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The 2018 Into Film Festival has officially come to a close after two and a half weeks of exciting special events and screenings, and it truly went out on a high note with an exclusive pupil premiere of Disney's Ralph Breaks the Internet in London's Vue Leicester Square.
The wildly imaginative sequel to 2012's Wreck it Ralph was introduced by the film's directors Phil Johnston and Rich Moore and producer Clark Spencer, as well as Will Gardner, CEO of Childnet, a child internet safety charity. With a mix of pure movie magic and timely advice on using the internet safely, the event typified much of what Into Film stands for and was a perfect end to another phenomenally successful Festival. Be sure to check out Ralph Breaks the Internet when it arrives in cinemas UK-wide on Friday 30 November!
Jump to the bottom of this page to watch the three filmmakers explain what it meant to them to have their film closing the 2018 Into Film Festival.
This year's Festival - which is funded by Cinema First - welcomed around 450,000 5-19 year olds to almost 3,000 free screenings and events across 550 UK venues and featuring 150 films. As well as traditional cinemas, a huge range of venues hosted our events, from the Barbican and the Cinema Museum in London, to the Ark Farm in Northern Ireland and Folly Farm Adventure Park & Zoo in Wales.
We always appreciate and enjoy the support of the film industry, and this year was no exception. Some of our guests included newly appointed Into Film Ambassador Ruby Barnhill (The BFG, Mary and the Witch's Flower) and actor Will Poulter (The Little Stranger, Detroit, The Revenant), who joined us for his second festival in a row following his appearance at the Into Film Awards earlier this year. We were also pleased to have McQueen directors Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, Beast director Michael Pearce, Ghost Stories director Jeremy Dyson and A Northern Soul director Sean McAllister along for post-screening Q&A sessions and talks.
The 6th Into Film Festival kicked off in style on November 7 with five simultaneous pupil premieres of Illumination's The Grinch in London, Manchester, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast. The ambitious undertaking allowed young people across the UK to not only enjoy a sneak preview of one of the most anticipated family films of the year, but also get into the Christmas spirit by delivering the "gift of kindness", as attendees were encouraged to bring along food donations that were then delivered to local food banks after the screenings.
"Your donations totalled an amazing 50 meals provided, which is fantastic and will go such a long way to helping those in our local community who need it most", said a representative of Manchester Central Foodbank. "The fact that Into Film have made it possible for so many generous children to donate items of food to the foodbank will make such a big difference for those who are experiencing food poverty, and will help to make sure that no-one goes hungry this Christmas time."
And if you didn't get to see it with us, The Grinch is in cinemas across the UK now.
Other premieres in the programme included Welsh Language film Pluen Eira, Cannes Film Festival 2018 Palme D'Or winner Shoplifters and another fitting introduction to the holiday season in Nativity Rocks!.
Monday 12 November saw two equally fascinating and informative events take place at the BFI Southbank in London. The day kicked off with a discussion between film critic Rhianna Dhillon and Joe Cornish, acclaimed director of Attack the Block and upcoming fantasy-adventure The Kid Who Would be King. This was followed by our annual Academy Careers in Film Summit, which introduced young audiences to the wide range of careers available in the film industry, from familiar roles such as actor and director to composer, editor, scriptwriter and set designer, to name but a few.
In Bristol, young people were lucky enough to attend a screening of Adama with Afrika Eye Film Festival, and in Brighton, local audiences were invited to attend two separate stunt workshops: one at Fabrica cinema, in collaboration with Take3 Academy; and another with TK Stunts at Duke's at Komedia (Picturehouse) following a screening of Mission: Impossible - Fallout. Meanwhile a VR workshop in Queens University, Belfast exposed students to the future of the film industry, Zimbabwean poet and storyteller Tawona Sithole captured the imagination of audiences in the Glasgow Film Theatre and panel discussions alongside screenings of The Rape of Recy Taylor in London, Birmingham and Cardiff engaged audiences with a variety of difficult but timely issues.
Many further Q&As and panels presented topics that can be used to facilitate further discussion in class including those hosted by the Anti-Bullying Alliance, Action Mental Health, Climate Reality Leadership Corp and F-Rated's Holly Tarquini.
Speaking of thought-provoking discussions, be sure to read our feature on one of the Festival's most impactful events - a screening of the first part of the BBC's Stephen Lawrence documentary Stephen: The Murder that Changed a Nation followed by a panel discussion with the film's director/producer and Stephen Lawrence's brother, Stuart.
A staple of this year's Festival were film critic events, with appearances by Total Film's Matt Glasby, Empire Magazine's Helen O'Hara, Little White Lies' Sophie Monks Kaufman and Rich Cline (Vice Chair of the Critics Circle film section). Speaking of which, if you and your students were among the near-500,000 who attended, don't forget to remind them to enter our Into Film Festival Review Writing competition for the chance to win great prizes for your film club or class. The deadline is 10 December, so don't delay!
This year's Festival may be over, but our Festival Strand Resources can still be used in class, so if you've attended any screenings or events, be sure to download the accompanying resources and film guides to help ensure you get the absolute best value out of your Into Film Festival experience.
If you enjoyed the Festival, why not consider entering our other flagship event, the Into Film Awards? Designed to showcase the best young filmmaking talent from across the UK, as well as exceptional Into Film Clubs and educators, the Awards are one of the highlights of the Into Film calendar. The deadline for entries is 14 December, so if you've made any films in your film club or classroom, submit them today. Check out the highlights from last year's Awards to see what you could be a part of!
Ralph Breaks the Internet - Directors and Producer Interview
Directors Rich Moore and Phil Johnston, and producer Clarke Spencer speak to us about what it meant to them to have their new film, Disney's Ralph Breaks the Internet, closing the 2018 Into Film Festival.
