Case Study: Into Film Festival

Summary

Through the provision of free teaching resources and film guides as well as added educational value through speakers and special events, the festival demonstrates the real learning benefits of coming out of school to the cinema.

Project aims

• Showcasing the benefits of watching film on the big screen | Introducing young people to films and cinemas that they may not be familiar with | Encouraging development of cinema-going habits

Headlines

• This year we had 440,000 attendees accessing a programme of 2,600 free screenings and events. This included over 150 films in 560 cinemas with 140+ special events scattered around the UK. We launched with exclusive UK-wide pupil premieres of The Grinch with festive and green furry activities and dressing-up providing the perfect kick-start to the three weeks. We also had previews of this year’s Cannes Palme D’or winner Shoplifters a new S4C Welsh-language production Pluen Eira, Nativity Rocks! and closed with an exclusive preview of Ralph Breaks The Internet.

Films

We screened some great new British films including Mike Leigh’s latest Peterloo and the indie-hit Beast. It was strong year for documentary with titles ranging from An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth To Power and A Beautiful Planet 3D to McQueen, Whitney, Human Flow and I Am Not Your Negro. Animation featured strongly with blockbusters like Hotel Transylvania 3, Sherlock Gnomes and Zoo to more arthouse titles like Mary And The Witch’s Flower and Isle Of Dogs and the big winners from this year’s awards season like The Shape Of Water, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Call Me By Your Name, I, Tonya and The Post.

Key partnerships

Many industry speakers got involved including actors Will Poulter and Ruby Barnhill, directors Jeremy Dyson and Asif Kapadia, plus a whole range of events including VR experiences, VFX presentations, film critics in conversation, stunt workshops, careers-focussed talks and a focus on classic cinema with Park Circus. We had Sing-a-long-a’s, scratch n sniff events, a circus skills workshop, zoo animals and geneticists debunking the science in Jurassic World amongst a variety of other opportunities.

Across the 560 participating cinemas we worked with all of the major UK chains including ODEON, Vue, Cineworld, Empire, Showcase, Picturehouse, Everyman and others. Key arts venues like the Barbican, the the British Library, BFI Southbank as well as various cultural institutes.

Other stand-outs included Shepperton and Pinewood Studios, a renovated 14th century barn in Devon, Lincolnshire-based Kinema in the Woods where students will be treated to a performance with the old-fashioned Compton cinema organ and a vintage converted Shepherd’s Hut in Chichester.

What worked

• This year we had 440,000 attendees accessing a programme of 2,600 free screenings and events. This included over 150 films in 560 cinemas with 140+ special events scattered around the UK. This year we had 440,000 attendees accessing a programme of 2,600 free screenings and events. This included over 150 films in 560 cinemas with 140+ special events scattered around the UK. We launched with exclusive UK-wide pupil premieres of The Grinch with festive and green furry activities and dressing-up providing the perfect kick-start to the three weeks. We also had previews of this year’s Cannes Palme D’or winner Shoplifters a new S4C Welsh-language production Pluen Eira, Nativity Rocks! and closed with an exclusive preview of Ralph Breaks The Internet.

Awareness / Attitudes

We continue to demonstrate Into Film’s direct impact on cinema-going and worked with partners to drive the festival audience back into cinemas as paying customers. Either through the 150,000 direct voucher incentives that were handed out, messaging about upcoming programming or through boosting paid school bookings.

Diversity

We remain committed to ensuring that the Festival activities are as accessible for all young people across the UK. Over half of the screenings on offer were accessible to attendees with a visual or hearing impairment through audio-description & subtitling. We also made efforts to reach young people who can benefit from this access through partnerships with disability charities.

Social Cohesion

With festival strands including The Year Of The Woman, Visions of Europe and Mental Wellbeing – the programme aimed to link with topical themes or subjects relevant to the curriculum in each nation.

What audiences said

• "I love it so much it’s the best film ever, your place is the best place ever. I have never been at the Watermark cinema before and I can’t believe it’s a café a cinema and a library." – Isla, 7 years old, Marine Academy Primary, Paddington 2

• "I haven’t seen many Anime/ fantasy movies before and the move gave me an interest to watch more. Close to the end of the film I could feel my fingertips tingling, my pulse racing, through my whole body is shaking all over and that is one of the best feelings ever." - Sophie, 11 years old, St Andrews Primary school, Kilmarnock, Mary and the Witches Flower

• "It’s really interesting to pick apart a film with the knowledge that I know how compared to how I used to look at film. So I think I will go to cinemas a lot more now knowing the stuff I know now." – students attending AMPAS event

• "One girl had never been to the cinema before; we went to the IMAX – she loved it!" - Primary teacher at Beautiful Planet screening, IFF 2018

• "My pupils, who have differing levels of SEN, loved the experience and want to go every week" - Teacher attending IFF 2018.

• "The children cried, laughed and are still talking about it days later. They were all quite moved" - Secondary teacher, Love Simon screening.

What professionals, press and partners said

• "The Into Film Festival is incredible useful and a dynamic way that children can celebrate and understand a broad breathe of film as well as getting young people into our cinemas to see what a brilliant place that cinema is to see films, that can only help us as a business and a long-term audience builder, so I think it’s a synergy and a marriage made in heaven." - Clare Binns, Joint Managing Director at Picturehouse Cinemas

• "I never really knew how to break into it (film), there’s no road map and there’s no one way. But I think if they could talk to film makers and actors and ask them direct questions ‘how did you get into the film industry?’ That’s super helpful." - Michael Pearce Film Director/ Festival speaker

• "One boy came up to me afterwards and was really happy to hear you say that you’re from a working-class background. For him he’s going to go ‘I can do it’ doesn’t matter what background you’re from, so I think it’s really going to give people the confidence that they can do it. It’s film actual, anything’s possible." – Ann Ogbomo, Actor/ Festival speaker