Into Film

Into Film
Name	Into Film
Formation	2013
Type	Charity
Headquarters	London
Region served	United Kingdom
Leader title	Chief Executive
Leader name	Jon Dovey

Into Film

Into Film is a United Kingdom-based film education charity that promotes film screening, filmmaking and film literacy among children and young people. Founded to bridge cultural, curricular and community dimensions of cinema, the organization operates nationally with regional delivery through museums, cinemas and schools. Into Film partners with broadcasters, studios and cultural institutions to provide films, classroom resources and festivals aimed at increasing engagement with cinema and screen studies.

History

Into Film emerged from a UK cultural policy environment influenced by organizations such as the British Film Institute and initiatives like the Film Education Board. Its formal establishment followed consolidation of film education projects active across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland during the early 2010s. The charity built on precedents set by regional education schemes linked to the National Film and Television School, collaborations with ScreenSkills, and outreach models used by the National Theatre and Tate. Over its history Into Film has expanded programming in response to curricular reforms associated with the Department for Education and maintained ties with legacy institutions including the Film Distributors' Association and the UK Film Council's successor bodies.

Mission and Programs

Into Film's mission emphasizes access to cinema for young audiences through screenings, filmmaking opportunities and educational resources. The charity delivers year-round screenings in partnership with chains such as Odeon and Vue and independent venues like Curzon and Picturehouse, often aligning titles with releases from distributors including Warner Bros., Universal Pictures and StudioCanal. Program strands include classroom-focused packs themed around franchises and auteurs represented by names like Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan and Hayao Miyazaki, and practical workshops led in collaboration with organizations such as the Royal Shakespeare Company, the V&A and the British Museum. Into Film also stages professional development for teachers alongside training offered by universities like Goldsmiths, University of London and the University of Warwick.

Educational Resources and Curriculum Integration

Into Film produces curriculum-linked resources designed to map to stages of the National Curriculum and assessment frameworks including GCSE and A-level specifications from exam boards such as AQA, OCR and Pearson Edexcel. Resource modules use films by directors such as David Lean, Greta Gerwig and Alfonso Cuarón to teach narrative, cinematography and adaptation, referencing texts such as the novels adapted in works like Atonement, Little Women and Children of Men. Materials incorporate case studies from archives including the British Film Institute National Archive and collections at the Imperial War Museum, enabling cross-curricular links with subjects assessed by boards and institutions including OCR's English Literature specifications. The charity's pedagogic approach draws on film studies methodologies practiced at institutions like King's College London and the University of Warwick, and on classroom strategies promoted by the National Literacy Trust.

Festivals and Events

Into Film curates seasonal festivals and nationwide screening days that bring films to young audiences, often timed alongside industry events such as the BFI London Film Festival and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards seasons. Signature events include nationwide Film Clubs hosted in partnership with multiplexes and independent cinemas, filmmaking competitions judged with input from personalities associated with the British Academy and high-profile filmmakers like Ridley Scott and Danny Boyle. The charity has organised location-based events in cultural venues such as the National Film Theatre, Tate Modern and the Science Museum, and collaborated with festivals including Sheffield Doc/Fest, Raindance and Edinburgh International Film Festival to broaden access to documentary and independent cinema.

Partnerships and Funding

Into Film's operating model depends on a mix of funding from trusts and foundations such as the Garfield Weston Foundation and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, corporate sponsorship from media companies including BBC Studios, Sky and Netflix, and revenue earned through ticketing partnerships with chains like Cineworld. Institutional partners include the British Film Institute, ScreenSkills, the Association of School and College Leaders and museums including the Imperial War Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. The charity has also secured project grants from arts funding bodies such as Arts Council England and cultural departments within devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, while receiving in-kind support from distributors including Sony Pictures and Paramount Pictures.

Impact and Reception

Independent evaluations of Into Film cite increased attendance at cinemas among target age groups and reported gains in confidence, media literacy and creative skills for participating young people, with outcomes noted in research commissioned by entities like the British Film Institute and the National Literacy Trust. Educators from multi-academy trusts, local authorities and independent schools have highlighted the charity's utility for contextualising film within GCSE and A-level teaching, while criticism from some commentators has focused on commercial ties to distributors and questions about curricular priorities raised by university lecturers in film studies. Into Film's initiatives have been cited in policy discussions involving the Department for Education and cultural inquiries led by parliamentary committees concerning youth access to the arts.

Category:Charities based in the United Kingdom Category:Film organisations in the United Kingdom