On the evening of Monday, April 16, SAR High School is hosting the Contemporary Issues Film Festival, a festival committed to developing empathy and mutual understanding in our communities. SAR is partnering with The (Dis)honesty Project and LUNAFEST® because of the shared belief that by seeing and discussing exceptional filmmaking, we will achieve more open and honest communication. A microgrant from The Jewish Education Project is funding the festival.

Using film shorts, SAR HS students in the literature and film class will engage the audience about current issues in the Jewish and modern world. These topics include mental illness in film, easter eggs in film, an analysis of crime in film, it’s funny because it’s true!, hip hop x film, learning values from Torah vs. learning values from film and women in film.

(Dis)honesty—The Truth About Lies is a feature-length educational documentary that reveals how and why people lie. As will be discussed after the screening, the film connects personal stories, expert opinions and human behavioral experiments.

LUNAFEST® films highlight women as leaders in society, illustrated through nine short films by women filmmakers. The films range from animation to fictional drama, and cover topics such as women’s health, body image, relationships, cultural diversity and breaking barriers. The post-screening discussion will examine connections between the films.

Because of its emphasis on art’s capacity to cultivate empathy, SAR believes the film festival will greatly benefit its students, and it dovetails with some of the goals of the English curriculum. In light of this, the English department is committed to encouraging its students to attend, and will offer extra credit opportunities to students who write about their experience. The Contemporary Issues Film Festival is open to the public, so spread the word about this unique opportunity for student-directed learning.