Educational Resources

This spring students were challenged to create a multimedia piece that illustrates how they were inspired by a SIMA film. Through the Arab World Spotlight Challenge, students had the opportunity to reflect on how these films connect to their daily lives or break stereotypes about the Arab world.

QFI partnered with SIMA Classroom to provide educators with free access to a set of 14 short films depicting the richness and diversity of the Arab world that can be used in classrooms worldwide. Curated as the Arab World Spotlight Playlist (AWS), QFI and SIMA Classroom aim to empower students to investigate the world, recognize perspectives, communicate ideas and act. In addition to free access to the AWS films, teachers also had access to storytelling resources and lesson plans. ​

Journeys in Film harnesses the storytelling power of film to educate the most visually literate generation in history. Most of the critical issues that the United States faces today are international in their scope and complexity, and our abilities as a nation to meet these challenges will be strengthened by a greater understanding of our global interdependence. Aligned with various prominent national initiatives, Journeys in Film believes that helping America’s youth develop this kind of worldview and understanding should be a primary 21st century educational goal. Our educational program has proven to be effective in connecting cultures, broadening world-views, teaching for global competency and building a new paradigm for best practices in education.

“Trench Blues,” is John Bray’s story about going to war in 1917 at 28. He tells of his experiences aboard ship while worrying about German submarines below the waves. He then describes how it felt in his “home in the trenches, living in a big dugout” of being among “40,000 called out to drill,” and going to Belgium. Listeners should be aware that he uses a pejorative word for African Americans in the song (the “n” word).