Emagine Entertainment Inc., a luxury theater operator based in Troy with locations throughout Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, has announced a new partnership with Detroit’s Folktellers Studios to create the Storytelling for Literacy Program, encouraging reading and visual literacy for elementary school children.
Folktellers, a full production studio, will launch the program as part of its new Fantasy Film Series, where teachers and students watch a classic fantasy film while being provided Storytelling for Literacy kits to use in their classrooms.
“Our Storytelling for Literacy Program encourages both reading and visual literacy by providing free books to students and teachers in every program kit, while allowing them to use these stories to create their own movie trailers,” says Stephen Sadler, executive producer at Folktellers.
The program will be piloted in Michigan this fall with plans to expand to other Emagine locations across the Midwest. The program is free for participating schools, with funding coming from the donations of corporate sponsors.
Demonstrating a new approach toward family entertainment, the partnership represents a new distribution model for the film and television industry to screen television shows and motion pictures theatrically, in addition to streaming.
“Kids will get to read the wonderful stories and watch classic, family-friendly films in our theatres,” says Paul Glantz, founder and chairman of Emagine. “Then, they get to create their own book-inspired videos to be screened at an award ceremony later in the year at Emagine. It’s a real innovative way to engage with children and families promoting growth and learning, which is vitally important to us at Emagine.”
Susan Weatherhead, director of corporate and community partnerships at Folktellers, says: “This program offers a powerful intersection where businesses and educators can align with us to inspire meaningful learning opportunities both in and out of the classroom. We now have a fun, engaging way to positively impact our communities, starting with our school-age children.”
To learn more about the Storytelling for Literacy Program, click here.
To learn more about Emagine Entertainment, click here.