Filmclub
Filmclub is an education charity which sets up film clubs in schools and other education and care establishments in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. The scheme is free to all state primary and secondary schools in Wales and England.
In 2013, Filmclub merged with First Light to become the film-based charity, Into Film.
Organisation
The organisation was founded in September 2006. Led by Chief Executive Mark Higham, a pilot in 2007 was followed by a UK roll-out in April 2008, The charity merged with partner First Light in 2014 to create Into FilmFilmclub gives children from participating schools access to thousands of films through the purchase of a license. Pupils are encouraged to watch a diverse range of films including classics, black and white movies, documentaries, blockbusters and foreign language titles, and to review the films they watch on the organisation's website. The clubs are generally run by teachers or similar education professionals, but may also be led by older pupils, often from a school's Sixth Form. Filmclub also organises school visits by professionals from within the film industry. In England Filmclub is funded by The BFI Lottery Fund. In Wales, Filmclub is funded via the Film Agency Wales, by the Welsh Assembly. Filmclub is funded in Northern Ireland by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure through Northern Ireland Screen and delivered by CineMagic and the Nerve Centre. Filmclub receives philanthropic support from LOVEFiLM.
Filmclub Patrons are actor Emma Thompson and director Mike Leigh. Filmclub Ambassador for Wales is actor Michael Sheen, Ambassador for Scotland is director Kevin MacDonald and Ambassador for Northern Ireland is film maker Mark Cousins
Founders
- Beeban Kidron began directing films in the late 1980s and after studying at the National Film and Television School, went on to win a BAFTA for the television movie Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. She has since directed seven feature films including Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason . She was awarded an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list of 2012 and introduced to the House of Lords as a cross-party peer in the same year.
- Lindsay Mackie is Chair of the Readers and Writers Committee and founder of the national book club programme Reading For Pleasure which has been established in secondary schools. Mackie has also been a journalist for The Guardian, specialising in race and home affairs, a film critic with The Herald and arts feature writer with The Scotsman.
Clubs and activities
Each week, ten members are awarded "reviewer of the week' status for the film reviews they have submitted to the website.
Filmclub's 'Young Ambassadors' scheme, where members interviewed film talent at press events and premieres has been replaced by a Talent Development program which enables students to learn more about the industry by attending film events and screenings and taking part in other film industry interactions. The scheme, which includes training workshops and work experiences has three strands – Reporters, Reviewers and Programmers.
All members have the opportunity to interact with film industry professionals through Filmclub's "Close Encounters" activity.
Close Encounters
Filmclub's "Close Encounters" scheme brings pupils into contact with professionals from film, and related industries such as film journalism. Directors, actors, producers, screenwriters, casting directors and costume/set designers have participated in events which typically involve question and answer sessions and workshops. Industry professionals visit schools across the UK to take part in these interview sessions. In addition for five days at the end of each month, Filmclub runs a week of daily live streamed webcasts in which all members can participate by posting questions on Twitter, via email or on the phone. The Close Encounters scheme has also arranged for pupils to visit working film sets.Participating professionals
Close Encounters have taken place with, amongst others:| Name | Profession | Filmography | Date |
