The Edinburgh Film Festival, launched this week, has announced a busy schools programme. It includes two “media days” for high schools, containing short and feature film screenings, masterclasses, and the chance to meet film-makers and industry professionals on 25 and 26 June.

Martin Cairns, media studies and English teacher at Edinburgh’s Broughton High, said: “EIFF Media Days for Schools are one of the highlights of the year for my students.

“The opportunity to meet cast and crew from the movie world is inspiring and invaluable, whether it be Lucius Malfoy or D.A. Pennebaker. This is a fantastic event which is geared towards supporting teachers’ work in school.”

There will be opportunities, too, for primary schools and modern studies pupils to attend film screenings. Each film is carefully chosen from the main programme to dovetail with Curriculum for Excellence.

The festival, which runs from 20 June to 1 July, has run its movie-making competition for the capital’s schools once again this year. The contest, run jointly with Screen Education Edinburgh and the city council’s arts and learning team, is open to pupils from nursery upwards.

The winning films, selected by a young people’s jury, will share the festival limelight with leading film-makers from around the world.

“The ideas, creativity and imagination of young people in Edinburgh is always startling, and the films represent an amazing breadth of inventiveness and originality,” said David Barras, film-maker and jury coordinator.

The chosen films will be screened to the public on Saturday 23 June (primary) and Sunday 24 June (secondary).

A new Student Critics Award Jury. It offers three further and higher education students the chance to be mentored by two critics, and to select the winner of the inaugural award.

Details of the schools programme at: www.edfilmfest.org.uklearning or by contacting education@cmi-scotland.co.uk.