The Power of Movies to Make Momentous Change

Maty Thiane was a 14-year-old teenager from Senegal when she was uprooted from all she knew and loved and moved to the United States. Feeling isolated and struggling with the language barrier, Thiane found solace and understanding in the world of film. In April of 2023, she completed the California Film Institute’s My Place My Story Educational Program, a free five-day workshop where students create personal short films, supported by professionals. It was life-changing for Thiane.

Before making the film, Thiane says, “I felt so uncomfortable talking to people, and I’m a talkative person.” But after spending time in the nonprofit institute’s momentous program and making her film, Thiane found new purpose in her daily life. “Now, I have to keep my head up and be myself and stop being scared. I can spend a whole day seeing new people trying to help them and they give me confidence.”

The California Film Institute (CAFILM), based in San Rafael, was founded in 1978 to celebrate film as art and education. While California has recently made strides in upping the arts budget at public schools, nearly 90% of California schools fail to meet state-mandated arts education requirements. “CAFILM Education fills that void,” says Chief Development Officer Liana Bender. “We are a catalyst for meaningful change and action within a traditional school curriculum, particularly when arts education has been declining the most in low-performing, low-income schools.”

CAFILM offers wide-ranging core programs: From its year-round programming at the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center and Sequoia Cinema, to its annual, world-renowned Mill Valley Film Festival and DocLands Documentary Film Festival, to its innovative CAFILM Education Program.

CAFILM’s Education Program, which reaches 15,000 students and teachers each year, offers free programs ranging from teen health and wellness, environmental series, spanish language festivals, and documentary-based programs. 

“Young people are consuming and creating media on a daily basis, and their voices should be shared more widely and taken more seriously,” says Bender. “CAFILM Education programs help students become more effective and informed media consumers and creators, and more empathic global citizens.” 

Its mission is to show students in grades K-12 how important film is in teaching tolerance and empathy and broadening their understanding of the world around them. 

For Maty Thiane, shooting her short film Before and After at CAFILM not only broadened her understanding of the world, but it broadened her life when she needed it most. Moving to the United States was “the hardest thing I have been through in my life,” says Thiane. Her filmmaking journey has inspired her to set up a club supporting newly arrived immigrant students in Marin County, so she can offer a place for them to feel safe and understood.

Across borders, prejudices, languages, and ages, the magic of film connects us all.