The KineDok School film clubs project in the Czech republic continues

The aim of this project is to offer students and teachers a new form of leisure activity for students that has an interconnection with the curriculum. School film clubs are designed to broaden students' horizons, as documentaries have the added value of raising questions, emotions and the need for thinking. With KineDok, students and teachers can attend free screenings of films on a wide range of topics, as well as participate in discussions and other activities. School film clubs are designed to foster an inspiring environment for student creativity and can also help in the choice of further studies or careers.

At the beginning of 2021, thanks to the winnings of the ČSOB pomáhá regionům programme, we expanded the project for students in the Ústí nad Labem region. Currently, the project is operating in 5 schools (Gymnázium a Střední odborná škola ekonomická Sedlčany, Gymnázium Josefa Jungmanna v Litoměřicích, Gymnázium T. G. Masaryka v Litvínově, Gymnázium Teplice a Scholas Humanitas v Litvínově). Despite the fact that most of the activities have been online so far due to covid restrictions, the response of students is positive according to the teachers. Students widely watch the recommended films and actively participate in the discussions. This is also why we have decided to continue with the project and we are looking forward to the live meetings as well.

In October, four workshops for students on the topic of propaganda and documentary will be held. The first will take place on October 5th at the Gymnázium Josefa Jungmanna v Litoměřicích for the Social Sciences seminar, which is attended by 25 students and other volunteers. The second will take place on October 6th at the Gymnázium Teplice for two classes of the Film and Literature seminar, which covers everything from fiction to documentary. The next two workshops will take place on October 20th for students of the Gymnázium T. G. Masaryka v Litvínově a Scholas Humanitas v Litvínově.

For students, the documentary Town Of Glory will be screened. The documentary uses the story of three generations of local homesteaders to depict everyday life in a small Russian town where the trauma of war still lingers, turning into hatred of the "fascist" West.

The lecturer of the first two workshops will be filmmaker, teacher and graduate of FAMU in Prague Kateř Tureček. She works with human rights organisations, Česká televize, Český rozhlas and various news websites. Her work deals with taboo topics. Her films include The Strip (2015), an intimate look at her relationship with a stripper, Illusion (2018), in which she maps contemporary Hungary using formal elements from computer games, and Why Do I Feel Like a Boy? (2019), which explores the newly discovered trans identity of 16-year-old Ben.

The aim of KineDok is to bring the most interesting Central and Eastern European documentaries to the audience through alternative distribution, i.e. screenings in non-traditional spaces such as cafés, bars, churches or schools. If you too know a high school where KineDok School film clubs could operate, be sure to let us know!