Teaching (with) Postwar Cinema Fostering Media Education and Transnational Historical Thinking through Non-fiction Film Heritage

As an invaluable historical source, non-fiction cinema also represents a precious means for history teaching in schools and universities. By studying history with and through the medium of cinema, students can develop essential skills and knowledge in media understanding, that they can apply also to the current mediasphere. This chapter intends to discuss the challenges of teaching history through non-fiction film, fostering critical thinking and a civic sense of belonging; the availability of (film) sources online, and the need to go beyond the model of mere digitization towards one of full-fledged curatorship. It will introduce, as a case study, the rationale and structure of ViCTOR-E’s educational tool kit, and discuss some preliminary tests conducted in Italy and the Czech Republic.