Cinema as a tool for education
IFF programmes for secondary schools
Cinema is a simple yet powerful way to explore identity, inclusion and interculturality.
Through IFF programmes, we guide classes on a journey of viewing and dialogue, where stories become opportunities to recognise oneself, engage with others and analyse social, cultural and relational dynamics.
The workshops are designed to spark questions, broaden perspectives and encourage discussion within the classroom, enhancing cinema as an educational language and a space for shared reflection.
What IFF
Workshops for schools
The IFF programme for secondary schools offers a series of sessions designed to guide students through an experience of viewing, dialogue and active participation.
Workshops may be offered free of charge when supported by public calls or dedicated funding; in the absence of such opportunities, they are available as paid activities agreed with individual schools.
Each workshop uses cinema as a tool for intercultural and civic education, providing an opportunity to observe, interpret and engage in discussion starting from the stories shown on screen.
What IFF
Through the Eyes of a Jury
A film jury simulation
Starting from a selection of short films curated by IFF, the class takes part in a simulated film jury.
Students watch, discuss and compare perspectives in order to reach a shared decision on the winning film — an opportunity to develop critical thinking and reflect on the content, language and values expressed through cinema.
What IFF
Inventing an Ending
Creating new scenarios
Following the screening of one or more short films, the workshop develops through two complementary activities:
- Group work: imagining and constructing a possible ending that expresses an idea of intercultural integration, to be analysed and, if desired, performed, and then compared with the director’s original ending.
- Individual work: producing a personal piece (e.g. a biographical self-portrait) that connects one’s own story and individual experience with what emerges from the film.
What IFF
Inside the Festival
Screening and discussion
Students take part in the screening of a selection of short films in competition.
The screening is followed by a guided discussion and, when possible, by a meeting with one of the attending directors.
Depending on availability and permissions, the activity may take place in the cinema closest to the school or directly in the school’s auditorium or assembly hall.
What IFF
Imagining Possible Futures
Creating a cultural event together
Through workshops and meetings with professionals from the cultural sector, students aged 16 to 18 take part in a programme that guides them in conceiving and developing a cultural event.
An experience that connects the themes of the festival with artistic languages close to their experiences and their way of seeing the world. Not just spectators, but active participants in a shared creative process.
The programme complements school learning and promotes education through practice, dialogue and collective creation, integrating traditional teaching with active, participatory and collaborative methodologies.