(various directors, US 1972-1986, 106 min., 16mm)
Teaching films, industrial films, and short documentaries have been around in 35mm, 28mm, and 16mm for over a century, but they hit their peak when schools would regularly bring 16mm projectors into the classroom to complement instruction with audio-visual components. Sometimes they had to do with safety or personal hygiene, but these films were also ultimately used to explore scientific principles, historical events, home economics, or sensitive subjects that were uncomfortable for teachers to talk about. This six-film program, culled from donations from Monroe County’s Board of Cooperative Education Services, provides a sample of these films across that period. Revealing the titles might spoil that special feeling students got from seeing a projector wheeled into the room, or seeing it sitting in the middle of the floor when they entered, but trust that this will be an unforgettable, and educational, evening.