The Belcourt education and engagement program is excited to present its third year of Films Forever, a field trip series for high school students in Nashville and surrounding areas.
Teachers of students in grades 9-12 can browse our calendar of high-quality film offerings and register to bring their classes to the Belcourt. Films Forever field trips are from 9:30am to 12:30pm on selected dates. Each field trip event will feature a film introduction and screening, free popcorn and bottled water, and a post-screening discussion. Sessions are led by Belcourt education and engagement staff with occasional guest speakers. Field trips are designed to accommodate classes from multiple schools at the same time. Films Forever field trips are provided at no cost.
Developed by the Belcourt’s education and engagement team with support from local educators, Films Forever aims to support existing curriculum — while building media literacy skills and introducing film language and concepts.
How to register for a Films Forever field trip:
- Review the available films and calendar dates via the link below.
- Complete the linked registration form.
- Once you’ve submitted your form, you’ll get an email confirmation. Then, we’ll follow up approximately two weeks from the event to confirm your head count and share other details.
All groups must register in advance through this form to attend Films Forever Field Trips.
Sign up here for regular email updates on Films Forever — as well as other Belcourt educational offerings including our twice-monthly High School Film Club and the twice-yearly Strong Leads Film Seminar for High School Girls.
Please note that Films Forever is programmed for high school grades 9-12. Additional field trip opportunities for elementary and middle school grades are also available. For questions or to explore opportunities:
Allison Inman
Belcourt Education and Engagement Director
615-846-3150 x20
allison@belcourt.org
Tue, Sep 22
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
Dir. Ang Lee | China | 2000 | 120 min. | PG-13 | In Mandarin with English subtitles
Action/Adventure / Drama / Period Epic / Martial Arts
Two master warriors (Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh) are faced with their greatest challenge when the treasured Green Destiny sword is stolen. The epic story that unfolds is captured with stunning cinematography and aerial feats that defy gravity.
Topics: 19th-century China, martial arts, choreography, Taiwanese cinema, courage, integrity, Asian directors
Tue, Oct 6
PERSEPOLIS
Dir. Marjane Satrapi | France/USA | 2007 | 96 min. | PG-13 | In French and Persian with English subtitles
Animated / Drama / Memoir
Tehran 1978: Eight-year-old Marjane dreams of being a prophet, intent on saving the world. Nurtured by her modern parents and adoring grandmother, she witnesses the downfall of the Shah of Iran’s brutal regime while the new Islamic Republic dictates how citizens dress and act. Marjane, who must now wear the veil, dreams of being a revolutionary.
Topics: Graphic novel adaptation, memoir, coming of age, cultural change, immigration and displacement, rebellion and activism, female directorsy
Tue, Oct 27
STRANGERS ON A TRAIN
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock | USA | 1951 | 101 min. | NR
Thriller / Crime
A psychotic socialite confronts a pro tennis star with a theory on how two complete strangers can get away with murder –– one adulterous wife for one despised father. Soon it becomes apparent the conversation was more than idle chatter.
Topics: Classic Hollywood, Alfred Hitchcock, suspense, surrealism, literary adaptation, mise-en-scène
Thu, Nov 12
TÓTEM
Dir. Lila Alvilés | Mexico/Denmark/France | 2023 | 95 min. | NR | In Spanish with English subtitles
Drama
In a bustling Mexican household, seven-year-old Sol is swept up in preparations for her father’s birthday party. As the day goes on — building to an event both anticipated and dreaded — Sol begins to understand the gravity of this year’s celebration and watches as her family does the same.
Topics: Child as protagonist, grief and loss, family structure, independent filmmaking, Mexican life in film, female directors
Thu, Dec 3
LITTLE WOMEN
Dir. Greta Gerwig | USA | 2019 | 135 min. | PG
Drama / Romance
Drawing from both the classic novel and the personal writings of Louisa May Alcott, writer-director Greta Gerwig’s LITTLE WOMEN unfolds with Alcott’s alter ego, Jo March, reflecting back and forth on her fictional life as a young adult.
Topics: Authorship, coming of age, sisterhood, societal restraints, independence, literary adaptation, female directors
Thu, Jan 28
CODED BIAS
Dir. Shalini Kantayya | USA | 2020 | 90 min. | NR
Documentary
In this documentary, a MIT researcher – a “poet of code” – campaigns for algorithmic justice after discovering facial-recognition software does not accurately identify darker-skinned faces or the faces of women.
Topics: artificial intelligence, systemic racism, computer engineering, technology ethics, female directors
Thu, Feb 11
WEST SIDE STORY
Dirs. Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins | USA | 1961 | 152 min. | NR
Musical / Drama / Romance
This classic, multiple Oscar-winning musical reimagines Romeo and Juliet in its story of star-crossed love blooming during a turf war between rival street gangs in ’60s NYC.
Topics: Shakespeare adaptations, musical theater, forbidden love, racial prejudice, depictions of race on film, immigration and the American dream, gang violence
Wed, Feb 24
SELMA
Dir. Ava DuVernay | USA | 2014 | 128 min. | PG-13
Historical drama
Ava DuVernay’s film dramatizes a turning point in civil rights history, chronicling Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. This essential American history film received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.
Topics: American history, the Civil Rights Movement, community organizing, resistance, resilience, media representation, Black female directors
Thu, Mar 11
BLACK ORPHEUS
Dir. Marcel Camus | Franc/Brazil/Italy | 1959 | 107 min. | NR | In Portuguese with English subtitles
Musical / Romance
With its magnificent color photography and lively soundtrack, Marcel Camus’s retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice against the madness of Carnival in Rio de Janeiro brought the infectious sounds of samba and bossa nova to the world and is a must-see on the big screen.
Topics: Greek mythology, working-class Afro-Brazilian life, bossa nova music, surrealism, exoticism, critical film re-evaluation
Tue, Mar 30
PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK
Dir. Peter Weir | Australia | 1975 | 107 min. | NR
Mystery / Drama
Based on the acclaimed 1967 novel by Joan Lindsay, PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK is a stirring chronicle of the disappearance of an intimate group of young women from an all-female college during a St. Valentine’s Day outing and the mysterious event’s lingering aftermath.
Topics: Nature, repression, colonialism, mystery, wealth, class, gossip, scandal
Thu, May 6
STOP MAKING SENSE
Dir. Jonathan Demme | USA | 1984 | 88 min. | PG
Music / Concert
Director Jonathan Demme’s creative genius and the Talking Heads’ explosive energy throughout this 16-song performance make this one of the greatest concert films of all time.
Topics: Creativity, art/set design, building a narrative through performance, satire, video art, resisting commercialism
A note about content: Important films often include content that may be challenging for some students. While we are happy to offer guidance on sensitive subjects, educators are responsible for determining whether a given film is appropriate for their students. We recommend reading about films’ content on Common Sense Media and IMDB.
For all questions about Films Forever logistics and films, contact Belcourt Education and Engagement Director Allison Inman at allison@belcourt.org.
