Founded in 2000 by BFS media teacher Andy Cohen, the Bridge Film Festival is a celebration of Quaker ideals in action. The all-day Festival screens short films and public service announcements created by students in grades 5-12 at Quaker schools and Friends Meetings worldwide. The goal of the Festival is to promote values-based filmmaking and to broaden dialogue on topics such as integrity, equality, non-violence, and social justice. Participating films include a wide range of genres including animation, documentaries, narratives, music videos, and public service shorts.
Among the schools represented in the 2008 Festival were Brooklyn Friends School, George School (Newtown, PA), Cambridge Friends School (Cambridge, MA), Delaware Valley Friends School (Paoli, PA), Friends Central School (Philadelphia, PA), Tandem Friends School (Charlottesville, VA), Oakwood Friends School (Poughkeepsie, NY), and Friends schools in Canada, England, and Lebanon.
A panel of three judges provides an immediate and constructive critique of the finalist films screened at the Festival. The screenings are followed by a brief intermission and then a talk with a Featured Filmmaker. Past Featured Filmmakers have included documentary director Shola Lynch, and actresses S. Epatha Merkerson and Anika Noni Rose.
Students who attend the all-day festival may also choose to register for four workshops during the day—Digital Media Challenge, Cell Animation, Video Blogging, and Flash with Animation.