Into Film Clubs
Find out everything you need to know about starting an Into Film Club.
Looking for thematic days to link to your lessons? Our termly Calendar Dates round-ups highlight the most significant days on the horizon, and provide useful links and resources to help you explore them using film in your classroom.
From a wide selection of film titles available for free* with the Into Film+ streaming service, to brand new resources, delve into some key dates throughout the remainder of 2024, including Black History Month, World Mental Health Day, and Recycle Week.
Below, we've covered the main dates coming up across the 2024 autumn/winter term to help you plan and structure your lessons ahead of the winter break. As always, the information and links below are an easy, at-a-glance way of knowing what's coming up, but we'll also be exploring many in more detail closer to the dates themselves.
The new school year
With schools across the UK returning for a new academic year in August and September, our Back to School: Transition assembly helps educators support young people with the transition between primary and secondary school. Plus, our Transform Your Teaching with Film online course is perfect for teachers wanting to bring a fresh approach to their classroom, and it only takes 30 minutes to complete.
September
International Literacy Day (8 September)
Celebrated since 1967, the annual International Literacy Day aims to remind policy-makers, practitioners, and the public of the critical importance of literacy in creating a more literate, just, peaceful, and sustainable society. This year's theme is Promoting multilingual education: Literacy for mutual understanding and peace.
Our online training opportunities for teachers include Teaching Literacy Through Film and Filmmaking for Primary Literacy, which can help you support young people to engage with literacy in a unique and creative way. Meanwhile, a Raising Literacy Through Film - Level 1 webinar is taking place on 24 September - enrol now to explore exciting approaches to teach literacy through film and find a range of engaging activities to try out with your learners.
Roald Dahl Story Day (13 Sept)
Roald Dahl Story Day is an annual global celebration of Roald Dahl's marvellous stories, characters and worlds, from Matilda to Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. We were delighted to have Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical open the 2022 Into Film Festival, and the musical extravaganza is available to stream now with Into Film+, while our recent Wonka: Pure Imagination resource is a learning sequence that calls on young inventors to apply their entrepreneurial flair in planning and pitching their own marvellous chocolate creations.
Youth Mental Health Day (19 September)
Organised by stem4, the UK's leading digital mental health charity for children and young people, Youth Mental Health Day this year has the theme of #ControlYourScroll, which aims to equip young people with the simple digital hacks and mental health strategies needed for a positive and safe online experience.
Our Coming of Age: Online and Offline resource uses the film Eighth Grade to encourage learners to consider themes of public image, online personas, identity, comparisons and anxiety, and the potential negative impact of media images on body image and confidence.
European Day of Languages (26 September)
Marked annually via the European Commission, this day celebrates he rich linguistic diversity of Europe, as well as linguistic diversity as a tool for achieving greater intercultural understanding, and the importance of lifelong language learning for everyone. This year's theme is Language for Peace.
Our European Day of Languages resource encourages learners to ask and answer questions about films that reflect different cultures and ways of life around the world, while our Modern Foreign Languages film list offers a selection of titles that will see learners engaged by characters, stories, and representations of different cultures, as well as absorbing how their languages are spoken.
October
Black History Month (October)
This year's theme for Black History Month is Reclaiming Narratives, and marks a significant shift towards recognising and correcting the narratives of Black history and culture.
The latest in our Black Filmmakers series focuses on the work of Amma Asante, award-winning director of films such as Belle and A United Kingdom. Particularly relevant for this year's theme, our Coming of Age: Perception vs Reality resource helps young people consider their pre-conceived ideas surrounding stereotypes of race, age and social background, using film clips to spark classroom discussion with an eye to reconsidering these notions.
Our online courses One-Shot Filmmaking for Primary and One-Shot Filmmaking for Secondary can support teachers to use filmmaking as a way to share untold stories or correct historical inaccuracies to reflect the Reclaiming Narratives theme.
Meanwhile, our Black Lives Matter page houses all of our films, resources and articles related to this crucial area.
World Mental Health Day (10 October)
This year's theme is It is Time to Prioritize Mental Health in the Workplace.
