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ROSAMUND PIKE JOINS YOUNG FILM FANS TO OPEN 2016 INTO FILM FESTIVAL
Today, BAFTA and Oscar-nominated actor Rosamund Pike officially launched the 2016 Into Film Festival – an annual celebration of film and education - in London’s Leicester Square. The special event was held at Vue West End, followed by a screening of Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of The BFG where the primary school-aged audience dressed as their favourite Roald Dahl character in celebration of the Dahl centenary. The screening was one of nearly 3,000 taking place across the UK between November 9th and 25th as part of the world’s biggest free film festival for children and young people.
Rosamund Pike (An Education, Gone Girl), who will be next seen in A United Kingdom, which is released in the UK on 25th November and is being previewed during the Into Film Festival, said;
“It’s been a very exciting morning opening the Into Film Festival. To be in a crowded cinema full of young, enthusiastic film fans is a real joy because you realise that the work you are doing is going to reach future generations. I think just opening these young people’s minds to the excitement and inspiration that’s possible with film and combining that with education is an immense and important undertaking that Into Film is engaged with and the fact that they do all this for free is just incredible”.
From the 9th – 25th November, the Into Film Festival will bring the magic and rich educational value of the big screen to life. The Festival will enable over 450,000 young people aged 5-19, from all backgrounds and corners of the UK, to learn through and about film and interact with filmmakers and other guests to bring the world of film and topics raised to life. Part of an on-going initiative to use film as an educational tool, the Festival also encourages young people, including many who may never otherwise visit the cinema, to learn and develop an interest in cinema, creating the informed film audiences of tomorrow.
The Festival will include 150 films, including classic and popular titles from all round the world and incorporating different genres and styles of filmmaking, screened in 560 cinemas across the UK to ensure the festival is accessible all young people. Highlights of this year’s Into Film Festival include:
- Exclusive previews in Belfast, Glasgow and London of director Amma Asante’s A United Kingdom, starring Rosamund Pike, David Oyelowo and Tom Felton. Based on the remarkable true story of Seretse Khama, the King of Beuchuanaland (modern Botswana), and Ruth Williams, the London office worker he married in 1948, whose love triumphed over oppression and intolerance to lay the foundations for one of Africa's most peaceful and prosperous countries. A United Kingdom is on general release from 25th November
- UK Premiere of Molly Moon and The Incredible Book of Hypnotism, about a young orphan girl, Molly Moon, who comes across a magical book, starring Raffey Cassidy (Snow White and the Huntsman) as the eponymous heroine. The premiere will take place at Odeon Covent Garden, London on 24th November.
- The Festival’s Closing Gala on 25th November at Odeon Covent Garden is an exclusive preview of Disney’s new CG-animated feature Moana, about an adventurous teenager who sails out on a daring mission to save her people, featuring the voices of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and newcomer Auli’I Cravalho. Moana is on general release on the 2nd December.
- Film discussions led by guests from a variety of organisations, will bring topics and issues to life. Guests include the British Board of Film Classification, Framestore, The Industry Trust, UK Space Agency, Magic Light Pictures, Stonewall, Roald Dahl Museum, South Yorkshire Housing Association, Edinburgh Zoo, Scottish Mental Health, Cinecity, New Black Film Collective, Cinema For All, Oxfam, National Assembly of Wales, MPC Films, Belfast Zoo, Screen Yorkshire, Industrial Light and Magic, Debate Mate, Film Cymru Wales.
- Delving behind the camera, a number of Q&A sessions will take place enabling young people to learn more about the filmmaking process. Guests include Costume Designer Sandy Powell (Cinderella), writer Nick Hornby (Brooklyn), film journalists Marianne Gray and Alan Jones, screenwriter Andrea Gibb (Swallows and Amazons), screenwriter Lucinda Coxon (The Danish Girl), writer Misan Sagay (Belle), Special Effects Designer Tahra Zafar (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Foley Artist Peter Burgis (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), actors Morfydd Clark and Jenn Murray (Love & Friendship), writer Bola Agbaje (Gone Too Far), director Philippa Lowthorpe (Swallows and Amazons), Director/ writer Andrew Steggall (Departure), actor Akai Osei-Mansfield (Streetdance: All Stars)
The Into Film Festival builds on its success in 2015, which saw almost 415,000 young people and their educators attending screenings and events across the UK. The annual celebration of film and education is made possible by support from Cinema First, a wide collaboration with UK cinema industry partners, and Festival delivery partners National Schools Partnership. This year the Festival’s media partner is First News. Into Film is a nationwide film education charity, which is supported by the BFI through Lottery funding.
The Festival also travels to remote and socially disadvantaged locations to be fully accessible to everyone. Autism-friendly screenings will be on offer to foster inclusivity along with screenings for sensory impaired attendees, featuring subtitling and audio-descriptions.
The programme is supported by a selection of free teaching resources designed to support the curricula of all four nations and are available to download from the Into Film Festival website. The teaching resources accompany each programme strand to promote discussion and engage young people in key topics ranging from diversity, wellbeing and anti-bullying. Into Film and National Schools Partnership with Pathé have developed a brand new learning resource, A United Kingdom: The Power of Unity to tie in with the film’s release for use in the classroom and is designed for young people aged 11-18 to facilitate further exploration of the film and its themes.
Teachers and young people who participated in last year’s festival have welcomed its impact. In a survey, 98% of attending educators said they saw the broader educational benefits for their students, 83% said they were more likely to use film or cinema visits to support delivery of the curriculum and 80% of young people said they were more likely to go to the cinema as a result of attending the festival.
Celebrity supporters of the Into Film Festival include Carey Mulligan, Eddie Redmayne, Sir Kenneth Branagh, Michael Sheen, Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes, Sir Ian McKellen and Helena Bonham Carter.
The Into Film Festival 2016 will take place from 9th-25th November.