Bring Global Stories to Your Learning Community
Start a SIMA Film Club — a space where documentary films become the spark for dialogue, curiosity, and connection.
SIMA Film Clubs are about seeing clearly, thinking independently, connecting intentionally, and leading courageously.
Explore stories from around the world
Experience powerful documentaries that open your eyes to global perspectives and lived experiences.
Spark meaningful conversations
Facilitate discussions that inspire curiosity, understanding, and thoughtful dialogue.
Build Leadership & Civic Confidence
Gain hands-on experience in facilitation, event hosting, and community engagement.
Create Community Through Cinema
Bring people together around stories that inspire collaboration, reflection, and real-world engagement.
Our Mission
To empower learners to connect global stories to local realities — fostering critical inquiry, media literacy, and civic agency.
“Stories shape how we see the world. SIMA Film Clubs help learners shape it for the better.” — Educator, India
How It Works
SIMA Film Clubs are facilitator- or student-led initiatives. Clubs meet regularly, in person or virtually, to:
- screen short, award-winning documentaries from SIMA Academy’s global collection
- use SIMA facilitation guides for meaningful conversations about film themes and ideas
- connect stories to local context, shared interests, or initiatives
Join a Global Movement
SIMA Film Clubs are active across the U.S., Africa, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. By starting one, you become part of a global network of people using storytelling to transform the way we learn, connect, and lead.
Examples of Student-Led Projects inspired by screenings:
- United States: Town hall on sustainable agriculture and fundraiser for non-GMO farmers.
- Nigeria: Growing Together: Trees and Dreams — 200+ trees planted through arts and climate education.
- India: Student podcast on food safety and consumer rights.
- Sri Lanka: Pens for a Greener Future — recycling 10,000+ pens and supporting women entrepreneurs.
- Hong Kong: Girls Re:generate — a campus campaign on gender equity and domestic violence.
- Germany: FN&N Project — funding a clean water well in Uganda serving 800+ households.
“SIMA’s documentaries have taught me about responsibility, effort, and solidarity. Documentaries provide us with an authentic perspective, one that is exponentially more powerful than simply reading about or listening to a lecture on a culture.”
– Emilio Diez Barroso, Student Film Club Leader, Aiglon College, Switzerland
Recognition & Certification
Film Clubs that activate community initiatives may earn an official SIMA Leadership Certificate by submitting their impact story to the annual SIMA Changemaker Award, — honoring young leaders and educators worldwide for creativity, collaboration, and meaningful real-world impact.
Ready to Start Your Club?
Launch a SIMA Film Club, receive access to dialogue facilitation and planning tools, and bring global stories to your community.
FAQ
Thinking about starting a SIMA Film Club? Here’s everything you need to know.
A SIMA Film Club is a space where stories spark conversation, connection and informed engagement.
Choose powerful short documentaries about the issues that matter to you and use them to spark dialogues, explore perspectives and bring your learning community together around shared ideas.
Film Club leaders build skills in event facilitation, collaboration, critical thinking, and civic agency — and may earn the SIMA Changemaker Award by creating community impact.
As long as your institution is an active SIMA Academy subscriber, any member: educator, students, facilitator – can start a SIMA a film club.
Then you’re ready to get started!
Can’t find your Institution’s Access Code? Ask your administrator.
Contact us here and we’ll send your institution an invitation to join.
SIMA Academy features 300+ award-winning short documentaries from over 140 countries, exploring topics such as climate resilience, technology and society, education, migration, and social innovation.
All films are curated through the SIMA Awards for their storytelling quality and real-world relevance—making them ideal for discussion-based settings. Most titles include filmmaker Q&As, offering additional context and insight to support deeper, more engaging conversations.
You can stream directly via your computer browser, any iOS or Android device with the SIMA Academy App, or choose to connect your device to a projector or TV screen. SIMA Academy is also optimized for in-app downloads, which allows you to stream in low and no Wifi environments. Films can also be shared in virtual environments via screen sharing on platforms such as Zoom, Teams, or similar tools.
Once registered, your club will receive a Welcome Kit that includes:
- A Student Leader Guide with step-by-step setup instructions (adaptable to any facilitator)
- Dialogue facilitation prompts and sample schedules
- Details on participating in the the SIMA Changemaker Award
- Announcement templates to share screening invitations with your learning community
Most clubs meet monthly, but you can set your own schedule — weekly, bi-monthly, or once per term. The important part is creating space for open dialogue and exploration through film.
Each club is encouraged to translate what they learn into creative or community expressions — such as art exhibits, podcasts, or campus initiatives — but the focus is always on connection, understanding, and reflection through storytelling first.
Once you confirm your institution’s SIMA Academy subscription, complete the short form here:
👉 Register Your Film Club
We’re here to support you. Email us at hello@simaacademy.com for questions or guidance. Visit www.simaacademy.com to learn more about SIMA Academy and how to bring it to your institution.
