Into Film Clubs
Find out everything you need to know about starting an Into Film Club.
We are delighted to announce the addition of nine feature length films to our ever-growing free* streaming platform for schools, Into Film+. The titles range from delightful tales about growing up to surprising thrills and action sequences. For each film, a discussion guide is also available for download, helping students to engage with curriculum subjects through the medium of film and to reflect on related topics and their own personal, social and cultural development.
Sherlock Gnomes
This playful sequel to Gnomeo & Juliet (also available on Into Film+) is a CGI animation produced by Sir Elton John, featuring plenty of his songs and plenty of laughs, providing a gentle introduction to one of the most beloved characters in English Literature. The story follows a group of garden gnomes, once divided by fierce loyalties, now united by the love of two of their youngsters. Having moved to London, their fellow garden ornaments suddenly disappear. Fearing their family and friends are in danger, they call on the help of the famous detective Sherlock Gnomes to uncover the mystery.
The accompanying film guide is designed to engage learners aged 5-11 and supports subjects including Literacy, in addition to highlighting themes surrounding crime and justice, family and friendships, anti-bullying, and health and wellbeing.
Inside Out 2
Pixar's sequel to their beloved film Inside Out (also available on Into Film+) naturally progresses the story and characters to reflect the pains and delights of maturing into a young person. When Riley was young, her mind was already a complicated place, full of emotions such as Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust. Now that she is growing up quickly into a teenager, these core emotions get a sudden rude awakening when a whole host of new emotions arrive in Riley's mind, including Anxiety, Ennui, Embarrassment and Envy. With Riley about to enter a new high school, this new situation could suddenly get very, very complicated.
The accompanying film guide is designed to engage learners aged 7-11 and supports subjects including Art & Design and PSHE Education, in addition to highlighting themes surrounding growing up, friendships and mental health.
IF
An imaginary friend can be a comforting buddy that no-one else can see. But what happens to them when children grow up? In this vibrant live-action and animation hybrid, a young girl called Bea and her neighbour Cal discover they can see other people's childhood imaginary friends, or IFs for short. These lovable creatures, ranging from furry purple giants to talking bananas, are as vivid to them as they once were to the kids who dreamt them up. It's now up to Cal and Bea to reunite the IFs with those who deep down still need them, as well as finding them new companions.
The accompanying film guide is designed to engage learners aged 7-11 and supports subjects including Education, Literacy, Art & Design, in addition to highlighting themes surrounding growing up, friendships and family.
Super 8
Channelling similar themes and 80s nostalgia to hit TV series Stranger Things, this entertaining sci-fi adventure is a sweet and spectacular tribute to the daring spirit of young storytellers and the art of filmmaking. Small-town high school students and aspiring filmmakers Joe and his friends are making their own detective-zombie movie. But right in the middle of shooting a scene at a station, a train crashes dramatically in front of their eyes, unleashing a mysterious threat on the town. As strange things start to happen around them, the teenage crew realise they might just have important clues captured on film.
The accompanying film guide is designed to engage learners aged 11-14 and supports subjects including PSHE Education, in addition to highlighting themes surrounding technology, film history, film careers, friendship and growing up.
Is There Anybody Out There?
In this insightful British documentary, a young disabled filmmaker turns the camera on herself, accompanying the viewer on a journey to better understand the meaning of ablism and empowerment. Ella was born without hip joints and with very short thigh bones, and while that hasn't stopped her from pursuing her dreams such as a career in filmmaking and having a baby, she has been presented with significant challenges - including how she is treated by society. She embarks on a journey to try and find others also born with her rare condition, weaving together a patchwork of similar experiences, unique perspectives and an ever-evolving history of disability rights.
The accompanying film guide is designed to engage learners aged 14-16 and supports subjects including PSHE Education and Film Studies, in addition to highlighting themes surrounding disability & inclusion, film production and relationships.
Gremlins
This comedy-horror is a brilliant spoof of B-movies, or low-budget films offering cheap thrills with tried and tested monster storylines. When Billy becomes the owner of a most unusual pet, a cute and cuddly "mogwai" called Gizmo, he is given a clear set of instructions: don't get him wet, keep him out of bright light, and never feed him after midnight. But soon Billy has broken the rules and finds his quiet life in a small town is going haywire, because now there's a growing number of mean, green gremlins out to create mayhem - and Christmas is just around the corner.
The accompanying film guide is designed to engage learners aged 14-16 and supports subjects including Film Studies, in addition to highlighting themes surrounding film production, filmmaking and monsters.
Anna and the Apocalypse
Another alternative festive film, this musical horror explores the highs and lows of school life, with infectious songs and infectious zombies. In the Scottish town of Little Haven, Anna and her friends are set to soon graduate high school, if they can just get through these final days and the Christmas show, at which Anna's friend Lisa is due to perform. But when a zombie apocalypse hits their town, the friends must work together, overcoming personal issues and be surprisingly resourceful to reach their school and help their loved ones survive the night.
The accompanying film guide is designed to engage learners aged 14-16 and supports subjects including Film Studies and Music, in addition to highlighting themes surrounding festivals & celebrations, friendship and monsters.
Imitation of Life
This quintessential melodrama appears on WJEC's Film Studies A Level syllabus as part of the component that focuses on the Classical Hollywood era. The narrative begins in 1947, when a widowed mother with ambitions of stardom, Lora, meets another woman, Annie, on a beach. Annie is Black, but her daughter Sarah Jane, who is the same age as Lora's daughter Susie, passes as white. Annie eventually becomes Lora's maid, allowing the latter to pursue her acting career, and their two girls grow up together. While Lora begins to make an impact on the stage, Annie's relationship with her daughter Sarah Jane becomes more strained.
The accompanying film guide is designed to engage learners aged 16+ and supports subjects including Film Studies, in addition to highlighting themes surrounding gender representation, family, racism and prejudice and film history.
Fantastic Machine
This expansive documentary examines the legacy of early filmmakers who learnt to wield the camera for propaganda, the TV executives who learnt to mould viewers into easy prey for advertisers, and the digital revolution that forever changed the way we perceive the world and ourselves. Film, reflecting life, has social consequences that are sometimes terrifying, such as copycat violence in the USA, and sometimes humbling, such as forcing the world to acknowledge the truth about concentration camps. This ‘fantastic machine' of a camera has become a cultural and sociological phenomenon.
The accompanying film guide is designed to engage learners aged 16+ and supports Media Studies and Film Studies, in addition to highlighting themes surrounding technology, fame and consumerism, film history and democracy.
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 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.
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.
