The Coronado Island Film Festival, in partnership with Jonathan Mosier, is proud to announce the first season of an exciting new CIFF program aimed specifically at high school and college youth. The Classic Films for Students Program will screen and host guided discussions of eight great classic films made during Hollywood’s Golden Age at the Vintage Village Theater.

Two objectives will guide the program:

To develop in young people the discernment needed to understand dramatic cinematographic narratives. Because movies use so many meanings, classic movies are among the most powerful genres of visual storytelling. The program will share with young people classic films, made by recognized masters of cinema, as they were to be seen, in community, on the big screen; Guided discussions about these great films promise to make this film studies program exciting and memorable.

The second objective is to challenge young people to analyze dramatic film narratives using prototypical ethical truths. Every dramatic story is, in its essence, a story of redemption. Great stories incorporate an introduction, a protagonist, an antagonist, and a form of conflict. Great stories end when these conflicts are resolved. This general narrative pattern is followed, in various forms, in nearly every classic film made during Hollywood’s Golden Age. Conflict resolution in classic movies is characterized by altruism, virtue, and the well-rewarded; selfishness, vice and evil are thwarted.

The first annual Coronado Classic Film Study program will begin in February 2022 and will run for four consecutive months until the end of May 2022. The program will screen 2 films per month alternately on Saturday mornings at Coronado’s Village Theater from 9-11:30 am.

CIFF’s Coronado Classic Film Studies program is open to interested middle and high school students attending local public schools, charter or parochial schools, and homeschoolers. A special curriculum will be made available to home students to document completion of the program as an optional drama and/or film appreciation course. The program is based on the lifelong work of Dr. Onalee McGraw, founder of the Educational Guidance Institute (EGI). McGraw’s Classic Film Study Guides have been used successfully with young audiences across the country from a wide variety of demographics and cultural backgrounds.

“Film is such a powerful tool for fostering conversations and debates on relevant and timely topics,” says Merridee Book’s Executive Director, “Screening classic films provides historical context and critical thinking skills, two very important elements in establishing the ability to articulate perspectives and ideas as these students grow into adulthood, and they are simply brilliant films that everyone should see!”

The degree program was made possible with seed funding from a community grant from the City of Coronado. To register for the program and see the full list of films and dates, please visit www.coronadofilmfest.com. Registration must be in the student’s name. The Student Classic Film Program series pass and individual screening tickets will be charged at a nominal price to defer program expenses. Scholarships are available on request to accommodate students with financial difficulties, please contact [email protected] with any questions. If an educator or school would like to register a group of students, please contact Mosier for more information at [email protected]