FILM and VIDEO to end war and

build community. . .with audience participation

Monday, 26 March 2012

"No art passes our conscience in the way film does, and

goes directly to our feelings, deep down into the dark rooms of our souls."

~ Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007)

Film director, writer, and producer - Sweden

"I believe in the transformative power of cinema.

It is only through this shared dream-experience that

we can. . . find some spiritual connection in the deeper reality of our mutual desire."

~ Daniel Clowes (1961 - )

Screenwriter -  United States

"My film aims at contributing to the urgent and indispensable

discussion under way. . .to prove that another world is possible."

~ Fernando Solanas (1936 -  )

Film director - Argentina

Film and Video can do so much good to help people connect, communicate, and care for one another and Earth.
Cinema can help create community and improve relationships.
     It can unify youth and adults of diverse nations, cultures, tribes, races, languages, and faith traditions.
Yet screenings are often old-fashioned and limit cinema's potential.

Until now, viewers have sat in rows seeing the screen -- yes -- and mostly the backs of others' heads, yet few faces.
     No one knows who else is in the room.

Post-film communication is often limited to questioning the director or "expert" mostly about technicalities of film making.
     Lost is the collective potential to uncover personal meaning and tap human experiences for the discovery of new social intelligence in the room.
     The great potential of the moment to create community vaporizes as the audience exits.

Today's need is to learn how to maximize cinema and assimilate human experience -- uncover what works for the good of our human family and planet..

Below are a few time-tested ways to show film while discovering shared meaning and collective learning.
     These kinds of gatherings can help us maximize film, assimilate vast life experience in a room, and awaken the unprecedented creativity and wisdom needed to build a future that benefits all.

     New Principles of film screening, the Physical Setup, and Facilitation ideas will include event Examples for public screening of:

1.  Many Short Films, and

2.  One Feature Film

     We hope this is somehow useful.

                        - L&L



Film and Video Screening
   PRINCIPLES
     1. The cinema event is about (A) the film and (B) the audience participants, not about speakers, visiting experts, or even the film maker.
     2. The film experience is about (A) personal meaning and (B) awakened creativity toward building sustainable families, neighborhoods, schools, institutions, nations, and planet.

   PHYSICAL SETUP
     1. Sitting in semi-circle enables seeing faces of others.
     2. Movable chairs allows allow shifting into small circles.
     3. Wireless microphones best gives voice to audience participants, and helps everyone to hear and be heard.

   FACILITATION
     1.  The facilitator need not be an expert, but is simply to make purposeful viewing and learning "facile" -- easy, agreeable, and effective among the participants.
     2.  Encourage participants to share time, listen-to-learn, and contribute equally.
     3.  Before the film, have a generous number of audience participants say, in one breath, (A) their names, (B) where they live, and (C) why they chose to attend this particular film.
     4.  Present two questions for each viewer to consider during the film, then to respond to during post-film 10-minute circles of 4.

A.  What in the film touched you, had meaning for you?

B.  What new possibility or initiative was awakened in you?

     5.  For collective assimilation, pass wireless microphones throughout the room to learn from many people's experiences.

     Helpful Principles of Group Facilitation for sustained relationship-building can be downloaded from http://icci.org.il/downloads/STE-Principles_Booklet.pdf
     They were developed cooperatively among the: 

Corrymeela Community (Northern Ireland) - http://www.irishpeacecentres.org/

St Ethelburgas Centre for Reconciliation and Peace (England) - http://stethelburgas.org/

Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel - http://www.icci.org.il/

~   ~  ~   ~  ~   ~  ~   ~ 

   SCREENING EXAMPLE #1
Twelve Short Films
   with Audience Engagement

A 2-1/2 hour evening (California)

Full Program with Evening Flow and Links to videos -- http://traubman.igc.org/eveningprogram2010.pdf

   SCREENING EXAMPLE #2
One Feature Film
   with Audience Engagement

A 2-1/2 hour evening (New York)

Flyer -- http://traubman.igc.org/harlemnight.pdf

Evening Flow -- http://traubman.igc.org/harlemnightflow.pdf

   SCREENING EXAMPLE #3
One Feature Film
   with Audience Engagement

A 2- hour evening (Washington)

Flyer -- http://traubman.igc.org/vidnigeriawashington.pdf

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These and hundreds of other success stories are preserved at http://traubman.igc.org/messages.htm