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| Author | DCM |
| Categories | cinemaEventsExhibitor NewsFilm Festivals |
Fledgling film fans and budding young cinema enthusiasts have been offered an exciting opportunity by Film Nation UK to take part in their first National Film Festival, building on the previous work undertaken by National Schools Film Week.
The festival will run from 21 October to 8 November delivering a nationwide programme of free film screenings and activities aimed at 5-19 year olds, including interactive workshops and Q&A sessions with industry professionals. Pupils and teachers will be pleased to know that these sessions will be tied into the National Curriculum to maximise their educational potential, and perhaps more notably, allow them to do something new and inspiring during school hours.
The £26m Lottery funded programme is expected to run over the next four years with the support of the cross-industry group Cinema First, of which the CEA is a key member, and seeks to enable young people across the UK to enjoy a wide variety of films and learn about filmmaking and the film industry in the process. Mark Higham, Chief of FilmClub, one of the two founding organisations of Film Nation UK, explained: “We have been working with the industry to create the National Youth Film Festival because we want to begin a long-term relationship between young people and film.”
Josh Berger, President and Managing Director of Warner Bros. UK, Ireland and Spain, also identified the potential for young people to kick-start their interest in pursuing roles within the film industry, adding: “We’re thrilled to be collaborating with Film Nation UK to help inspire and educate thousands of young people about the film industry and the many career opportunities that lay within. The work we’ll be doing together forms a key part of Warner Bros. Creative Talent, a major new investment in UK creative industries’ skills and training for the next generation.”
The UK-wide celebration of film has received an overwhelmingly positive response from the film industry. To date, over 450 cinemas and venues have committed to hosting National Youth Film Festival screenings, including ODEON, Everyman and Picturehouse cinemas. In addition, leading film distributors and studios are committing their films to the screenings. Acclaimed filmmaker Mark Cousins and BAFTA award-winning actress Tilda Swinton will also be selecting films for a Primary audience as part of the Guest Curators strand.
The festival is expected to be a key element of Film Nation UK’s exciting new unified programme of film education funded by the British Film Institute, building on the work of leading film education charities FilmClub and First Light. Cinema First will also invest in, and work in collaboration with the festival, which is to be delivered with the support of National Schools Partnership.