| Kevin Macdonald | Director, Producer & Writer | The Last King of Scotland, State of Play | February 2007 |
| Beeban Kidron | Director | Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, Hippie Hippie Shake | February 2007 |
| Thandie Newton | Actress | ', Crash, Run Fatboy Run | February 2007 |
| Rosamund Pike | Actress | Die Another Day, Pride & Prejudice | March 2007 |
| Ben Hoyle | Arts Correspondent | June 2008 | |
| Mike Stringer and Mike Hardwick | Special FX | Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Sweeney Todd | June 2008 |
| Emma Thompson | Actress | Sense and Sensibility, Love Actually, Nanny McPhee | June 2008 |
| Jason Isaacs | Actor | The Patriot, Harry Potter | June 2008 |
| Sir Alan Parker | Director | Bugsy Malone, Mississippi Burning | June 2008 |
| Gurinder Chadha | Director | Bend It Like Beckham, Bride and Prejudice | June 2008 |
| Tom Sutcliffe | Journalist and Film critic | November 2008 | |
| Lord Puttnam | Film Producer | Starlight, Midnight Express, Bugsy Malone | November 2008 |
| Laura Bailey | Model and Actress | The Mirror Has Two Faces | November 2008 |
| Alex Jennings | Actor | The Queen, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason | December 2008 |
| Robyn Slovo | Film Producer | The Statement, Catch a Fire, Gimme Shelter | December 2008 |
| Nigel Andrews | Journalist and film critic | December 2008 | |
| Lesley Manville | Actor | Secrets & Lies, Vera Drake | December 2008 |
| Mark Burton | Screenwriter | Chicken Run, Madagascar, ' | January 2009 |
| Sim Evan Jones | Editor | Shrek, The Chronicles of Narnia | January 2009 |
| Oliver Parker | Director | The Importance of Being Earnest, St Trinian’s | January 2009 |
| Simon McBurney | Actor | The Last King of Scotland, The Golden Compass, Body of Lies | February 2009 |
| Gaby Dellal | Actor and Director | K2, On a Clear Day | March 2009 |
| Nancy Thompson | Costume Designer | Mission Impossible, Sweeney Todd, Valkyrie | March 2009 |
| Frank Cottrell-Boyce | Writer | Brookside, Coronation Street | March 2009 |
| Priscilla John | Casting Director | About a Boy, Mamma Mia!, Brideshead Revisited | March 2009 |
| Imelda Staunton | Actor | Sense and Sensibility, Vera Drake, Nanny McPhee | March 2009 |
| Eric Fellner | Producer | Thunderbirds, Nanny McPhee, State of Play | April 2009 |
| Fiona Weir | Casting Director | Harry Potter Film Series, The Golden Compass, The Boat That Rocked | May 2009 |
| Nik Powell | Producer | Fever Pitch, Ladies in Lavender | June 2009 |
| Lee Hall | Screenwriter | Billy Elliot, Hippie Hippie Shake | June 2009 |
| Michael Sheen | Actor | The Damned United, The Queen | June 2009 |
| Nancy Thompson | Costume Designer | Eyes Wide Shut, ' | July 2009 |
| Dan Maslen | Storyboard artist | ', Green Zone | September 2009 |
| Seanine Joyce | Orchestrator | Over The Hedge, Severance | October 2009 |
| Matt Bochenski | Film Journalist | Little White Lies | November 2009 |
| Paweł Pawlikowski | Director | My Summer of Love | November 2009 |
| Jane Horrocks | Actor | Little Voice, Chicken Run | November 2009 |
| Alastair King | Composer | Chicken Run, Shrek | November 2009 |
| Andrew Eaton | Producer | Jude, 24 Hour Party People | December 2009 |
| Mike Leigh | Director | Secrets & Lies, Topsy-Turvy | January 2010 |
| Garth Jennings | Director | The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Son of Rambow | January 2010 |
| Duncan Heath | Talent Agent | Independent Talent | February 2010 |
| Greta Scacchi | Actor | Brideshead Revisited, Beyond the Sea | March 2010 |
| Sue Quinn | Location Manager | Four Weddings and a Funeral | March 2010 |
| Havana Marking | Film Director | Afghan Star | May 2010 |
| Alistair King | Music | Harry Potter | October 2010 |
| Edward Hogg | Actor | Bunny and the Bull | October 2010 |
| Julie Walters | Actor | Harry Potter, Becoming Jane | February 2011 |
| Alison Owen | Producer | Shaun of the Dead | March 2011 |
| Colin Goudie | Editor | Monsters | March 2011 |
| Carlos Saldanha | Director | Rio | March 2011 |
| Dougray Scott | Actor | Enigma, Ripley's Game | May 2011 |
