education

Welcome to the Foyle Film Festival Education website. We hope you can use this part of the festival website as a valuable accompaniment to the screenings and special events in our education programme. Use the website to download worksheets for class work, or use them as a guide to the content and themes of each film, to complement your existing programme of study.

We've given you plenty to choose from: for English Literature students there's a screening of a brand new version of Hamlet, accompanied by a special Film Education workshop; a screening of the classic Hitchcock version of Du Maurier's Rebecca; and a new documentary on playwright Brian Friel. Our animation workshops and screenings should provide Art & Design students of all abilities with plenty to think about. While our Special Effects workshops with the creators of some of Hollywood's most exciting computerised effects will thrill Media, IT and Art & Design students (and anyone else, for that matter, who wants to come along). The harrowing Cry Freetown will challenge Media and Government & Politics students, and the wonderful Spanish Civil War-set Butterfly's Tongue is a perfect way to stretch the vocabulary of every Spanish student. Language-practise for Irish students comes in the form of 2 new Irish language films, while cultural issues relating to Northern Ireland on film are addressed intelligently in our How We See Ourselves in Film discussion.

And don't forget to let your students to stretch their critical muscles by encouraging them to email us with their reviews on the films they have seen and events they have attended.

We want to show you how film can be used to enliven and enrich existing curriculum studies. But more importantly, we want you and your students to enjoy the festival this year - we look forward to seeing you there!

Notes on using the website
You can download the worksheets of each film and event listed in the Education home page and use them for class activities once your class has attended the festival. Any activities that require work before the festival event are clearly marked. And whenever possible, we've indicated if a VHS video of a relevant film is available to purchase, via the internet, from blackstar.co.uk.

For ease of use, films and workshops can be accessed below, via Key Stage level, or via appropriate area of study. Simply browse the two sections and click on the film / event you are interested in.

Films / Events by Key Stage
Key Stage 1:The Tale of the Rat that Wrote animation workshop; So You Think You're a Film Critic?
Key Stage 2: Animation shorts; The Tale of the Rat that Wrote animation workshop; So You Think You're a Film Critic?
Key Stage 3: Animation shorts; Gladiator SFX workshop; Perfect Storm SFX workshop; Tomorrow's World Today discussion/workshop; The Tale of the Rat that Wrote animation workshop; So You Think You're a Film Critic?
Key Stage 4: Animation shorts; Gladiator SFX workshop; Perfect Storm SFX workshop; Tomorrow's World Today discussion/workshop; The Tale of the Rat that Wrote animation workshop; So You Think You're a Film Critic?
GCSE: Animation shorts; Butterfly's Tongue; Brian Friel documentary; Irish-language films; How we See Ourselves in Film; Rebecca; Gladiator SFX workshop; Perfect Storm SFX workshop; Tomorrow's World Today discussion/workshop; The Tale of the Rat that Wrote animation workshop; So You Think You're a Film Critic?
GCE A/AS Level: Animation Shorts; Brian Friel documentary; Butterfly's Tongue; Cry Freetown; Hamlet; Irish-language films; How we See Ourselves in Film; Gladiator SFX workshop; Perfect Storm SFX; Tomorrow's World Today discussion/workshop; The Tale of the Rat that Wrote animation workshop; So You Think You're a Film Critic?

Films / Events by Subject
English Literature: Brian Friel documentary; Hamlet; Rebecca; So You Think You're a Film Critic?
Art & Design: Animation shorts; Gladiator SFX workshop; Perfect Storm SFX workshop; Tomorrow's World Today discussion/workshop; The Tale of the Rat that Wrote animation workshop; So You Think You're a Film Critic?
Communication & the Media: Cry Freetown; How we See Ourselves in Film; Tomorrow's World Today discussion/workshop; So You Think You're a Film Critic?
Irish: Irish-language films; So You Think You're a Film Critic?
Spanish: Butterfly's Tongue; So You Think You're a Film Critic?
Government & Politics: Cry Freetown; So You Think You're a Film Critic?