Explore our Mental Wellbeing page to find all of our films, resources and articles around this crucial topic. Of particular relevance are our Digital Wellbeing (11-16) and I'm the One - Health and Wellbeing resources, which use youth-made shorts to explore mental health, anti-bullying, prejudice and acceptance.
In addition, our Making a Wellbeing Short Film resource can be used to support young people through the process of making their own mental health short film in order to articulate ideas about what mental health means to them.
Beyond that, our Mindfulness Through Film online training course can give real insight into how film watching and filmmaking can be used to introduce mindfulness principles and exercises into the classroom - and also provides strategies that teachers can use to manage their own mental wellbeing.
Recycle Week (14 - 20 October)
This year's theme Rescue Me, which focuses on rescuing recyclable items from heading to the rubbish bin.
You can use our free resource, Our Generation vs Climate Change to explore themes of climate change, consumption, recycling, green initiatives, net zero, sustainability, and more, while our The Environment and Climate Change film list provides a wealth of titles that explore the natural world and our complex, ever-changing relationship with it.
In addition, our Sustainability Through Film course will help you explore how film can engage learners in important conversations about sustainability, and empower them to amplify their voices on what matters to them most through filmmaking.
Hallowe'en (31 October)
As the spooky season approaches, why not skip the 'trick' and just treat your learners to a playlist filled with depictions of all kinds of monsters - from the scary, to the cute and cuddly - and explore the multi-faceted nature of some monsters and how they're depicted in film.
In addition, our Hallowe'en and Horror film list provides even more spooky films to entertain and educate young audiences; from exciting myths and legends, to notable horror adaptations from the world of literature.
Monsters
This playlist features highlights from the films The Nightmare Before Christmas (2015), Song of the Sea (2014), Smallfoot (2018), Luca (2021) and...
Highlights4 Highlights
Age Group8–12 yrs
Duration12
November
World Kindness Day UK (13 November)
Kindness Day UK is a nationally recognised day for the celebration of kindness in society and day to day life. Individual acts of kindness are encouraged on this day annually.
Our Ultimate Princess Celebration: Kindness Quest resource takes students aged 5-8 on a PSHE-led quest to help deepen their understanding of what it means to be kind, brave and to help others, while our Mindfulness Through Film online course will help teachers of secondary students explore how film watching and filmmaking can be used to introduce mindfulness principles and exercises.
Anti-Bullying Week (11-15 November)
This year's theme is 'Choose Respect', as explained by the Anti-Bullying Alliance:
"From playgrounds to parliament, our homes to our phones, this Anti-Bullying Week let's 'Choose Respect' and bring an end to bullying which negatively impacts millions of young lives.
This year, we'll empower children and young people to not resort to bullying, even when we disagree and remind adults to lead by example, online and offline.
Imagine a world where respect and kindness thrives - it's not just a dream, it's in the choices we make. Join us this Anti-Bullying Week and commit to 'Choose Respect'. What will you choose?"
Our Anti-Bullying on Film resources for both primary and secondary learners are the perfect tool for exploring issues around bullying, while for secondary educators, our Wellbeing: Anti-Bullying training will develop your confidence in tackling conversations around bullying, and explore how to positively express thoughts, voice and understanding through a short filmmaking task.
Transgender Awareness Week (13-19 November)
Transgender Awareness Week is a week when transgender people and their allies take action to bring attention to the trans community by educating the public about who transgender people are, sharing stories and experiences, and advancing advocacy around issues of prejudice, discrimination, and violence that affect the transgender community.
Our Gender, Sexuality and Trans Inclusion resource uses five short films to help young people explore healthy relationships and have respectful conversations about sexuality and identity.
Meanwhile, several films available to stream with Into Film+ can help you explore trans stories, including Tomboy, a beautifully understated, naturalistic drama about childhood gender identity confusion that's both touching and gently humorous; Leo: Becoming a Trans Man, a documentary about a 16-year-old trans boy's journey into embodying his gender identity; and Transitioning Teens, an investigative documentary in which activist Charlie Craggs meets transgender teenagers to hear about their experiences.
Discover! Creative Careers Week
Discover! Creative Careers Week is a call to arms to employers and individuals across the sector to provide young people aged 11-18 with direct encounters with industry through in-person and online events at workplaces. Taking part supports schools and colleges to meet several Gatsby benchmarks including.
