Into Film Clubs
Find out everything you need to know about starting an Into Film Club.
Every autumn, the BFI London Film Festival offers a great opportunity to discover new films from around the world and emerging British talent. The 69th edition, which came to a close last week, featured a programme of over 250 titles, showcasing beautifully rendered stories of compelling characters, long lost histories and wildly exciting journeys.
Always on the lookout for cinematic gems to inspire and engage young audiences, our three curators Michael Prescott [MP], Steven Ryder [SR] and Charlotte Micklewright [CM] share their top picks from this year's festival, including new films due to arrive in UK cinemas over the next twelve months. We've also included some related titles available to stream with Into Film+ now if you just can't wait!
- New to Into Film+? Find out how to get started
The Songbirds' Secret - suitable for students aged 8+
In this charming French animation, nine-year-old Lucie visits the countryside where her archaeologist mum grew up. While her mum excavates the ruins of a castle nearby, Lucie looks after a lost baby badger with the help of her new friend Yann. The pair stumble across a mysterious figure known as the ‘wizard of the wood', who may just hold the key to the mysteries of the old castle and some buried family history. The director Antoine Lanciaux (who worked as an animator for A Cat in Paris) uses a cutout animation style, which has the friendly and engrossing texture of a lively paper collage. [CM]
If you like the sound of this... you may also like Kirikou And The Sorceress on Into Film+, a French-language animation that draws on West African folk tales, about a little boy who embarks on a journey to save his village.
DJ Ahmet - suitable for students aged 12+
A coming-of-age film with a twist, this story of young love and escapism originates from North Macedonia and follows Ahmet, a 15-year-old who lives with his father and nonspeaking little brother in a remote Yuruk village filled with tradition and expectations. However, modernity is creeping into this old way of life and Ahmet soon discovers the pulsating optimism of electronic music acting as the soundtrack to his blossoming relationship with a newcomer to the village, a striking teenage girl named Aya a girl already promised to another. Vibrant, funny and authentic, DJ Ahmet is truly a window into another world that somehow manages to be completely and utterly relatable. [SR]
DJ Ahmet is set to be released in cinemas in early 2026, courtesy of Conic.
If you like the sound of this... you may also be interested in viewing Azaar on Into Film+. This short film, set in 1800s India, tells the story of a young girl who longs to wear the red veil of womanhood, but unintentionally exposes her mother's secret.
Hamnet - suitable for students age 15+
Adapted from Maggie O'Farrell's 2020 bestseller, this raw and highly emotional historical drama tells the story of the romance between William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes (also known as Anne Hathaway in other sources). Though their relationship is not approved of by their families, the duo are wed and soon conceive a child. But the loss of their baby named Hamnet will go on to define each of them, and will lead to William writing one of the most famed plays of all-time, ‘Hamlet', informed and inspired by his own tragic experience. With superb lead performances from Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley, Chloe Zhao's Hamnet is a must-see for those studying the text. [MP]
Hamnet is set to be released in cinemas on Friday 9 January 2026, courtesy of Universal.
If you like the sound of this...you may also like Shakespeare: Rise of a Genius on Into Film+. This three-part documentary tells the story of Shakespeare's life and career, and how they informed each other, exploring the tales behind his greatest works including Hamlet and others.
The Son and the Sea - suitable for students aged 15+
Caught in a rut of messy nights and listless days, London lad Jonah persuades his friend Lee to join him on a trip to the Northeast coast of Scotland, where his great-aunt is in a care home. They meet Charlie, who is Deaf and is also visiting family. While the charismatic Lee easily strikes up a rapport with Charlie and learns bits of BSL (British Sign Language), Jonah can't help but feel lost and resentful of the wilderness and ancestral links that he had hoped would revitalise him. This coming-of-age drama is a beautiful exploration of young men's relationships with mental health. [CM]
If you like the sound of this... you may also like Scrapper on Into Film+. Similarly combining wry humour and themes of loss, this British drama tells the story of a wily yet vulnerable young girl reuniting with her estranged dad.
Frankenstein - suitable for students age 15+
Guillermo Del Toro follows up his remake of film noir Nightmare Alley and his version of the much-adapted Pinocchio (available on Into Film+) with another interpretation of a classic text, this time in the form of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. Written over 200 years ago, this seminal piece of gothic literature remains an ever-present presence on screen from the 1931 benchmark with Boris Karloff through to the Hotel Transylvania franchise but in typical Del Toro fashion, he manages to put his own spin on it. With luscious visuals, from the production design to the costumes, it employs a distinctive two-part structure in which we see events first from the point of view of Dr. Frankenstein, followed by the Creature's own experiences. [MP]
Frankenstein is currently showing in select cinemas, courtesy of Netflix.
