Wallace & Gromit
Catering to film fans of all ages, The Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival is delighted to announce a rich selection of 9 family-friendly screenings, alongside an expanded Education programme that includes a range of stimulating events and 15 free screenings for learners of all ages.
As part of Wallace & Gromit’s 20th anniversary, the London Film Festival is delighted to be screening a digitally remastered version of A Grand Day Out, followed by an onstage interview with creator Nick Park.
Meanwhile, the new Film Festival Project, created in partnership with Film Club, gives 7-14 year olds an opportunity to create their very own film festival in their school with the support of the LFF.
Pupils will be able to explore a wide range of films and will have the chance to consult with festival staff and curators in planning their very own festival, culminating in a competition with other schools for a series of prizes.
In order to reach and inspire young people around the country, the Education programme will work with the National Schools Film Week to take the festival on tour to schools in selected cities around the UK, introducing new films and learning resources to primary and secondary school children.
The London Film Festival is also pleased to announce a series of animation focused events and workshops for all age groups. Fun-filled half-term events for children include the Festival Funday Workshop, which will host a free drop-in animation session for families, including the chance to create their own Wallace & Gromit style animations, as well as the Amazing Stretchy Families Animation Workshop, which will complement earlier events by giving families a chance to design and create their own animated shorts inspired by a particular film, Hyebin Lee’s Cherry on the Cake, in which a little girl changes size depending on her feelings.
In addition, Animated Shorts for Younger Audiences will showcase some of the best animated work for children from around the world. In schools, Key Stage 2 pupils can enjoy the Meet the Directors, which will allow them to meet animation directors and find out how their films are made, while Short Cuts and Animation offers those aged 15 upwards the opportunity to meet the talent behind some of the most exciting new British animation and live action shorts.
For slightly older students, The Film Industry Network for Beginners gives 15-19 year olds keen to enter the film industry the opportunity to meet professionals and lean about career prospects and opportunities, and the Film Festival Study Day, in conjunction with the Lambeth Consortium, gives Creative and Media Diploma students aged 14-19 access to festival staff and industry professionals as they learn about how a festival is organised.
As part of the Festival’s commitment to lifelong learning, senior citizens are invited to A Look Inside the London Film Festival, giving them a special overview of the festival’s history and the opportunity to choose which free screenings they would like to attend.
As part of a special focus on the Experimenta strand of the festival, a screening of Karen Mirza and Brad Butler’s The Exception and the Rule, open to those aged 15 and upwards, will be followed by a Q&A and a panel discussion with the filmmaker and a leading visual anthropologist to discuss the problems and ethics of representing the ‘other’ in film.
For film students, a two day 16MM Filmmaking Workshop inspired by the film will allow students to shoot on location on the South Bank before eventually screening and discussing their work.
Working for Your Future then gives undergraduates the opportunity to learn about the challenges and possibilities awaiting them in the UK film industry, informed by a keynote address from Simon Perry, CEO of the Irish Film Board, and meetings with industry professionals.
There is a diverse program of films from around the world carefully selected for a family audience, including the UK Premiere of Toy Story 2 (In Disney Difital 3D), this year's Family Gala title.
One of the classic children’s animated films from the peerless Pixar stable; it is being presented in glorious 3D for the first time, and promises to be sensational, whetting appetites for the third instalment next year.
Also introducing family audiences to the wonders of computer animation is Astro Boy, the story of a robot boy having to adjust to being different from his fellow children while being tasked with saving the world.
The film is voiced by Freddie Highmore (The Spiderwick Chronicles), Nicholas Cage, Bill Nighy and Samuel L Jackson. This is in addition to the LFF’s opening night film, Fantastic Mr Fox, which will receive a family friendly screening during the Festival.
Recommended for ages 6+ are the UK premiere of From Time to Time, an enchanting British family film starring Dame Maggie Smith and Timothy Spall, which tells the story of a boy sent to live with his grandmother in an old country mansion who is visited by ghosts that reveal clues to an old mystery.
Recommended for ages 8+ is A Shine of Rainbows, a moving tale of a lonely orphan adopted by a couple living on the beautiful west Irish coast, who discovers the joy of life while also struggling to be accepted by his new father, and The Eagle Hunter’s Son, the moving story of 12-year old Bazarbi, a Mongolian boy who learns the value of family and tradition when he is forced to go an adventure to find his father’s prize eagle. Continuing the international theme for those aged 8 and above, Max Embarrassing is a warm and confident Danish comedy about surviving life as a teenager.
