Description
Get both of our classic titles. Use them individually or in tandem for a more in depth dialog.
SKIN DEEP
A film by Academy Award Nominated director Frances Reid
SKIN DEEP is a 53-minute film that was produced in response to the growing wave of racial hatred and violence in this country. It was made out of the belief that talking about racial issues, both in interracial dialogue and in homogeneous groups, is a necessary first step towards taking action to undo the racial inequalities that permeate our institutions and communities and affect us all deeply as individuals. SKIN DEEP takes the viewer on a journey of dialogue with a group of contemporary college students.
The film explores what happens when culturally diverse students from colleges across the United States start talking candidly with each other about the impact of race on their experience and outlook. Brought together for a weekend retreat the students examine their deeply held attitudes and feelings about race and ethnicity while exploring the barriers to building a society that truly respects diversity and pluralism. Scenes of their participation in group discussions, as well as personal portraits and views of their lives at home and at college, reveal why racial tension persists and suggest ways of overcoming our country’s complex legacy of racial injustice, apathy, and alienation.
TALKING ABOUT RACE
TALKING ABOUT RACE contains two modules, 12 and 13 minutes each, of material excerpted from SKIN DEEP. This tool can be used in settings where time will not allow screening of SKIN DEEP in its entirety.
In Module 1, students from three major American universities candidly share their perspectives. The topics include self-separation of ethnic groups, the climate toward talking about race on campus, discrimination, affirmative action policies, and individual responsibility for change.
In Module 2, students from six major American universities spend three days together to support and challenge one another with openness and candor. The dialog focuses on a variety of topics including the concept of individual responsibility, feeling separated from each other, wanting others to understand and finally, what can be done to move from awareness to action.
TALKING ABOUT RACE and SKIN DEEP may be screened individually or as companion pieces to facilitate more in depth and long-term dialog. Download our discussion guides for both films here: http://www.irisfilms.org/films/skin-deep/sd-and-tar-guides/