High school students in New Denver, BC. Photo courtesy of Reel 2 Real.

The Reel 2 Real International Film Festival for Youth runs at Vancity theatre until April 20. This year’s festival goes from country to country in order to give audiences images not usually seen in Vancouver.

“Movies are the best way to teach children what the living is [like] in different countries and cultures,” says Venay Felton, the director of the Reel 2 Real festival. She says movies make it easy to give insights into different communities, parts and cultures either in Canada or abroad.

Alex Gist, manager of youth education programs at the YWCA Metro Vancouver agrees that films and documentaries are useful tools in teaching. However, he emphasizes the importance of analysis and discussion after the movies.

“Films and documentaries are useful tools in teaching children essential analytical and critical thinking skills, but they are only a tool and in order to be a quality educational tool, they should always be followed by some form of analysis and discussion,” says Gist. “With proper guidance, quality films can teach children numerous things including story telling, fact versus fiction, their feelings about society, and the world at large.”

Movies selected in this year’s festival bring important issues to the forefront such as class differences and finding your own identity.
“[These] movies deal with the same issues kids do. At some point all children [face] issues of who they are and where they fit,” says Felton.

Gist agrees with Felton that the media can reflect what children are experiencing in life. Yet, he often worries that youth are spending more time interacting with the media than they are with real life and he feels that more needs to be done in order to prepare youth and educate them in their consumption of video games, music and movies.

”Media literacy has never been more relevant than it is today,” says Gist. “Far too much time is being spent by our youth in front of screens. They [youth] need to develop the skills to properly decipher the media and know exactly what it is that they are consuming – to understand the complex messages and images that are shown and become aware of the messages that advertisers and/or media producers are conveying,” he adds.

“Ultimately, they need help learning how to critically think for themselves about all the media they consume.”
According to Felton, the best way to teach critical thinking towards movies and television shows is to give the kids a camera and let them make their own movies.

Gist, on the other hand, says that children should not be left entirely alone in their consumption and creation of media. He expects parents to take part in teaching media literacy to their children.

”Parents should watch television, movies, and internet clips with their children and engage them in an open and honest discussion about what they are watching,” he says.

The Reel 2 Real International Festival for Youth runs from April 13–20. For more information, visit: www.r2rfestival.org