Ignite Lasting Change with Community Film Events

Thank you for your continued support of SIMA! We’re excited to share our most recent updates from each of our programs with you.

SIMA AWARDS UPDATES:

Fresh from the announcement of our SIMA Awards 2018 in February, we’re already putting plans in place to launch SIMA Awards 2019. We will officially open for submissions from social impact features, shorts and virtual reality experiences in September 2018. We look forward to reviewing the impactful submissions!

SIMA CLASSROOM UPDATES:

SIMA Classroom brings social impact education to students around the world with a curated platform of short films and virtual reality experiences. We now serve 171 schools and organizations reaching over 41,000 students in 26 countries. Thanks to your support we have been able to continue providing SIMA Classroom for free to at least 90% of participating educators.

The power of introducing social impact film into classrooms is evident in the reactions we receive from students. Here is a snapshot of feedback from schools in the USA and Morocco following a screening of SUNFLOWER SEEDS, a documentary that follows young Syrian refugees trying to make a new life in Greece:

“It is a film that needs to be watched because it highlights an issue that often doesn't get discussed: life after the move of a refugee. It's necessary for us to know about conflict in the world so that we know where needs must be met.”

“I liked the message that it was showing about how refugees are sometimes treated differently.”

“I would say you are going to watch something that will change your whole view on your life, because in this documentary you can't help but compare and contrast your lifestyle with theirs.”

The SIMA Classroom platform continues to grow with new films and resources. We have added 14 new short documentaries and virtual reality experiences, selected from the finalists and winners of the 2018 Social Impact Media Awards. These films represent a diverse range of social impact issues, and use a wide range of of cinematic styles and formats to tell dynamic stories about the world around us.

With subjects ranging from the noise pollution in the quietest part of North America, to the daily lives of those who work at the Perma gold mine, to the impact of a yo-yoing subculture in gang riddled East Baltimore, these films are wonderful examples of the role of film in social impact education and representation. 

TRAVELING SERIES UPDATES:

We continue to work with our network partners to bring SIMA films to communities around the world.

On April 13th, SIMA Screening Partner The Skirball Center welcomed almost 200 ninth through twelfth grade students, along with their teachers and chaperones, for a second installment of a Short Film & Dialogue Program. SIMA provided the short documentaries SO YOU THINK YOU CAN VOTE, WHY WE MARCH, MEDIAOCRACY, RUN REP RUN!, AND RIO EU AMO EN CUDIO, outfitting the program’s focus on Art and Activism.

SIMA RAMA UPDATES:

SIMA RAMA is our monthly online film club for impact cinema. Each month we bring together a documentary, live podcast, bonus features and unique ways to take collective action.

This March we watched A WORLD NOT OURS, a passionate, bittersweet account of one family's multi-generational experience living as permanent refugees. Now a Danish resident, director Mahdi Fleifel grew up in the Ain el-Helweh refugee camp in southern Lebanon, established in 1948 as a temporary refuge for exiled Palestinians. Today, the camp houses 70,000 people and is the hometown of generations of Palestinians. The filmmaker's childhood memories are surprisingly warm and humorous, a testament to the resilience of the community. Yet his yearly visits reveal the increasing desperation of family and friends who remain trapped in psychological as well as political limbo. Jennifer Geist, Educator and founder of Zeitgeist Creations moderated the compelling and informative Impact Talk on the subject of protracted refugee situations featuring Patrick Campbell, Producer of A WORLD NOT OURS and Bill Frelick, director of Human Rights Watch's refugee program. Visit the A World Not Ours Film Page from the SIMA RAMA archive to watch or listen to the Impact Talk.

In April we learned about political corruption and genocide in Guatemala with BURDEN OF PEACE, which follows Guatemala’s first female Attorney General Claudia Paz y Paz in her fight against impunity. After taking office Claudia obtains spectacular results and many high level arrests are made. But her determination encounters strong resistance from powerful elites that have up to then felt above the law. Burden of Peace allows us to witness her battle against corruption, impunity, crime bosses and former political leaders responsible for genocide. The wonderful Jennifer Geist of Zeitgeist Creations again moderated a compelling Impact Talk, this time about institutionalized violence and women in politics featuring BURDEN OF PEACE Director, Joey Boink and Sandra Pepera, Director for Gender Women and Democracy for the National Democratic Institute. Visit the Burden of Peace Film Page from the SIMA RAMA archive to watch or listen to the Impact Talk.

This month we are streaming THANK YOU FOR THE RAIN, a cinematic story exploring climate justice. Five years ago Kisilu, a Kenyan farmer, started to use his camera to capture the life of his family, his village and the damages of climate change. When a violent storm throws him and a Norwegian filmmaker together we see him transform from a father, to a community leader and activist on the global stage. The Impact Talk about resilience and the heroes of climate justice features director of the film Julia Dahr, along with Emily Wanja, Impact Producer for the film, Director of the Climate Justice Resilience Fund, Heather McGray, and expertly moderated by Independent Journalist Paula Adhiambo Rogo. Watch or listen to the Impact Talk here.

Join us for June SIMA RAMA to watch SALAM NEIGHBOR, a timely reflection on the Syrian Refugee Crisis. In July we will feature THE WELL, a strong photographic narrative that brings attention to indigenous water management practices in the Horn of Africa, followed by ALBATROSS in August, a striking meditation on the North Pacific bird demonstrating the tragic impact of man-made pollution on nature, which is simultaneously a deep expression of beauty and love for life on earth.

As always, thank you for your invaluable contributions to helping us scale social impact through visual storytelling worldwide.

With warmth and gratitude from the SIMA Team.