Our free Get Into Screen Industries webinar on 19 November will equip you with all the information you need to raise awareness of the screen industries among students aged 11-18, and is followed up by our Screen Careers: Finding the Right Fit webinar on 3 December which will demystify pre-production, production and post-production, and help you support young people in finding the right fit for them.
Our PACT: Inside Independent Production and Step Into Screen Careers resources will further help you to get young people thinking about the types of roles available in the screen industries, while our brand-new Wicked Futures: Careers in Film resource uses a behind-the-scenes look at the production process of the upcoming musical adaptation Wicked to empower young people to unlock their unique powers.
You can also read our recent article on Barbie, which uses the visually striking hit film to place a spotlight on the art of film set design.
December
World AIDS Day (1 December)
Held every year on 1 December, World AIDS Day is a global movement to unite people in the fight against HIV and AIDS. In the UK, more than 105,000 people are living with HIV. Globally, an estimated 38 million people live with the virus. More than 35 million people have died of HIV or AIDS related illnesses over the past 40 years, making it one of the most destructive pandemics in history.
Philadelphia is a powerful drama made in 1993 - back when it was daring to make a Hollywood film about this topic - and follows a top lawyer who is sacked when his firm discovers he has contracted AIDS, forcing him into a court battle where he is represented by a homophobic attorney. The film is available to stream for free with Into Film+, and is accompanied by a film discussion guide to help you further explore the themes of the film.
Human Rights Day (10 December)
Human Rights Day is observed annually around the world on 10 December. As explained by the UN, this year's theme is 'Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now':
"This Human Rights Day we focus on how human rights are a pathway to solutions, playing a critical role as a preventative, protective and transformative force for good. As UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said, "Human rights are the foundation for peaceful, just, and inclusive societies."
"This year's theme is a call to acknowledge the importance and relevance of human rights in our everyday lives. We have an opportunity to change perceptions by speaking up against hate speech, correcting misinformation and countering disinformation. This is the time to mobilize action to reinvigorate a global movement for human rights."
Our Film, Democracy and Debate assembly resource encourages young people to reflect on their attitudes to democracy and the portrayal of young people and politics in feature films.
Christmas
For those teaching literature, our 19th Century Literature on Film resource looks at Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol and the 1999 film adaptation starring Patrick Stewart as Ebenezer Scrooge. It suggests ways in which film adaptations can be put at the heart of the study of a novel.
And for those who want a lighter approach to the festive season, The Muppet Christmas Carol is available to stream for free with Into Film+ and offers a very different take on the same material.
And since A Christmas Carol is such a prominent text around Christmas time, have a read of our article that explores The Man Who Invented Christmas, a film that depicts how Dickens' wrote his 1843 classic and in doing so actually invented many of the Christmas traditions and iconography that we enjoy today.
How Do I Get Started?
To access Into Film+, all you'll need is an Into Film Account - it's completely free, and only takes a moment to set up. Into Film+ is free to use for all UK state schools that hold a valid Public Video Screening (PVS) Licence from Filmbankmedia.
Filmbankmedia PVS Licences are paid for on behalf of schools by all local authorities in England and by some local authorities in both Wales and Scotland. Into Film NI cover the license cost for some schools in Northern Ireland. For further information on licensing in your locality please see our FAQs.
If you're a state school in England that's funded by the Department for Education, you will automatically have access to Into Film+ Premium, which offers an extended catalogue of 600+ titles. Find out more about Into Film+ Premium in our FAQs.
If you don't have a PVS Licence, or aren't already covered, then a licence can easily be obtained from Filmbankmedia.
Filmbankmedia
Filmbankmedia licenses and distributes film and TV entertainment to many groups and is the licensing authority we work with to ensure schools, libraries and youth groups have the permissions to screen films from our catalogue.
* Screenings for an entertainment or extra-curricular purpose require a PVS (Public Video Screening) Licence from Filmbankmedia. State-funded schools in England are covered by the PVS Licence.
The core Into Film programme is free for UK state schools, colleges and other youth settings, thanks to support from the BFI, awarding National Lottery good cause funding, and through other key funders including Cinema First and Northern Ireland Screen.
