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Director/Producer: Chris Farina
A nine-year-old girl reads the letter that she wrote to the parents of a fictional soldier killed in battle. Another student struggles to explain how his propensity for warfare has led to his realization that he is living in a world that Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu described 2500 years ago. World Peace and other 4th Grade Achievements documents these and other important insights as children participate in a program called the World Peace Game in a public school classroom in Charlottesville, Virginia. Their teacher John Hunter developed this exercise during the course of a three-decade teaching career. The film tracks one of his 4th grade classes over a two-month period as the students grapple with issues of war and peace, poverty and prosperity, economic vitality and environmental responsibility. Hunter's story is central to the film, which reveals how one man has utilized his role as a public school educator to make his contribution as a true peacemaker. An African-American educated in the segregated schools of rural Virginia, where his mother was his 4th grade teacher, he was selected by his community to be one of seven students to integrate a previously all-white middle school. After graduation, he traveled extensively to China, Japan and India, and his exposure to the Gandhian principles of non-violence led him to ask what he could do as a teacher to work toward a more peaceful world. Upon becoming an educator Hunter brought his depth of interest and understanding of other cultures to his students. His goal is to teach the students how to be comfortable with the unknown, and how to think and adapt in our ever-changing world. He teaches peace not as a utopian dream, but as an attainable goal worth striving for, and he provides the children with the tools of this work.
Chris Farina is a graduate of the University of Virginia and American University. His first two films, Route 40 and West Main Street, were collaborations with Charlottesville filmmaker Reid Oechslin, and both films are guided by the principle of respect for the individuals portrayed, allowing them to tell the story of their lives and their community. Each film portrays people living and working in familiar American settings that typically receive little media attention. He has also worked with fellow Charlottesville filmmaker and Academy Award winner Paul Wagner on two films, The James River and Angels.
Rosalia Films
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©2010 United Nations Association Film Festival (UNAFF) |
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