Screen&Discuss Events

“CSFilm is a vital new way for indigenous vision and voices to be seen and heard on the world media stage and in their own communities.” — Nathan Felde, Chair of the Visual Arts Department, Northeastern University

The mission of Screen&Discuss events is to inspire new thinking and action among diverse audiences. Screen&Discuss events are organized by individuals, communities, and organizations with support from Community Supported Film.

See below for upcoming events, examples of previous events and for event organizing tools and resources.

Upcoming Events

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Public Engagement

Organize a Screen&Discuss Event

CSFilm works to stimulate dialogue, inspire new thinking, and motivate action through the use of our films and discussion resources.

  • Whether you are an educator, community organizer, event programmer, or organization planning a campaign, we want to explore ways that our films and discussion resources can be put to work.
  • Whether you are seeking to engage people in discussion about immigrants, refugees, Afghanistan, Haiti, conflict, humanitarian development, gender issues, community organizing, poverty alleviation and more, we have films made by locals and informed by local experience.
  • Discussions are most engaging when local experts and the filmmakers or film subjects are included.
  • CSFilm is always looking for regional and national partners to deepen the reach of the Screen&Discuss campaigns. Please let us know if you have suggestions and connections.

For questions and support please contact us or call (617) 834-7206

Select films by country or topics:

Events typically present a selection of three or four films followed by discussion. The discussion is most engaging when informed by local experts and the filmmakers or film subjects. CSFilm’s discussion model turns the typical Q&A on its head and leads off with questions for the audience about their experience of the films.

You can select films from one of our projects or from a curated selection of topics:

New Immigrant & Refugee Visions

1. US: New Immigrant and Refugee Visions (NIRV) films by and about US immigrants

NIRV events inspire conversation and action among diverse audiences about the immigrant experience in the United States and the resistance to immigrants in some communities.

  • NIRV films
  • NIRV Screen&Discuss Organizing Guide and Resources: A step by step guide to planning and hosting an event, including outreach emails, press releases, flyers, graphics, photos, discussion guide, action toolkit and more.
NIRV Screen&Discuss Topics:
Owning Our Future

2. Haiti: Owning Our Future (OOF) – Haitian Perspectives in Film

OOF events open up discussion about Haiti’s geo-political history, man-made and natural disasters, and what outsiders generally do not hear and see about Haitian-lead economic and social development.

OOF Screen&Discuss Topics:
The Fruits Of Our Labor DVD

3. Afghanistan: The Fruit of Our Labor (TFOL) – Afghan Perspectives in Film

TFOL events stimulate discussion about the needs and issues of Afghans beyond the relentless battlefront coverage of western media. Many audience members realize while watching the films that it is the first time they are hearing from Afghans directly and witnessing their work and daily lives.

TFOL Screen&Discuss Topics:

Attend Event

4. Crosscutting Topics

Organize your Screen&Discuss around crosscutting topics explored from the experience and perspective of the different countries and peoples.  Possible topics include community development, job development, disability issues, gender, culture, education and more.

5. The Messenger is the Message – Transforming News and Views through Local Perspectives

Core to the mission of CSFilm, this presentation presents a selection of films from the Afghan and Haitian-made collections in comparison to reports on similar topics by foreign media. Michael Sheridan, CSFilm’s founder and director, provides detailed analysis of how information about the other is still predominantly produced by a top down, externally directed, self-interested news system.

CSFilm believes that social stability and economic development depend on a well-informed citizenry. Global citizens can not make responsible decisions about political and developmental interventions around the world if they only understand the situations from the outsider’s perspective. 

Above is a TEDx recording of this presentation.  Presentations are best followed by discussion, using break-out groups if the audience is large.

Event Costs

When collaborating with organizations or educational institutions we request that they or their local library purchase a DVD for the institutional price of $250, which includes a public performance license. If the event is private or the DVD is for home use, the recommended price is $25. If filmmakers, subjects and/or CSFilm presenter are requested to participate virtually or in person (which we highly recommend!), we ask for a $200 stipend per participant plus travel expenses.

Funding and Partnership: Many host institutions have partnered with other local organizations to share the costs of including the filmmakers in the events. Partnering with local government or civic organizations (e.g. League of Women Voters, Rotary, faith-based) has also helped to draw an audience which reflects the diversity of opinions about immigrants and immigration.

CSFilm’s primary mission is to get these films seen and discussed as widely as possible. We appreciate your understanding, however, that CSFilm’s filmmaking and public engagement work is underfunded. In all cases it is up to you to determine what you or your organization can afford. CSFilm does not want funding to be an impediment to achieving this goal.