David Puttnam launches Thinking Film

A new set of teaching resources that combine specially selected film extracts and an extensive range of teaching materials and aim to further embed film within the curriculum, was launched today (April 24) at the House of Commons by David Puttnam, president of the UK’s Film Distributors’ Association (FDA).

Commissioned by the FDA and created by Film Education, the resources are designed to support, illustrate and promote engagement in the key curriculum areas of history, English, modern foreign languages, primary literacy and film studies for teachers and students.

The Thinking Film project marks the first time that film distributors have come together through FDA to deliver a wide-ranging, clips-based resource for classroom use in the UK.

Each teaching package comprises a DVD of film extracts, a CD-rom containing lesson plans and worksheets which relate to the demands of the curriculum. A programme of teacher training supporting the use of these materials will be accessible online and updated continually. The programme is offered free of charge to schools.

The discs of film extracts will be going out to two-thirds of the UK’s 7,000 secondary schools and half of the 23,000 primary schools within the next fortnight. All other schools will receive information on how to request materials.

David Puttnam said: “I am delighted that FDA and Film Education have joined forces to bring about this very exciting step change in the use of film in our classrooms. Right across the curriculum, film and moving image media have an ever more important role to play both in helping children to understand the world around them and in helping teachers to bring a broad range of subjects vividly to life, a vital part of the process for nourishing any young mind.”