Ashland Independent Film Festival-- Ashland, Oregon 97520

AIFF LEARN: Education Programs & Opportunities

AIFF LEARN in the Schools

SCHOOL GROUP TICKETS (Free virtual tickets to elementary, middle school, high school, and some college students)

AIFF's Education Coordinator works with teachers to create curriculum guides that align AIFF films with state teaching standards and prepare students to see films. AIFF offers blocks of discounted tickets to school groups so that hundreds of students from around the region can join AIFF to view age-appropriate Indie films and enjoy activities and discussions sparked by these films.

Ticket prices are underwritten by grants from local foundations and with the support of Coming Attractions Theatres.

LAUNCH STUDENT FILM COMPETITION (Free to students K-college)

Our regional (N. California/Southern Oregon) film competition for students in grades Kindergarten-College offers a gateway for aspiring filmmakers and storytellers. There are four (4) age categories with cash prizes, plus Special Awards determined by a jury. This program encourages storytelling, editing, and the creation of original music and art. All genres are welcomed. Winning films play in the general festival and their filmmakers receive full passes and participate in Q&As.
Past Winning Films

Theater rental, passes, contest entry fees, and PR & marketing expenses are underwritten by grants.

TEEN PRESS (Free to students in middle & high school)

Emboldened by camera and microphone, students use video journalism to uncover stories all around them. They interview filmmakers during AIFF's festivals to discover the power and importance of their own stories.
AIFF Teen Press 2019: GenEnd
More Information on Teen Press

Teen Press expenses of filmmaker and mentor travel & housing, coordination, and more are underwritten by the Barbara
Roastingear & Henry Oliver III Family Foundation, the Carpenter Foundation, and other local grantors and donors.

FESTIVAL IN THE SCHOOLS (Free to students K-12)

During our live festival, Festival in the Schools brings filmmakers, lecturers, and artists to area schools to speak with students about their work, the film industry, and what it takes to be a filmmaker and/or director. Visits include Ashland High School, North Medford High School, South Medford High School, and Crater High School. Includes CineSpace, a program that uses NASA footage. During our virtual festivals, experts and mentors are invited into the schools via Zoom, and make best use of hybrid learning by offering their expertise online.

Filmmaker travel, housing, film rentals, and coordination of visits are underwritten by donations and grants.

FAMILY DAY AT SCIENCEWORKS (Free with admission) (All ages)

During our live festival, AIFF partners with ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum to create a day of filmmaking activities and presentations geared towards families and children, ages 6 and older, during the April festival. Past workshops have included making animated films with LAIKA, the stop-motion animation studio located in Portland, OR.

Filmmaker travel, equipment, and space rentals are underwritten by ScienceWorks, donations,
and grants, including housing donated by local home and lodging owners.

AIFF LEARN in the Community

POST FILM Q&AS (Included with admission) (General audience)

Many films are introduced and then followed by Question & Answer sessions. Audience members and filmmakers tell us they relish the intelligent give and take between filmmakers and viewers. During our 2020 Virtual Festival, ALL feature films were accompanied by thought-provoking discussions. Many of these can be viewed on AIFF's YouTube channel.

Filmmaker travel expenses for in-person Q&As are underwritten by grants and
donations, including housing offered by generous members and supporters.

TALKBACK PANELS (Free) (General/adult audience)

TalkBack Panels have always been, and will continue to be, an important aspect of our live festivals. These moderated (and recorded) discussions among film experts and the audience focus on different topics each year. Past subjects have included: Filming Activists, Indie Documentary Journalism in the Age of Fake News, and Cinematic Literature, a discussion about cinematic adaptations of literary masterworks. Free recordings are available online.

Filmmaker travel, venue and equipment rental, and artist fees are made possible by grants and donations,
including support from the Ashland Springs Hotel and SOU's Digital Media Center.

OLLI GOES TO AIFF'S FESTIVALS (Participation fee paid to SOU)
(Adults/Retirees)

Since 2015, AIFF has supported SOU's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) courses that prepare audiences for festival films. Participants attend films and join in class discussions before and after the festival. An instructor facilitates discussions on the film's aesthetics and social messages. Freshmen from SOU's Honors College often join an OLLI film class and participate in a discussion for a rewarding inter-generational experience. OLLI has provided an important service to lifelong learners when Covid-19 required our festival to go virtual, assisting in the process of accessing all that AIFF has to offer online. More Information

AIFF staff facilitate film selections and speak to classes.

COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS (Free to general public/adults)

Expert facilitators and special guests hold in-depth conversations with audiences following films. Personal responses to films and possible social action are springboards to conversation.

Costs of room rentals and facilitation fees are underwritten by grants and donations.

Coming in Late 2021

AIFF FILM CENTER EXHIBITIONS, WORKSHOPS, AND CLASSES
(Fees, with some free events) (General public)

AIFF will host skill-building workshops and film history classes, First Friday performances, lectures, and media installations at the new AIFF Film Center on Main Street as soon as health conditions allow.

Rental, instruction fees, scholarships, materials, supplies, and PR & marketing underwritten by grants and donations.

AIFF LEARN GRANTORS AND DONORS

Barbara Roastingear & Henry Oliver III Family Foundation
Gardner Grout Foundation
LGBTQ Juvenile Justice Fund
Emily Simon & Mary Ann Gernegliaro
Raymond Family Foundation
The Herman & Florence Siegel Foundation
&
Individual Donors