondino), and IL RAGAZZO CON I PANTALONI ROSA (Margherita Ferri).
Systemising initiatives
Schermi e Lavagne is the educational department of the Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna, which has continuously advocated the importance of image education since 2006. Over its 19 years of activity, Schermi e Lavagne has structured and implemented cinema education with precise methodologies, aimed not only at knowledge of cinematic language and history but also at transmitting passion and love for the most extraordinary art of the 20th century. Lessons, screenings, practical workshops, competitions, teacher training courses, and family activities resulted in a panorama, organically connected to the Cineteca’s general programming throughout the year.
The meeting on 27 May featured presentations by Gian Luca Farinelli (Director of the Cineteca di Bologna), Bruno Zambardino (Ministry of Culture), Elisa Giovannelli (Head of the Educational Dept. Schermi e Lavagne at Cineteca di Bologna), Elisa Salvadori, Leonardo Moggi (Lanterne Magiche – Fondazione Sistema Toscana), Fulvio De Nigris (Fondazione Amici di Luca Casa dei Risvegli), Marcello Pedretti (screenwriter), and Anna Masecchia (University of Florence).