| Sophie Thompson | Actor | Four Weddings and a Funeral, Emma | June 2011 |
| Emma Freud | Script Editor | Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill | July 2011 |
| Zoë Wanamaker | Actor | Five Children and It, Wilde | July 2011 |
| Henry Winkler | Editor | Happy Days | July 2011 |
| Morgan Spurlock | Director | Super Size Me, The Greatest Story Ever Sold | October 2011 |
| Dexter Fletcher | Actor / Director | Wild Bill, | October 2011 |
| Ashley Jensen | Actress | Arthur Christmas | November 2011 |
| Steven Spielberg | Director | War Horse, Jaws | January 2012 |
| Daniel Radcliffe | Actor | Harry Potter, The Woman in Black | February 2012 |
| Werner Herzog | Director | Grizzly Man | March 2012 |
| Joe Dante | Director | Gremlins, The Hole | March 2012 |
| Nick Hornby | Writer | About a Boy | April 2012 |
| Col Needham | Founder of IMDB | May 2012 | |
| Mark Cousins | Director | What is this Film Called Love? | June 2012 |
| Andy Gent | Animator | Frankenweenie | October 2012 |
Trustees
Lord Bichard
Throughout his career of over 30 years, Lord Michael Bichard has worked in local and central Government. He was Permanent Secretary of the Department for Employment when it merged with the Department for Education and Skills to form the Department for Education and Employment. He served as Permanent Secretary for the new combined department from 1995-2001 and was then appointed to be Rector of the University of the Arts London. He currently holds the post of Director of Institute for Government and serves as Filmclub Chair.Baroness Kidron
A co-founder and deputy chair of Filmclub, Beeban Kidron's directorial work has attracted many awards including The Prix Italia, BAFTAs, a Golden Hugo, Critics choice at Crietiel, The Lillian Gish award and RTS awards. Her work includes Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, Cinderella, Thanks for Everything Julie Newmar, Love at First Sight and Oranges are Not the Only Fruit.Lindsay Mackie
Lindsay Mackie is a former journalist and is heavily involved in literacy programmes for UK schools. Sh.Michael Harris
Proprietor of his own management recruitment company for twenty-five years, Harris is now the non-executive director of several media companies. He is also the treasurer at Filmclub, BAFTA and Comic Relief.Eric Fellner
is co-chairman of Britain's largest independent production company, Working Title Films.Alan Parker
Alan Parker is founder and chairman of Brunswick Group LLP.Janice Middleton
Janice Middleton taught in schools in mining communities in Yorkshire before becoming headteacher at Victoria Primary School in Edlington, near Doncaster in 1989. Middleton is leader of her school's film club and is part of Filmclub's Star incentive and reward scheme for outstanding club leaders. She became a Filmclub Board member in June 2010.Samira Ahmed
has been a news anchor and correspondent on both sides of the Atlantic.Matthew Slotover
Matthew Slotover is the co-publisher of Frieze magazine and co-director of the London art fair of the same name in Regent's Park. He is chair of the South London Gallery board of trustees and has acted as a judge for the Turner Prize.Sir Alasdair Macdonald
Sir Alasdair is Headteacher of Morpeth School, and in 2008 received a knighthood for services to both local and national education.Partners
Filmclub works with the following organisations:- British Film Institute
- LOVEFiLM
- BAFTA
- Film Agency Wales
- Welsh Assembly
- Northern Ireland Screen
- Nerve Centre
- CineMagic
- Times Educational Supplement
- First Light, a charity that aims to helps young people from all backgrounds to develop their skills and entrepreneurial capabilities, and to provide opportunities for work with industry professionals on youth-led media projects. Filmclub's club of the year is presented at First Light's annual awards event.
- Creative Skillset
- The Industry Trust for Intellectual Property Awareness
- Parent-Teacher Associations UK, a national charity and membership organisation supporting 75% of all PTAs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.