In the Spring of 2017, in keeping with Wilmington Jewish Film Festival’s educational mission, we expanded our cultural outreach to include daytime screenings of an age-theme-appropriate film for local public high school students as an enhancement of their English curriculum on the Holocaust. The program has been a huge success and we have teachers reaching out to us.
Since 2017, the Festival has added more schools and increased the opportunity to all 10th-grade public high school students in New Hanover and Pender Counties. By offering screenings in both the spring and the fall we can include the greatest number of students. We now host over 2000 participants at either the Wilson Center or Thalian Hall every school year. Fanny’s Journey, the film, is based on the true story of Holocaust survivor Fanny Ben-Ami who led a group of children when she was only twelve years old from France to the Swiss border.
The program consists of an introduction to the film, including the history and context of what was occurring in Europe at the time the film begins. Lessons of tolerance and acceptance are mentioned as they relate to the film and to the students who are attending. The theme of anti-semitism is also explored.
After the film, there is an opportunity for the students to ask questions and make comments. Students are encouraged to answer a survey given to them by their teachers the next day.
The Festival pays for all costs of the program including the screening fees and theater rental, security, buses, drivers and substitute teachers if needed. The program is funded partially by a grant from Landfall Foundation and from generous donors.
The program would not be possible without the support of the teachers and administrations from the various high schools. It is our hope to include schools from Brunswick County in the near future.
