Into Film Clubs
Find out everything you need to know about starting an Into Film Club.
A bumper crop of twelve new titles has been added to Into Film+, our free* streaming service for schools. From literary adaptations to foreign language cinema, from stranger-than-fiction documentaries to art reflecting the realities of life, film is a great tool to engage children and young people with school subjects and wider learning.
The newly added films include animated adventures into magical and wonderous worlds, dramatised origin stories of some of the most important figures in 20th century cinema and literature, bitter-sweet comedy-dramas about family relationships, and explorations of the human psyche through celebrity, religion, and the supernatural. For each film there is a dedicated discussion guide that highlights curriculum links and relevant topics for a deeper engagement with the film.
Mary and the Witch's Flower
This gentle anime is based on a book about a little girl staying in the countryside who enters a magical world. Mary discovers a flower with special powers that only blossoms every seven years. After the flower brings a nearby broomstick to life, Mary finds herself whisked away to a mysterious place called Endor College, a school of magic where she is welcomed as one of the students. Soon enough though, things take a dangerous turn, and Mary must embark on a journey to set things straight.
The accompanying film guide is designed to engage learners aged 5-7 and supports subjects including Art & Design and PSHE Education in addition to highlighting themes surrounding family, child safety, growing up, anti-bullying, rural life, books and plays, magic, scientists and inventors, and animals.
Alice in Wonderland
In this much-loved adaptation of Lewis Carroll's classic story, a young girl called Alice wanders off when she ought to be doing her homework and spots a white rabbit wearing a waistcoat and carrying a pocket watch. Fascinated by the animal and what he could possibly be in such a hurry for, Alice follows him through a rabbit hole into a brand-new world, full of curious creatures and stuffed with nonsense, called Wonderland.
The accompanying film guide is designed to engage learners aged 5-7 and supports subjects including PSHE Education, in addition to books and plays, film history, travel and exploration, the natural world, and visual arts.
Kensuke's Kingdom
This next adaptation from page to screen is based on children's novelist Michael Morpurgo's story of friendship, adventure and respect for the natural world. Young Michael is sailing through the Pacific Ocean with his family, when he and his dog Stella are thrown overboard during a violent storm. They wake up on the beach of a remote island, shipwrecked and stranded. But they soon discover that they're not alone: a Japanese man named Kensuke has been living there for many years in the aftermath of World War II and teaches them about survival and the island's delicate eco-system.
The accompanying film guide is designed to engage learners aged 7-11 and supports subjects including English, Literacy and PSHE Education, in addition to highlighting themes surrounding animals, child safety, travel and exploration, family, growing up and friendships.
Plus, discover our in-depth learning resource, available in English and in Welsh, inspired by the secret world of Kensuke's Kingdom, with a total of 10 lesson plans covering themes including environment and sustainability, survival and animation.
Tolkien
From much-loved books to famous authors and the stories that made them: this biographical film takes a look at J.R.R. Tolkien's student years and the inspiration behind one of the most celebrated literary works of the 20th century, ‘The Lord of the Rings'. Having moved from his home in Birmingham to study at Oxford University, the young man forms a "fellowship" with a group of fellow artists and writers. But with the sudden outbreak of World War One, Tolkien's relationships come under threat, and he must endure the horrors of the Great War alongside his young friends.
The accompanying film guide is designed to engage learners aged 11-14 and supports subjects including History, English Literature and PSHE Education in addition to highlighting themes surrounding family, friendships, life and death, love and relationships, European countries, anti-bullying, growing up, historical periods, storytelling, and World War One.
All three films in Peter Jackson's epic adaptation of The Lord of the Rings are available to watch on Into Film+ Premium.
The Fabelmans
While not strictly biographical, this next film is nevertheless heavily inspired by Steven Spielberg's own childhood and celebrates the acclaimed filmmaker's love for his artform. As a little boy in the 1950s, Sammy Fabelman became entranced by cinema, and encouraged by his vibrant and creative mother, he learns to use his father's 8mm camera and make his own movies. As he grows up, his shoots become ever-more ambitious but mounting conflict between his parents and the anti-Semitic abuse he receives at school threaten to overwhelm his passion for filmmaking.
The accompanying film guide is designed to engage learners aged 14-16 and supports subjects including Film Studies and PSHE Education, in addition to highlighting themes surrounding mental health, family, film careers and growing up.
Discover more films by Steven Spielberg available to watch on Into Film+ and Into Film+ Premium here.
