Filmclub Goes Behind The Headlines.

FILMCLUB, the nationwide after-school club which gives children free weekly access to thousands of classic and popular films, has announced the launch of a special ‘Behind The Headlines’ season of films specially designed to take secondary school children on an adventurous journey beyond-the-headlines to explore the lives of others in countries with conflict.

The special season will take children on a journey through Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and more and will feature critically-acclaimed films from the world beyond Hollywood.

Actor Ewan McGregor comments; “FILMCLUB is incredible, it’s brilliant how teachers are using movies to engage kids with the world… Teachers can use films to really open children’s minds to the limitless possibilities that life has to offer.”

Films in the ‘Behind The Headlines’ special season will include everything from Pop Idol in Afghanistan (Afghan Star) to an animated coming-of-age story about a young Iranian girl growing up during the Islamic Revolution (Persepolis). The films have been put together with the aim of opening children’s eyes to cultures, ideas, people and places that they may not normally encounter.

Lord Puttnam, leading film producer comments “Film, more than any other medium, reflects back to us our dreams and our aspirations. It enables children to see the world through the eyes of others, and to seek out a level of tolerance and respect for others.”

The ‘Film Journeys: Behind The Headlines’ season films are as follows:

Afghan Star (Pop Idol comes to Afghanistan, 2009, E (exempt))
Iraq In Fragments (A series of intimate portraits, Iraq, 2006, PG)
Hotel Rwanda (True story of man who saves1000’s of refugees in Rwanda, 2004, 12)
Lemon Tree (Drama straddling the Palestinian-Israeli chasm, 2008)
Burma VJ (Documents the monks uprising in 2007, 2009,12)
Persepolis (Coming-of-age story of a young Iranian girl, Iran, 2007, 12)

A Filmclub survey found that 40% of secondary school kids believed that they would find it difficult to be friends with someone from Afghanistan while half (50%) of secondary school pupils felt that they were not being told enough about countries we are in conflict with. The Behind the Headlines season hopes to promote a deeper understanding of these countries – the people and their cultures via the medium of film.

The ‘Film Journeys: Behind The Headlines’ season is part of a wider initiative to take 100,000 primary and secondary school FILMCLUB members on a journey to explore the world through films from all over globe as well as British-made movies.

A massive 96% of those teachers asked about the FILMCLUB scheme believe that exposing children to different world cultures and languages has a positive effect, and 88% have indicated that FILMCLUB itself broadens children’s cultural understanding.

Founded by film director Beeban Kidron (Bridget Jones’ Diary: The Edge Of Reason) and educationalist and journalist Lindsay Mackie, FILMCLUB has access to a diverse catalogue of movies in 21 different languages and actively encourages members to watch a wide variety of films – from Hollywood and British blockbusters to foreign language films, black and white classics to thought-provoking documentaries. Insight from FILMCLUB’s movie experts enable teachers to expose their pupils to interesting and rewarding films.

FILMCLUB is a network of after-school clubs (4,132 as of 17th May 2010) that offers children free weekly access to thousands of classic and popular films, as well as film industry news, screenings and talent. The club is free and easy to set up and is fast becoming the most popular after-school activity in the country, opening the door onto a dazzling world of cultures, life stories, aspirations, times and places. Supported by top film talent and education professionals, FILMCLUB provides an inclusive, nurturing environment in which children find a voice, discuss, debate and explore.

For more information please contact Taylor Herring on 020 8206 5151