If you like the sound of this...you may also like Pan's Labyrinth on Into Film+. This earlier formative work from Del Toro also contains beguiling creatures, with its setting of the Spanish Civil War adding even greater significance to the characters' lives.
Orwell 2+2=5 - suitable for students aged 16+
George Orwell's dystopian prose is as urgent and relevant as ever in this documentary, which interweaves archive footage of previous film adaptations of 1984 and Animal Farm with a tapestry of juxtaposing and resonant news footage from the 21st century. From Russia's invasion of Ukraine to book banning in the USA, the film dissects propaganda and totalitarianism through an Orwellian lens, drawing links between political euphemisms and ‘newspeak'. Extracts from the author's letters also paint a picture of his own developing moral and political conscience, inviting the audience to see contradictions such as ‘Ignorance is strength' for what they are and choose to resist. [CM]
If you like the sound of this... you may also like I Am Not Your Negro on Into Film+, also by director Raoul Peck, examining America's racial politics through the lens of writer James Baldwin, both in historical and contemporary terms.
The World of Love - suitable for students aged 16+
Joo-In is an energetic and curious 17-year-old student from South Korea and, like most young people, she is still navigating the spiky and tempestuous relationships she has with her friends and family. When another student starts a petition around a prisoner who is set to be released back into society, it sets off a series of events that Joo-In becomes unwittingly involved in, unleashing some long-forgotten memories. Not your typical Korean coming-of-age film, The World of Love contains more adult themes around abuse and sexual maturity but nevertheless has an optimistic and hopeful outlook on the world. [SR]
If you like the sound of this... you may also be interested in viewing Maddie on Into Film+. This short film follows a teenage girl who is pleased when an older boy shows an interest in her, but soon becomes uneasy about where things are heading.
Giant - suitable for ages 15+
This boxing drama follows the rise of British icon Prince Naseem Hamed, spanning from his first steps into the ring as a child in the early 1980s through to his success over the next couple of decades on the world stage. From his early years, Nas must contend with Islamophobic and racist abuse in his Sheffield community, but learns from his Irish trainer Brendan Ingle to channel the taunts into his boxing personality. Over time, and with Brendan's help, Nas becomes a boxing phenomenon culminating with a championship fight at Madison Square Garden, but his success takes a toll on their relationship. [MP]
Giant is set to be released in cinemas on Friday 9 January 2026, courtesy of True Brit.
If you like the sound of this...you may also be interested in viewing Creed on Into Film+. This spin-off from the Rocky franchise follows the promising young boxer Adonis Creed, son of Rocky Balboa's rival Apollo, who is taken under Rocky's wing and trained by him.
Retreat - suitable for students aged 16+
Matt has lived his whole life in an isolated Deaf community in rural England but when newcomer Eva arrives from Germany, and is selected to go through a mysterious process known as ‘The Way', Matt starts to question the reality of his upbringing and whether this seemingly idyllic collective is harbouring a more insidious underbelly. Marketed as the "world's first Deaf thriller", this British film is told almost entirely through Deaf actors who communicate through BSL (British Sign Language). However, it's more than just a gimmick, building a huge amount of tension from beginning to end whilst also raising questions about the insular nature of sub-cultures. [SR]
If you like the sound of this... you may also be interested in viewing Rose Ayling-Ellis: Signs for Change on Into Film+. This documentary, presented by actress Rose Ayling-Ellis, challenges perceptions of the deaf community and British Sign Language.
Please note: Film is a powerful tool for learning, helping to develop critical thinking, empathy, and an understanding of different perspectives. Our films have been selected with consideration to age-appropriateness, safeguarding, the curriculum and statutory and non-statutory guidance to schools. Some of our films and resources include sensitive content which is highlighted in the guidance that Into Film provides with each film. Educators should carefully watch or read all elements of any content and must ensure they are following their own school's policies and guidelines prior to using films and resources in the classroom or in after-school clubs. The final decision to use any film or resource sits with teachers, who should decide what is appropriate for their students using their professional judgement and their knowledge of their students, their school context and their community. Teachers must follow their school's safeguarding protocol if a student is distressed or makes a disclosure as a result of the use of any film or other content.
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 700+ 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.