La Famille Bélier
This French-language comedy-drama - which inspired the Oscar® Best Picture winner CODA - is about a farming family whose members are all deaf, except for the teenage daughter, Paula, who has an extraordinary singing voice. Encouraged by her teacher to apply to an exclusive music school in Paris, her decision is complicated by her family's reliance on her to help them communicate with the hearing world. Unable to experience their daughter's gift, her parents try to be supportive despite their fear of losing their translator.
The accompanying film guide is designed to engage learners aged 14-16 and supports subjects including French, Music and Citizenship in addition to highlighting themes surrounding disabilities and inclusion, family, friendships, and foreign language films.
Diego Maradona
Through never-seen-before archive footage and insightful interviews, documentary filmmaker Asif Kapadia explores the price of fame and the way sport can define a culture in this portrait of the Argentinian footballer Diego Maradona and his time at Napoli FC. As one of the world's most sought-after football players, many were baffled when Maradona moved to the impoverished Italian city of Naples to join their struggling football club, but his skills soon turned the team around. However, his time in Italy also found him involved with organised crime, drugs and numerous scandals.
The accompanying film guide is designed to engage learners aged 14-16 and supports subjects including Film Studies, Physical Education and PSHE Education, in addition to highlighting themes surrounding fame and consumerism, sporting events, life and death, and mental health.
Hit the Road
Family friction and comedy are also at the centre of this next title, a Persian-language film about a family car trip through Iran. Over the course of their journey, Mum, Dad, Big Brother and Little Brother squabble and bond over memories of the past, their fears about the future and their sick family dog. The reason for their journey towards the Turkish border slowly becomes clear, revealing underlying complexities about the current political and social landscape in contemporary Iran. A fantastic entry-point for those wanting to explore World Cinema outside of Hollywood.
The accompanying film guide is designed to engage learners aged 14-16 and supports subjects including Film Studies and PSHE Education, in addition to highlighting themes surrounding politics, mass media, family and friendships, and film directors.
The Woman in Black
A popular GCSE English Literature text, Susan Hill's gothic novella is brought to life in this tense and atmospheric adaptation. Widowed lawyer Arthur Kipps has been sent to a remote village to handle the affairs of a recently deceased eccentric, when a series of mysterious occurrences makes him realize that his client's mansion might be haunted by a terrifying woman dressed completely in black, seemingly hellbent on revenge and destruction.
The accompanying film guide is designed to engage learners aged 14-16 and supports subjects including Drama, Film Studies and English Literature in addition to highlighting themes surrounding books and adaptations, ghosts and ghouls, and filmmaking.
The Edge of Seventeen
Adolescence can sometimes feel like a truly isolating experience, but an honest depiction that sensitively explore issues around mental health while also seeing the funny side of things can help in feeling less alone. Nadine is a high-schooler like many others, struggling to cope with the societal pressures that teenage life has to offer. But when her best friend Krista begins dating Nadine's older brother, Darian, Nadine's world starts to spiral out of control.
The accompanying film guide is designed to engage learners aged 14-16 and supports subjects including PSHE and Psychology in addition to highlighting themes surrounding family, friendships, love and relationships, growing up, mental health and school life.
My Brother the Devil
Sally El Hosaini (whose film about sisterhood The Swimmers is also available on Into Film+) launched her film career with this drama exploring masculinity and vulnerability on an East London estate. Fourteen-year-old Mo looks up to his tough older brother Rashid, who doesn't want to let him join the drug-dealing gang he is already in too deep with. When their friend Izzi is killed, the two brothers react in different ways and Mo, baying for vengeance, struggles to understand Rashid's sudden changes in attitude, lifestyle and outlook.
The accompanying film guide is designed to engage learners aged 14-16 and supports subjects including Film Studies and PSHE Education, in addition to highlighting themes surrounding urban spaces, gangs, family, racism and prejudice, communities and LGBTQ+ issues.
Saint Maud
This British psychological horror appears on the WJEC/EDUQAS Film Studies A Level syllabus in component 1: varieties of film and filmmaking. In a British seaside town, Maud is a young care worker and recent convert to Christianity desperate to find her purpose in life. Her latest patient Amanda has a polar opposite attitude and indulges in drink, drugs and sex, despite her illness. Maud soon comes to believe she must save Amanda's soul and is willing to go to extreme lengths to do so.
The accompanying film guide is designed to engage learners aged 16+ and supports subjects including Film Studies and Psychology in addition to highlighting themes surrounding mental health, filmmaking and storytelling.
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 safeguarding, educational policy and statutory and non-statutory guidance. Some of our films and resources include sensitive content which is highlighted in the guidance that Into Film provides for 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 decide what is appropriate for students, using their professional judgement and knowledge of their students and school context. Teachers must follow their school's safeguarding protocol if a student is distressed or makes a disclosure as a result.
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.
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.
