BIFF Classroom is a group of programs that have been developed over the last fifteen years, taking the knowledge that the festival has gathered from one year to another and sharing it with a wide array of local students.

One of BIFF’s most effective and respected community outreach programs, KIDS@BIFF has brought thousands of young people together in an effort to teach critical thinking skills related to media by way of independent film. In partnership with KIDS FIRST! (a program of the Coalition for Quality Children’s Media) KIDS@BIFF engages area 5th grade students in discussions of film quality. The 2020 program includes classroom visits from BIFF staff, and a field trip to Central Christian Church theater in Beloit, where students will watch and critique a collection of short films produced especially for Kids.

BIFF is proud to announce two new Classroom additions for 2020: The Student Filmmaker Showcase and the Into the Outdoors Workshop. The Showcase was actually an annual event that was given a rest for a few years, and is being brought back thanks to a grant via the Stateline Community Foundation and Barbara and Tom Morgan. The program will be held at CareerTEk in Beloit under the supervision of Susan Day, with educaitonal direction from Beloit filmmakers, Marjorie and Brenton Driscoll of Peer Canvas. Students will learn screenwriting, smartphone-based camera work, acting, lighting, editing, etc., over a four-week series of sessions, culminating in a BIFF festival screening of all the finished short films, on Wednesday, February 26, 2020 at 6:00 p.m., Bushel & Peck’s. Free to the public, the best of which will receive a mini BIFFy award. (This program is reserved for high school students only)

New BIFF sponsor, Discover Mediaworks will be bringing a crew from its popular television program, Into The Outdoors, to CareerTek in Beloit for a workshop on February 29 starting at 2:00 p.m. Sixty area students will have an opportunity to learn what it’s like to perform in front of a camera, and maybe even have aq shot at hosting a future episode of Into The Outdoors. (This program is designed for kids ages 12-16)

BIFF also reaches out to local seniors and retirees by way of the Beloit College Society for Learning Un-limited (SLU) and the Rock Valley College Center for Learning in Retirement program (CLR), where BIFF staff shares an inside look at how a film festival works, and previews new independent film submissions that foster dialog and provides a unique experience for our older students.

BIFF Classroom is another way in which the festival attempts to give back to the Beloit community and surrounding area. Programs are underwritten through generous support of the organizations and corporations whole logos you see listed below.

The Beloit International Film Festival this year marks its 15th season as the region’s major international cultural event. BIFF is sponsored by the Hendricks Family Foundation and Visit Beloit in association with Beloit College. Support for the Festival comes from area businesses and civic organizations, and the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts. Critical individual support for BIFF is provided through gifts and membership in the BIFF Founders and the Film Society of Beloit.