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 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* on the Into Film+ streaming service, to brand new resources, delve into some key January and February dates below including Holocaust Memorial Day, LGBTQ+ History Month and Charles Dickens' birthday, as well as National Careers Week in March.
Below, we've covered the main dates coming up across the 2024 spring term to help you plan and structure your lessons in the new year. As always, the information and links below are an easy, at-a-glance way of knowing what's coming up, but we'll be exploring many in more detail around the dates themselves.
January
Martin Luther King Jr. Day (15 January)
Biographical drama Selma is available to stream for free with Into Film+ and focuses on Martin Luther King's campaign to secure voting rights for Black Americans. Our recent history and citizenship resource Till: Mother of a Movement also provides crucial insight into the wider Civil Rights Movement and encourages students to see how we all have the power to impact positive change in our communities.
The theme for 2024's Martin Luther King Jr. Day is 'Shifting the Cultural Climate through the Study and Practice of Kingian Nonviolence'.
Holocaust Memorial Day (27 Jan)
Holocaust Memorial Day encourages remembrance of those killed and affected by genocide, not only during World War II, but throughout history and around the world.
A great starting place to explore this topic thoroughly and compassionately is our guest article from Rachel Century, the Head of Research for the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.
We also have three key films around the Holocaust available to stream with Into Film+: The Book Thief, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and The Diary of Anne Frank.
National Storytelling Week (30 Jan - 6 Feb)
National Storytelling Week takes place at the end of January every year and is a celebration of the power of sharing stories. Stories teach us about the world, they allow us to step into someone else's shoes and feel empathy, they help us to relax and escape and they can help develop essential literacy skills.
With one eye on the upcoming Into Film Awards, we've curated a selection of storytelling and filmmaking resources that will support young people to bring their own stories to life and have their voices be heard.
February
LGBT+ History Month
The theme for LGBT+ History Month 2024 is Medicine - #UnderTheScope, which aims to celebrate LGBT+ peoples' contribution to the field of Medicine and Healthcare, both historically and today.
Recently, we shared an extensive collection of films available to stream with Into Film+, along with curriculum-linked resources and collaborations with prominent LGBTQ+ organisations, including Stonewall and Brook.
Children's Mental Health Week (5 - 11 Feb)
Now in its 10th year, the theme for Children's Mental Health Week 2024 is 'My Voice Matters', which seeks to empower young people by providing them with the tools they need to express themselves.
Visit our dedicated mental wellbeing page and use our programme of mental wellbeing-related films available to stream with Into Film+ to help your learners understand both their own mental health and the wider topic of mental and emotional wellbeing.
Safer Internet Day (6 Feb)
Safer Internet Day aims to raise awareness of and ensure a safer and better internet for all, and especially for children and young people. Our Digital Wellbeing resources are fantastic companions to this mission, exploring digital media and mental wellbeing through the short films Crocodile and #Tagged.
Charles Dickens' Birthday (7 Feb)
Explore one of the most celebrated authors in history by streaming The Personal History of David Copperfield and Oliver! with Into Film+.
March
National Careers Week (4 - 9 Mar)
National Careers Week is the perfect opportunity to make use of our Switched On: Careers in the Screen Industry resource, which was created in partnership with the BFI, and offers careers advice to young people the most up-to-date tools and knowledge about the creative screen industries.
You can also dive into the Media Careers Podcast, created in partnership with Into Film, which breaks down barriers to accessing a career in the screen industries by providing inspiration and information for students in secondary schools, offering direct links to industry professionals and supporting organisations. The podcast covers the breadth and variety of roles across the industry, featuring both creative and technical roles for TV, broadcast, film, media technology, animation and gaming.
International Women's Day (8 Mar)
The theme for 2024's International Women's Day is #InspireInclusion, which aims to collectively forge a more inclusive world for women. Our programme of female-focused films available to stream with Into Film+ offers an opportunity to explore numerous women-centred stories and issues surrounding gender equality.
How do I get started with Into Film+?
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 500+ 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.
Into Film and the Into Film+ streaming service is supported by the UK film industry through Cinema First and the BFI through National Lottery Funding, thanks to National Lottery players. Since the very first National Lottery draw in 1994, public support - raised directly through National Lottery ticket sales - has funded more than 670,000 projects, raising more than £46 billion for good causes.
