• Authenticity: film is one of the closest mediums to a real life.

• Brevity and manageability: a short film can be screened in its entirety easily within one lesson.

• Accessibility: film is an inclusive medium, accessible to students of diverse learning styles, experiences and needs.

• Unique qualities: Short films, like short stories, are not governed by the same conventions as their longer counterparts and can provoke stronger responses.

• Stimulating:  films can generate a range of talking, conversational and dramatic activity, stimulating an active engagement with language. 

• Cultural immersion: Film offers a holistic picture of a language culture, rather than just the abstracted spoken or written words alone.

• Authentic language use: Films can help children listen for gist and detail, and show them gesture and facial expressions that support speech. 

• Writing in a target language can be supported by creative and interactive approaches to film. 

• Relevance: films encourage learners to engage with challenging issues and contexts in ways that develop passion, commitment and enthusiasm for language learning. 

 

 

BFI has produced a number of compilations of short films to support language and literacy learning:

 

 

• Cineminis; Short French Films for Language Learning and Literacy (that this DVD includes many films with resources on this site).

• Story Shorts 2 - Short films for the Primary classroom. Age 7+

• Real Shorts - Short documentary & non-fiction films for Year 7+

• Moving Shorts - Short films for English and Media Studies

 

Follow the links above for more information on the compilations, and to get copies.