Education charity, Into Film, has announced dates for this year’s UK-wide Into Film Festival – known as the world’s biggest youth film festival.
[aoa id=”1″]Taking place between 6 and 22 November, all teachers and pupils aged 5-19 years will have the chance to go free, with venues the length and breadth of Wales showing a portion of the Festival’ s 3,000 free screenings and special events. [/aoa]
However, with screenings and events usually snapped up fast, Into Film Cymru is urging educators in Wales to sign up to the priority bookings system. This will offer schools an additional one-day priority booking period, allowing them the opportunity to book smaller capacity events or premieres before they sell out. Priority bookings go live 4 September, with general bookings opening 5 September.
Action and Into Film Ambassador, Rhys Ifans, said:
“What’s great about Into Film Cymru – and the film festival, which is completely free – is that you are opening up a world of possibilities for all, regardless of how much money they have in their pocket. Film should be accessible to all and I, for one, want to champion its power.”
Showcasing the best films of the past year, hot previews of new films and must-see classics, the Into Film Festival includes Strands and Resources designed to support the extensive programme. The first of this year’s Festival strands to be announced are:
- Mental Wellbeing and Identity This strand aims to open-up discussions with young people about identity and mental health. Whether it is being there for others, learning how to take care of yourself, or simply grappling with the question of “who am I?” the films in this strand feature characters wrestling with all these issues with varying degrees of success.
- The Natural World As the global climate crisis becomes increasingly urgent, and worries increase about the planet today’s young people look set to inherit, understanding the world around us has never been more important.
- Exploring History In a year that takes in the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, the 50th anniversaries of landing on the moon and the Stonewall riots, and the bi-centenary of Queen Victoria’s birth, cinema continues to turn to history as a means of engaging audiences.
- Debate The titles in this strand inspire empathy, provoke conversation, and encourage young people to look at the world in a slightly different way, whether through stories of economic inequality, contemporary race relations, the plight of refugees and displaced people, or the increasing role of robots and artificial intelligence in our everyday lives.
- Language and Creativity 2019 is the Year of Indigenous Language. Alongside films in English, this strand includes titles in modern foreign and indigenous languages, allowing young people to see these languages in action and develop a greater feel for their nuances.
The Into Film Festival is hosted by Into Film, a film education charity supported by the BFI through National Lottery funding and made possible with support from Cinema First and the UK film industry
Full details can be found online: https://www.intofilm.org/festival
