Primary Times - the definitive what’s on and where to go family guide of activities and events for children of primary school age. Things to do with your kids during the school holidays including arts and craft activities, music and theatre for children, parties, competitions, days out, and family attractions along with term time drama schools, dance classes, after school clubs and sports activities. Things to do at a place near you!
INTO FILM Festival Returns with 3000 FREE Screenings and Events
Taking place from 8th – 24th November 2017
“I cannot state how wonderful this experience was for my pupils...I felt honoured to be able to take some of these children to the cinema for the first time. I believe this is a trip which they will remember and think back on for a very long time. I teach in a deprived area and this trip was very special for staff and pupils alike.” Teacher, Into Film Festival 2016
For three weeks this Autumn teachers can take students to the cinema for free and use the magic of film to engage young minds in a broad range of topics at the Into Film Festival www.intofilm.org/festival – the world’s biggest youth film festival – which opens with an exclusive Preview screening of star-studded sequal Paddington 2 at London’s Cineworld Leicester Square.
From November 8th to 24th a packed and varied programme of 3000 free screenings and events for 5-19 year-olds, many linked to topical themes or subjects in the curriculum, seeks to creatively involve 500,000 young people and educators from all backgrounds and corners of the UK in watching and making films, some for the first time.
Hosted by Into Film, the annual celebration of film and education, made possible by support from the BFI, Cinema First, a wide collaboration with UK cinema industry partners and delivery partners National Schools Partnership, will build on the success of last year’s festival, which saw over 470,000 young people and educators attend. With support from all the major UK cinema chains and venues ranging from the British Library, the V&A, the BFI Southbank and Pinewood Studios to a secret bunker in Scotland, a farm in Wales, and an Ark in Northern Ireland, the Festival provides access to the big screen at its best, including IMAX screens and the 3D and 4D experience.
The thought-provoking programme will offer a range of stories curated with six themes in mind. The selected film titles will address representation of diversity, and explore the many ways we can and do effect change, the value and innocent joy of creative play, what it’s like to be a young person growing up in the modern world, and topical issues such as bullying, immigration, war and the environment.
Film titles will include Blockbuster premieres alongside classics and hidden gems from the archive, spanning modern foreign language to animation to films adapted from books and plays. Mapped against curricula from across the four nations and regions, and supported by the Festival’s various educational resources, learnings from these titles can be applied to a wealth of subject areas at screenings and back in the classroom. A review writing competition will offer additional possiblibites for using the Into Film Festival to support literacy and critical thinking.
Q&A’s with filmmakers including big names from across the industry, and talks by notable speakers on themes ranging from animation and reviewing to copyright, film classification and careers in the film industry, will offer further personal development opportunities for all 5 – 19 year olds. Special screenings will be on offer to support calendar events such as Anti-Bullying Week and Parliament Week, taking place during the Festival’s duration.
Accessibility and inclusivity are key aims of the Festival with over half of the programme offered as audio-described, subtitled or autism-friendly.
In a survey of teachers who attended last year, 94% of teachers said the Festival activities were useful in helping to deliver the curriculum, 94% of teachers felt the Festival activities were valuable in terms of the broader education of young people and 82% of teachers said that the Festival has made them more likely to use cinema visits to support the delivery of the curriculum.
“I have been booking places at the Into Film Festival for three years now and the children have a great experience that they recall throughout the year. If teachers book early they can plan to transform this enthusiasm into a wide range of learning experiences in the second half of the Autumn term.” Andrew Denton, Meadows Primary
“We LOVE the Into Film Festival! Thank you for programming films my pupils would not normally see!” Sophie Bradford, Teacher
The Into Film Festival 2017 will take place from 8th-24th November. Bookings will go live exclusively for Into Film Club leaders on Wednesday 6 September, and for all other educators on Thursday 7 September. All events and screenings are free. For information visit www.intofilm.org/festival