The Into Film Festival returns this November with free film screenings, exclusive pupil premieres, and special events for educators and young people across Scotland. Running from 6 to 27 November, the Festival will give pupils opportunities to experience cinema, discover screen careers and explore storytelling through film.
Among the Scottish highlights is an exclusive pupil premiere of Ray Gunn in Edinburgh. The new animated science-fiction mystery from director Brad Bird, known for The Incredibles, opens the Festival on 6 November with special pupil premieres across the UK. The film features the voices of Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson and Tom Waits.
Special screenings of Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein will take place at Edinburgh’s Filmhouse in Edinburgh on 17 November and Glasgow Film Theatre on 18 November. Duncan Currie, an assistant location manager on the film, will join a screen careers discussion about working on location and the role of location management in bringing stories to the screen.
University of Edinburgh palaeontologist Dr Steve Brusatte, a consultant on Jurassic World Dominion, will also host screenings and Q&A sessions exploring the science behind the film at Dunfermline on 18 November and Edinburgh on 24 November.
On 17 November, Glasgow Film Theatre and the Scottish Documentary Institute will present four short films from Bridging the Gap, the Institute’s programme supporting emerging documentary talent in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Two documentary filmmakers will speak with young people about their work and careers.
Other pupil premieres include Merry Christmas Aubrey Flynn, starring Richard E. Grant, Jim Broadbent and John Bradley.
Supporting reading and literacy through film
This year, the Festival will support the National Year of Reading, in partnership with the National Literacy Trust and the Department for Education, encouraging young people to explore the links between the films they enjoy and reading.
Research from the National Literacy Trust found that 38.1% of children and young people were motivated to read when the material related to a favourite film or television series.
The annual Into Film Festival Review Writing Competition will also encourage pupils to reflect on films they see during the Festival. Winning entries will receive a £200 voucher for their class.
Free screenings across Scotland:
Festival screenings, events and workshops will take place in Aberdeen, Aberfeldy, Annan, Ayr, Braehead, Campbeltown, Cumbernauld, Dumfries, Dundee, Dunfermline, East Kilbride, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Galashiels, Glasgow, Greenock, Hamilton, Huntly, Inverness, Irvine, Kilmarnock, Langholm, Livingston, Moffat, Montrose, Paisley, Peterhead, Sanquhar, Skye and Stranraer.
The Department for Education’s enrichment framework
Across the UK, the Into Film Festival offers more than 3,000 free screenings, film guides, screen careers activities and curriculum-linked events at over 600 cinemas, exclusively for educators and pupils aged 5 to 19. The Festival welcomes more than 400,000 pupils annually and is recognised in the Department for Education’s enrichment framework as a resource supporting access to arts and culture and wider educational outcomes.
The Into Film Festival is supported by Cinema First and the UK film industry.
Free bookings are open to UK educators on a first-come, first-served basis, with waiting lists available. Visit www.intofilm.org/festival to find events and book places.
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