Programme advisor for Young Audiences, Justin Johnson, comments: "This year's Festival showcases some of the very best animated and live-action titles for children from around the world. What is especially notable is the inclusion of a number of very strong English language titles in the selection including the UK premiere of Julian Fellowes' From Time to Time.
"It is particularly exciting to be able to present an intelligent and well made family film from the UK as this is an area of UK film making that could benefit from some re-invigoration. After the continued success of our monthly Family Fundays at BFI Southbank, we are delighted that this initiative will continue in the festival for a 2nd year with our Animated Shorts programme and Wallace and Gromit 20th Anniversary event.
"Directors and actors will be present at a number of the screenings during the festival to meet the audience and answer their questions - so there really is something for everyone."
Education manager Corinna Downing comments: "The heart of Education Events this year is our selection of films from the main Festival programme, offering dramas, documentaries and shorts from Iran, South Africa, Canada, Denmark, India and the UK, amongst others; we offer learners of all ages the unique opportunity to see these films free of charge, often with the directors on stage.
Education Events also has a special focus on the Festival itself this year, enabling children and teachers to host their own film festivals in schools as part of the Film Festival Project, letting students explore how film festivals work in our Film Festival Study Day, and providing a special talk for Seniors on the history of the Festival."
Catering to film fans of all ages, The Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival is delighted to announce a rich selection of 9 family-friendly screenings, alongside an expanded Education programme that includes a range of stimulating events and 15 free screenings for learners of all ages.
As part of Wallace & Gromit’s 20th anniversary, the London Film Festival is delighted to be screening a digitally remastered version of A Grand Day Out, followed by an onstage interview with creator Nick Park.
Meanwhile, the new Film Festival Project, created in partnership with Film Club, gives 7-14 year olds an opportunity to create their very own film festival in their school with the support of the LFF.
Pupils will be able to explore a wide range of films and will have the chance to consult with festival staff and curators in planning their very own festival, culminating in a competition with other schools for a series of prizes.
In order to reach and inspire young people around the country, the Education programme will work with the National Schools Film Week to take the festival on tour to schools in selected cities around the UK, introducing new films and learning resources to primary and secondary school children.
The London Film Festival is also pleased to announce a series of animation focused events and workshops for all age groups. Fun-filled half-term events for children include the Festival Funday Workshop, which will host a free drop-in animation session for families, including the chance to create their own Wallace & Gromit style animations, as well as the Amazing Stretchy Families Animation Workshop, which will complement earlier events by giving families a chance to design and create their own animated shorts inspired by a particular film, Hyebin Lee’s Cherry on the Cake, in which a little girl changes size depending on her feelings.
In addition, Animated Shorts for Younger Audiences will showcase some of the best animated work for children from around the world. In schools, Key Stage 2 pupils can enjoy the Meet the Directors, which will allow them to meet animation directors and find out how their films are made, while Short Cuts and Animation offers those aged 15 upwards the opportunity to meet the talent behind some of the most exciting new British animation and live action shorts.
For slightly older students, The Film Industry Network for Beginners gives 15-19 year olds keen to enter the film industry the opportunity to meet professionals and lean about career prospects and opportunities, and the Film Festival Study Day, in conjunction with the Lambeth Consortium, gives Creative and Media Diploma students aged 14-19 access to festival staff and industry professionals as they learn about how a festival is organised.
As part of the Festival’s commitment to lifelong learning, senior citizens are invited to A Look Inside the London Film Festival, giving them a special overview of the festival’s history and the opportunity to choose which free screenings they would like to attend.
As part of a special focus on the Experimenta strand of the festival, a screening of Karen Mirza and Brad Butler’s The Exception and the Rule, open to those aged 15 and upwards, will be followed by a Q&A and a panel discussion with the filmmaker and a leading visual anthropologist to discuss the problems and ethics of representing the ‘other’ in film.
For film students, a two day 16MM Filmmaking Workshop inspired by the film will allow students to shoot on location on the South Bank before eventually screening and discussing their work.
Working for Your Future then gives undergraduates the opportunity to learn about the challenges and possibilities awaiting them in the UK film industry, informed by a keynote address from Simon Perry, CEO of the Irish Film Board, and meetings with industry professionals.
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