The BFI is the lead body for film in the UK. We combine cultural, educational and industrial roles, bringing together the BFI Film Fund, film distribution, the BFI National Archive and the BFI Reuben Library. Established in 1935, the BFI Archive holds one of the largest film and television collections in the world. Our 5-19 education scheme is delivered by Into Film, an organisation providing a unified UK-wide film education scheme.
The BFI is the lead body for film in the UK. We combine cultural, educational and industrial roles, bringing together the BFI Film Fund, film distribution, the BFI National Archive and the BFI Reuben Library. Established in 1935, the BFI Archive holds one of the largest film and television collections in the world. Our 5-19 education scheme is delivered by Into Film, an organisation providing a unified UK-wide film education scheme.
BFI Education presents ‘Gothic in the classroom’ – new resources to accompany 13 Gothic film titles. This collection of resources and lesson ideas has been created by teachers for a range of subject areas from English to Art to Science.
In this lesson students apply their knowledge of Kantian ethics to the experience of John Merrick, the Elephant Man. They do so through active watching, through a hot seat activity and finally by creating a trailer for a film.
This lesson for English and other subjects at key stages 3-5 uses the short film Pumzi (2009) to lead students into a discussion of the issue of the future. They will consider moral dilemma linked to the key sci-fi issue of the creation of utopian or dystopian futures. They then have the opportunity to design their own post-apocalyptic ‘perfect world’, consider how the world might end, and what new worlds might be created as a result.
If you're planning on watching one or more of the BFI&'s ten Sci-Fi discovery films at the Into Film Festival or elsewhere, why not have a go at our Sci-Fi Bingo game? Download the PDF, complete with instructions. Enjoy!
BFI Education presents ‘Gothic in the classroom’ – new resources to accompany 13 Gothic film titles. This collection of resources and lesson ideas has been created by teachers for a range of subject areas from English to Art to Science.
An introductory lesson in which students uncover the Gothic themes and motifs found in Alfred Hitchcock's film adaptation of Rebecca.
A lesson for Key Stage 4 PSHE and Citizenship students that explores black British culture and identity using the film Babylon (1980). Key scenes are used as impetus for class discussions on issues of race and racism in British society.
Set predominantly in South London, Babylon is a potent mix of music and social commentary, with an extraordinary ‘starry’ cast headed by actor-musician Brinsley Forde (Brinsley Dan) as ‘Blue’, the alienated young man at the heart of the story. Directed by Franco Rosso, this is a superb, truthful film that stands up over thirty years later.
The film is available on DVD and for free in BFI Mediatheques.
Learning objectives include:
Learning about some aspects of black British history from the 1980s;
Considering similarities and differences between race relations in the UK in the 1980s and modern day.
A lesson for Key Stage 4 PSHE and Citizenship students that explores the experiences of the 'Windrush Generation' using the film Concrete Garden (1994). Students work toward devising a short dramatic piece that relates to the themes and ideas brought up by the film.
Concrete Garden is a wonderfully observed graduation film from the black British director Alrick Riley. With warm performances from a young cast and exquisite detail in the production design, this tender short film powerfully evokes the trials and tribulations faced by kids settling in 1950s Britain.
The film is available to watch for free in BFI Mediatheques or can be rented on BFI Player for a small fee.
Learning objectives include:
Understanding more about immigration from the Commonwealth in the 1950s;
Investigating and considering what it could be like to be someone who has recently moved to the UK from abroad.
BFI Education presents ‘Gothic in the classroom’ – new resources to accompany 13 Gothic film titles. This collection of resources and lesson ideas has been created by teachers for a range of subject areas from English to Art to Science.
This lesson looks at what a parody is and what is says about the genre, focusing on the Wallace and Gromit film, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.
A five-lesson scheme of work for Media Studies students at Key Stage 5 that looks at how the representation of black British life on TV has evolved since the 1960s to the present day. This scheme of work focuses on black representation on British TV from popular series like Desmond’s to lesser-known TV plays such as the provocative, Fable (1965). These lessons are designed for use with Media Studies students at Key Stage 5 and have the new 2016 specifications in mind.
Many of the works discussed are available to watch for free in BFI Mediatheques. Clips are also available as via BFI Screenonline, although due to our agreements with rightsholders, access to Screenonline’s moving image material is only permitted within UK schools, colleges, universities and public libraries that have already registered with us. We regret that we are no longer able to offer registration to new users.
Learning objectives include:
Understanding how black communities have been represented on television historically;
Applying this understanding in order to engage in productive debate;
Analysing key media texts critically;
Evaluating the social and political impact of representation of key groups within the media.
BFI Education presents ‘Gothic in the classroom’ – new resources to accompany 13 Gothic film titles. This collection of resources and lesson ideas has been created by teachers for a range of subject areas from English to Art to Science.
A lesson where students consider the characters of women in the novel Rebecca, and how these fit into genre stereotypes within the Gothic, and within literature/society in general.
BFI Education presents ‘Gothic in the classroom’ – new resources to accompany 13 Gothic film titles. This collection of resources and lesson ideas has been created by teachers for a range of subject areas from English to Art to Science.
Students will discuss what they understand by the term 'Gothic&' in both film and literature. They will consider how the style and form of the film adaptation of Rebecca adheres to the idea/themes of the Gothic.
BFI Education presents ‘Gothic in the classroom’ – new resources to accompany 13 Gothic film titles. This collection of resources and lesson ideas has been created by teachers for a range of subject areas from English to Art to Science.
In this lesson, students study the complexity of Manderley and investigate it as a character in its own right.
This five-lesson scheme of work for Key Stage 4 English examines the issue of racial inequality as depicted in the short film Ten Bob in Winter (1963) and the poetry of Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou.
Ten Bob in Winter is an energetic short film directed by the Jamaican writer and performer Lloyd Reckord. Shot on 16mm in black and white, the film is fresh and experimental yet still light and accessible.
Some of the learning objectives include:
Learning facts about racial inequality within British society;
Exploring the theme of racial inequality;
Using poetry as a way of understanding and empathising with this inequality.
BFI Education presents ‘Gothic in the classroom’ – new resources to accompany 13 Gothic film titles. This collection of resources and lesson ideas has been created by teachers for a range of subject areas from English to Art to Science.
This lesson is designed to be relevant to KS4/5 history students studying Germany in early 20th Century.
