A staple of the HAL program at GHS is the FilmStreams program. It is run in association with the Omaha-based FilmStreams organization’s Daytime Education Program and provides students with the opportunity to learn “film literacy and critical thinking while expanding appreciation for film as an art form”. This year, with the theater, closed, and the program seemingly dead in the water, HAL facilitator Mr. Rick Arch has had to prepare his own homegrown film appreciation events.
“I think students typically leave learning something new from the film,” Mr. Arch said. “I think they are typically surprised with how good the film is even though they come in with high expectations they leave with a greater appreciation.”
The absence of the field trip aspect, to Downtown Omaha’s Ruth Sokolof theater, has been discouraging to those who have participated in the past. A major draw of the program was the idea of getting out of the building to see a film.
“The discouraging part about this year is the absence of the field trip,” senior Liliana Kinnan said. “Last year I went to the real FilmStreams theatre on a field trip. I really enjoyed going downtown to the local theatre and talking to current film students about the old movie we had just watched. They talked about the background of the film and offered insights on aspects that I hadn’t thought of before.”
Though the burden of choosing the films has now fallen on him. Mr. Arch has tried to pick them in the same style that FilmStreams does. He has chosen movies representing a wide array of interests and obscure categories that he believes will resonate with students.
“The main goal is to expose students to films they might not normally see,” Mr. Arch said. “And to also give an appreciation for film and maybe a look at films in a new light. I try to find enriching programs that will hit students’ various interests.”
His decision appears to be working as more than fifty students have signed up to participate, all of them evenly distributed between the various categories. Students have the opportunity to pick their favorites, but once a showing has filled up students may be forced to choose other options.
“I picked Casablanca and Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb,” junior Connor Ford said. “I thought they looked interesting, and the stories people don’t see often are the interesting ones.”
Even though the FilmStreams program will not return in its usual fashion this year due to the pandemic, quick thinking by Mr. Arch has captured the spirit of this annual favorite HAL program. Slightly back on track, the first showing of Casablanca is set for, Dec. 17.