Live-action ‘Lilo & Stitch’ and 9 more films now on Into Film+

Our growing catalogue of films available to watch for free* in the classroom now has ten new titles that have been specially selected for their brilliant storytelling, engaging food for thought, and windows onto different cultures. 

Lessons in human (and extra-terrestrial) kindness spring from the intergalactic misadventures of Lilo and Stitch and Elio, while animal nature is challenged in The Bad Guys 2 and Watership Down. The classic murder mystery game Cluedo and the ultimate comic book hero are brought to life on screen in Clue and Superman. Two Welsh titles, Save the Cinema and Y Sŵn, will be on the syllabus of new WJEC GCSE Digital Media and Film qualification. And we travel around the world through documentary, comedy and drama: from the future of the rainforest in Brazil in The Territory, to Germany's past in Good Bye Lenin!

Support your use of film in the classroom with our downloadable discussion guides, which help students further engage with the themes on screen by drawing links with curriculum subjects and relevant issues in young people's lives. The Bad Guys 2 and Superman are available exclusively on Into Film+ Premium. For further information about Into Film + Premium please check out our FAQ pages.

Lilo & Stitch

The hugely popular 2002 Hawaiian-set Disney animation (already available to watch on Into Film+ Premium) about the friendship between a lonely child and fugitive alien gets a live-action remake. A little girl called Lilo lives in Hawaii with her older sister Nani, who struggles to look after them both after their parents died a few years ago. Their life is turned upside downs when a destructive little alien hides out on their island after escaping intergalactic law enforcement. Thinking he is a funny-looking dog, Lilo happily adopts the creature and names him Stitch.

The accompanying film guide is designed to engage learners aged 5-8 and is useful for exploring subjects including PSHE Education and Literacy in addition to highlighting themes surrounding friendship, aliens and growing up.

Elio

Tapping into universal themes such as dealing with loneliness and the search for connection and belonging, this feel-good Disney Pixar film inspires curiosity about space, science and citizenship. It tells the story of Elio, who loves space and the idea of aliens. He's determined to make contact with lifeforms beyond this planet. His aunt, who is involved in a top-secret astronautics project, tries to encourage him to make human friends. But when he finds himself inadvertently beamed up to the ‘Communiverse', an interplanetary organisation with representatives from many different galaxies, he is mistakenly identified as the leader of Earth and expected to handle the responsibility of intergalactic peacekeeping.

Watership Down

Adapted from Richard Adams' timeless novel, this hand-drawn animation recently restored by the BFI (British Film Institute) is a multi-layered tale of animal survival, with themes of democracy, leadership, freedom and utopia. In an idyllic woodland, a building project threatens the tranquil lives of the local wildlife. A small and nervous rabbit called Fiver has a vivid premonition, in which he foresees their warren being destroyed. Fiver persuades his brother Hazel and a handful of friends to leave in search of a new home - but the life of a rabbit is never easy, and the journey to safety is hampered by predators, hostile colonies and the almighty forces of nature and man.

The accompanying film guide is designed to engage learners aged 12-15 and is useful for exploring subjects including English Literature and PSHE Education in addition to highlighting themes surrounding the environment, politics, mythology and rural spaces.

Clue

In this comedy crime thriller set in 1954 based on the board game Cluedo, six dinner guests are welcomed to a gothic mansion by a butler. Among them are Professor Plum, who works for the UN, Mrs Peacock, the wife of a senator, Mr Green, a government agent and Mrs White, whose previous husbands suffered mysterious deaths. The diners' host, Mr Boddy, is revealed to have been blackmailing each of the guests for some time, as they each have a secret that they don't want to get out. When he is found dead, there are questions to be answered: whodunit, how, and why?

Save the Cinema

This ode to the magic of the cinema is the first of two titles being added that are set films for the new WJEC GCSE Digital Media and Film qualification, and is inspired by a true story. It's 1993, and Liz Evans, a hairdresser in Carmarthen, West Wales, runs a youth opera group in the local theatre, which is under threat of demolition. With the help of her community, Liz mounts a campaign to save the cinema. Their ambitious idea is to somehow contact world-famous director Steven Spielberg and request his permission to screen a premiere of the not-yet-released Jurassic Park in order to drum up media interest for their campaign. 

The accompanying film guide is designed to engage learners aged 15-16 and is useful for exploring subjects including Media Studies and PSHE Education in addition to highlighting themes around community, local history and rural areas.

Y Sŵn

Another title from the new WJEC GCSE Digital Media and Film qualification's list, this film is also based on historical events. In the wake of the 1979 UK general election, Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government have pulled back on a manifesto promise to establish a Welsh-medium TV channel - a pledge that had held deep cultural significance for many Welsh speakers. As frustration grows across Wales, Gwynfor Evans, a veteran politician and campaigner, responds by pledging to undertake a hunger strike to the death unless the government upholds its promise, hoping this act of political protest will spotlight the urgency of preserving and promoting the Welsh language.

The Territory

Civil rights, identity and activism are also at the heart of this National Geographic documentary set in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. The territory inhabited by the Indigenous Uru-eu-wau-wau people is supposedly protected, yet illegal Brazilian settlers have been burning and clearing areas in the forest for farming. The film follows 18-year-old tribal leader Bitaté, who uses a drone to collect footage and social media to raise awareness of what's happening in his ancestral land. But it's about more than defending one's own territory: the fate of the Amazon, known as the ‘lungs of the Earth' for its crucial role in global carbon cycle, affects all of us around the world. 

The accompanying film guide is designed to engage learners aged 15-16 and is useful for exploring subjects including PSHE Education and Geography, in addition to highlighting themes surrounding the environment, technology, film and filmmaking, indigenous peoples and climate change. 

Good Bye Lenin!

A popular title for German language A Level teaching, this next film is a thoughtful and witty take on Germany's recent history. On the eve of the fall of the Berlin Wall, young Alex's mum, a staunch supporter of the socialist regime in East Germany, has a heart attack and falls into a coma. When she finally awakes, her doctors tell Alex that another shock could kill her, so he decides to shield her from any news about the ongoing reunification of Germany. Alex must resort to ever-more complicated ploys to protect his mother from the truth, with hilarious and surprising results.

The accompanying film guide is designed to engage learners aged 16+ and is useful for exploring subjects including German and History, in addition to highlighting themes surrounding the politics, identity, media literacy and family.

The Bad Guys 2

This sequel to wickedly funny and action-packed 2022 animation (also available to watch on Into Film+ Premium) explores themes of redemption, stereotypes and friendship. A notorious gang of bank-robbing animals, the Bad Guys, are trying very hard to earn an honest living and stay out of trouble. But it's hard to get a fresh start, with their reputation. Even other criminals believe they still have it in them to be bad, as they find out when they get cornered by an all-female squad of lawbreakers, led by the villainous feline Kitty. Can Wolf and his friends convince the world that they really are good?

Superman

In a new chapter of the DC Universe, the quintessential superhero Superman must reconcile his otherworldly heritage with his relationship with humans on Earth. This world doesn't always make it easy to be a hero, and new elements in his life are destabilizing his sense of self, or his alter ego Clark Kent's sense of self, not least his feelings towards his colleague Lois Lane. Superman must face war, political crises, other superheroes and the malevolent billionaire scientist Lex Luthor, using all his strength, speed and staunch belief in justice and decency.

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 800+ 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.

* 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.