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European Day of Languages

All About My Mother
All About My Mother
Columbia Tristar

Film represents a valuable tool to support language learning; students will find themselves engaged by the characters, story, and representation of culture as well as absorbing how the language is spoken.

Useful to increase vocabulary and improve pronunciation as well as enhancing listening skills, this selection of films represents the most widely studied Modern Foreign Languages as well as celebrating the film culture of France, Spain and Germany. 

The Red Balloon (Le Ballon Rouge)

CertU

Age group5–15

Duration34 mins

The Red Balloon (Le Ballon Rouge)(1956)

One of the greatest children's films of all time, this much-loved (mostly dialogue-free) French movie is about a young boy and his toy balloon.

This charming, largely non-dialogue classic short film following Pascal and his balloon is a great way to introduce French language learning.

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Ernest and Celestine
Available to stream on Into Film+

CertU

Age group5–12

Duration77 mins

Ernest and Celestine(2012)

A beautiful animation about an unlikely friendship between a big clown bear and a clever orphan mouse, from the makers of A Town Called Panic!

A sweet French film about overcoming differences, this animated film has little dialogue and is easy for young language learners to follow.

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Belle et Sébastien (Belle & Sebastian)

CertPG

Age group12–16

Duration96 mins

Belle et Sébastien (Belle & Sebastian)(2013)

An epic tale of the friendship between a boy and a dog.

Touching on World War Two history as well as French, this adventure story unites an orphaned boy and an abandoned mountain dog as they stand up to the Nazis advancing on their village.

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La Belle Et La Bete

CertPG

Age group8+

Duration99 mins

La Belle Et La Bete(1946)

Inventive and magical French version of the Beauty and The Beast fairy tale, with effects that must be seen to be believed.

This stunningly surreal adaptation of the traditional tale will enchant young viewers, and the familiarity of the classic story will enable deeper engagement with the French language.

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Zarafa
Available to stream on Into Film+

CertPG

Age group8–15

Duration76 mins

Zarafa(2012)

Stunning animation about a young Sudanese boy’s escape from slave traders and his incredible and perilous journey to Paris with an orphaned giraffe.

This gorgeous animation not only aids French language learning but is also a useful resource for Black History Month. Loosely based on real events, it follows a young boy escaped from slave traders who accompanies a giraffe gifted to the king of France.

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Petit Nicolas

CertPG

Age group8–12

Duration88 mins

Petit Nicolas(2009)

A hilarious French comedy about young Nicolas whose parents consider abandoning him in a forest when they learn they are expecting a baby!

Based on the series of children’s books, this film brings to life the point of view of Nicolas, a young boy growing up in 1950s France who often misinterprets the actions of the adults in his world and as a result gets himself and his friends into all sorts of scrapes!

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El Juego (The Game)

CertUnclassified

Age group8–15

Duration5 mins

El Juego (The Game)(2014)

Spanish short film about a young girl playing a game with instructions that become more challenging as she goes on.

This short film centres around a mysterious game where a young girl must follow instructions in order to reveal a secret message. A great watch for pupils to reinforce Spanish vocabulary around directions.

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Max Minsky and Me (Max Minsky und Ich)

CertPG

Age group8–15

Duration94 mins

Max Minsky and Me (Max Minsky und Ich)(2007)

German language comedy about a bookish girl who enlists the help of the boy next door to make it onto her school basketball team.

This gentle German comedy about Nelly, a girl who schemes to meet her hero by making it onto her school basketball team also deals with the issues of growing up, as Nelly faces up to her bat mitzvah.

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Alamar

CertU

Age group8+

Duration70 mins

Alamar(2009)

Unusual and haunting documentary following a fisherman's bid to keep alive the bond with his son despite the distance and culture that divide them.

A beautiful, thoughtfully paced Spanish language film about a young boy who spends the summers with his fisherman father in a remote hut in Mexico. Adjusting to a different pace of life, the boy bonds with his father and grandfather and makes a strong connection to the natural world that surrounds him. With little dialogue, this film is a gentle introduction to the language.

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Valentin

CertPG

Age group8–15

Duration81 mins

Valentin(2002)

Tender-hearted Spanish-language drama about an eight-year-old boy who dreams of becoming an astronaut.

This Argentinian comedy is set in the 1960s and focuses on a young boy who is desperate to have a family just like those of his friends – but his father keeps bringing back women that Valentin isn’t sure will fit the bill as a new mother.

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Pan's Labyrinth
Available to stream on Into Film+

Cert15

Age group15+

Duration118 mins

Pan's Labyrinth(2006)

Outstanding fantasy grounded in a Spanish Civil War setting, about a girl who discovers a magical maze at her ruthless stepfather's remote army base.

This surreal fantasy film set during the turbulent 1930s in Spain reframes the horrors of the civil war through the eyes of a young girl whose nightmares make more sense than the reality that surrounds her.

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All About My Mother
Available to stream on Into Film+

Cert15

Age group15+

Duration99 mins

All About My Mother(1999)

Uplifting tale of Manuela, a mother who decides to relocate to Barcelona after her son's sudden death.

A bereaved mother returns to her hometown to process her grief and reconnect with her past in this moving and vibrant film from Spanish auteur Pedro Almodóvar.

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