Throughout January,more than 30,000 school students took advantage of a range of free film previews and screenings arranged by Film Education. Selected cinemas all over Britain have participated in the National Year of Reading by opening their doors to schools to enable pupils to watch films such as Shakespeare in Love, Madeline and Titanic Town.
The last of the present batch of previews will take place on February 25, when students will have a chance to make a pre-release visit to Pleasantville at 25 selected cinemas (see box, right). It is a spectacular satire about television and the dreamworld it creates.
The film can be used as a basis for the examination of film language, expression, youth culture and representation of youth. It is certified 12 and lasts 123 minutes. It won’t actually be released until March 12, so if you want to see it before anyone else, read on.
Teachers should call the relevant cinemas and contacts listed. Generally, it is best to call cinemas between midday and 5pm. If the contact listed is not available, ask to speak to the duty manager. But don’t call Film Education about the screenings - individual cinemas are handling bookings.
Remember to state the following when you call:
* the name, date and time you would like to attend;
* teacher contact and school name, telephone number and address;
* total number attending (inclusive of teaching staff).
This scheme has been funded by the National Year of Reading and was devised to support the Government’s National Literacy Strategy.
Film Education’s most recent teaching resources include, for secondary:
* Shakespeare in Love Study Guide (free) * An Ideal Husband Study Guide (free from mid-March) * Film Language Study Guide and Video (pound;19.99). And for primary:
* Madeline Study Guide (free) * A Bug’s Life Study Guide (free) * The Literacy Pack Part One: Book to Film Adaptations Scriptwriting and Storyboarding (pound;16.50) * The Literacy Pack Part Two: Myths, Legends and Fairytales Story Structure (pound;16.50) For more details, write to Film Education, Alhambra House, 27-31 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0AU.
* CINEMAS PARTICIPATING IN THE FREE FILM PREVIEW
Aberdeen Odeon, Linda Emslie, 01224 584 531.
Belfast Virgin, All staff, 01232 243 477.
Bradford Pictureville, Lisa Noble, 01274 202040.
Bristol Warner Village, Alison White, 01179 500 888.
Brixton Ritzy, Claudine Wake, 0171 733 6206.
Bromborough Odeon, Colin Hill, 0151 334 6998.
Cambridge Warner Village, Craig Jones, 01223 460 225.
Cardiff UCI, Leanne Morris, 01222 442 202.
Clydebank UCI, Murray Wilson, 0141 951 1949.
Dagenham Warner Village, Alison Hodgson, 0181 592 0847.
Derby UCI, Ruth Forey, 01332 295 010.
Edinburgh UCI, Karen Gray Chris Murchison, 0131 6690 777.
Inverness Warner Village, Danny Thomas, 01463 711 175.
Lee Valley UCI, Stella Andrea, 0181 482 5280.
Leeds Warner Village, Maggie Royam, 0113 279 9855.
Leicester Odeon, Ben Smalley, 0116 255 7069.
Liverpool Showcase, The duty manager, 0151 549 2044.
Manchester Odeon, Gordon Jameson, 0161 236 8890.
Middlesbrough Odeon, Tony Myhill, 01642 226 792.
Norwich ABC, Kevin Lawer, 01603 624 677.
Plymouth ABC, Carole Nelson, 01752 225 553.
Poole UCI, Ian Murray, 01202 736 646.
Solihull UCI, Tony Walters, 0121 608 7090.
Swansea UCI, Angela Williams, 01792 644 980.
Wimbledon Odeon, Malcolm Grimsley, 0181 540 9978.
