Yesterday I had my annual Sundance Film Festival field trip which is always a hit with the students. I actually had several students ask me about it at the beginning of the school year and I had a group of students who have gone with me all three years (they asked if they could come next year even though they are graduating). Being able to take my students to see a film is always a highlight of the festival for me and I am so grateful that the Sundance Institute, with support from the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation, provides these free screenings for students every year! I derive so much enjoyment from the arts and it means so much to me to be able to share that with my students. The film that we got to see this year was The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind which tells the true story of how a boy was able to save his entire village in Malawi during a severe drought by building a windmill to create electricity to power a water pump to irrigate the crops. I really loved this film because, not only is it incredibly life-affirming, it also has a powerful message about the importance of education. William (Maxwell Simba) is not allowed to attend school because his parents can no longer pay the fees but he sneaks into the school library every day to learn how to create electricity. Simba is incredibly endearing and sympathetic in the role and there were times when I had tears in my eyes (so did my students), especially when he tries to convince his Dad (Chiwetel Ejiofor) to give up his bicycle to use for parts. This film is Ejiofor's directorial debut and he was there for a Q & A afterwards. My students were very taken with him and asked some great questions. They loved the film as much as I did and talked about it the whole way back to school on the bus. It was a really great experience for both me and my students.
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