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The Cinema of Childhood
Our resources are designed to be used with selected lm titles,
which are available free for clubs at www.lmclub.org
The Cinema of Childhood season is curated by lmmaker Mark Cousins, presented by Filmhouse and
supported by the BFIs Programming Development Fund, awarding funds from the National Lottery. The Cinema of Childhood season is curated by lmmaker Mark Cousins, presented by Filmhouse and
supported by the BFIs Programming Development Fund, awarding funds from the National Lottery. The Cinema of Childhood season is curated by flmmaker Mark Cousins,
presented by Filmhouse and supported by the BFIs Programming
Development Fund, awarding funds from the National Lottery.
The Cinema of Childhood Activity pack
intolm.org
Our downloadable resources are designed to be used in conjunction with selected lm titles, which are available free for clubs at www.lmclub.org
2
About this resource
Subject Focus: English, Citizenship, PSHE Education Age Range: 7-15
This resource is suitable for the general curricular areas English/Literacy, Citizenship and PHSE Education. To cross reference
subjects specic to your nation or region, please refer to the curriculum links map at www.bit.ly/FestivalResources. The
resource is designed for students at KS24 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and in Scotland at P4S4.
Most of the tasks can be used with students of diferent age groups who will present their understandings at levels
appropriate to their age and experience. These exible discussion starters, activities and worksheets can be used with
any Festival lm in this strand. Use them as they are or adapt them to suit your learners needs, or any other related lm.

About the Festival
The Into Film Festival is an exciting and unique event for young people, taking place around the UK this November. The
Festival helps bring learning to life for 519 year olds by inspiring young people to watch, make and understand lm in
new and creative ways, as well as helping to build a lifelong passion for lm. The hundreds of free lm screenings and
lmmaking workshops on ofer have clear learning outcomes and our Festival strands tie in with the curricula across
the UK to support education and personal development. Taking part in the Festival may be just the rst step on a young
persons journey into lm, and we are here to support teachers and students along the way.
About this strand
The Cinema of Childhood is a touring season of 17 lms about children from all over the world, curated by acclaimed
lmmaker, critic and Into Films Northern Ireland Ambassador, Mark Cousins. The lms have rarely or never before been
screened in the UK, so Into Film has picked a selection to be shown during the Festival in the cinema where they will be
seen at their best.
For teachers of relevant subjects, and for any educator who wants to nurture lm literacy in young people, this resource
ofers an opportunity to develop lm knowledge and understanding through an exciting and rich cultural experience.
It supports the strand, with great activity ideas for before and after the screening. To see a full list of Festival lms in this
strand, and for the related classroom resource, see www.intolm.org/festival/programme/cinema-of-childhood
For more information about The Cinema of Childhood touring season see www.cinemaofchildhood.com
Advice on using lm in the classroom
If you would like to explore more of The Cinema of Childhood lms back in the classroom, you can order DVDs for free
through your Into Film Club account. Not yet Into Film? Joining Into Film is easy and free go to the website to nd out
more and to register: www.bit.ly/FilmClubs or email support@intolm.org
The Into Film website features a range of engaging resources that put lm at the heart of children and young peoples
learning: www.bit.ly/IntoFilmSchoolResources. For advice on lmmaking with young people, see this helpful guide:
www.bit.ly/SecondaryFilmmaking and for a student-focused guide on storyboarding and planning a lm, see this helpful
how to video: www.bit.ly/HowToStoryboard
The Cinema of Childhood Curriculum links
intolm.org 3
Our resources are designed to be used with selected lm titles, which are available free for clubs at www.lmclub.org
Curriculum links
For ages 715, these lms can enhance and support learning in the curriculum through English, PSHE Education and
Citizenship. This resource explores these by focusing on lms about children and the representation of childhood in lm.
Literacy
English (England and Wales)
Literacy & English (Scotland)
Language & Literacy, English (N. Ireland)
PSHE Education and Citizenship
PSHE Education, and Citizenship (England)
Health and Wellbeing and Social Studies (Scotland)
Personal and Social Education (Wales)
Personal Development and Mutual Understanding, Personal Development, Environment and Society and Local and
Global Citizenship (N. Ireland)
The Cinema of Childhood
Our downloadable resources are designed to be used in conjunction with selected lm titles, which are available free for clubs at www.lmclub.org
intolm.org 4
The Cinema of Childhood programme
Where do these lms come from?
Why havent I heard of them before?
Background: The lms in The Cinema of Childhood programme
were chosen by Mark Cousins, a lmmaker and writer. He made
a documentary called A Story of Children and Film (UK, 2013, PG)
about children in cinema from around the world from the 1930s
to today: it included some we may already know, like the boy in
The Red Balloon (France, 1956, U) and introduced new faces like
Sili, the lead character and star of The Little Girl Who Sold the Sun
(Senegal, 1999, U).
Mark said of making his documentary: I love such moments in a movie when the director cuts the kid a bit of slack to
be themselves, show of, have fun, get upset. Such emotions come and go in kids really quickly, almost like a movie
editor can cut in an instant between diferent situations. Movies seem alive in such moments, unpredictable, capricious.
I hope weve incorporated some of this in A Story of Children and Film.
In A Story of Children and Film Mark showed clips of 53 great lms from 25 countries. From these, 14 feature lms and
three short lms were chosen to create the The Cinema of Childhood touring programme, from countries including
Albania, France, Denmark, Iran, Japan, Senegal and the US. In each one, the lmmakers show us the world from a childs
point of view, using script, camera and sound to bring us right into their world.
For the most part, this will be the rst time that the lms are seen by children and young people in cinemas
in the UK. To explore the UKs lm distribution and exhibition industry and practice around specialised (non-
mainstream) lm, discuss:
Why werent these lms chosen in the past to be shown in cinemas here?
Why, if they were chosen, have cinemas aimed their screenings at adult audiences, showing them in
evening screenings when children and young people are less likely to attend?
The Cinema of Childhood
Our downloadable resources are designed to be used in conjunction with selected lm titles, which are available free for clubs at www.lmclub.org
intolm.org 5
The language of camera
Films about children
What makes these lms about children and childhood diferent?
How do they compare to most lms that are for or feature children?
What comes to mind when you think of lms about children? Mark Cousins has said that lms about children are about
three things: attachment, loss and the joy of the moment.
1. Children can make very strong attachments to people, animals, places and possessions. Bonding with something
outside of themselves is part of learning about empathy and how the world works. Think of Billy and the bird in Kes
(UK, 1969, PG), Elliot and the alien in ET (US, 1982, U) and, in The White Balloon (Iran, 1995, U), Raziehs deeply felt
quest for a goldsh.
2. Loss, of control and, especially, of a parent, is a very powerful experience for a child, and absence can be felt just
as keenly; both mean children must rely on themselves. Think of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz (US, 1939, U), the
siblings in The Railway Children (UK, 1970, U) and, in Moving (Japan, 1993, PG), Renko struggling to manage her
feelings around her parents separation.
3. Without the knowledge and understanding which experience and maturity will bring, a child can enjoy a moment
more than an adult. Think of Pai in Whale Rider (New Zealand, 2002, PG) going into the sea on the whales back
and, in Little Fugitive (US, 1953, PG), Joeys rollercoaster of a day on his own at Coney Island.
The most popular genres of live action lms made for children are fantasy and adventure tales in which children
overcome their fears, often without adult help, like Harry Potter the wizard hero up against the forces of evil also
handling everyday problems at school. Films about children are often aimed at adult audiences; in these, children might
symbolise innocence and nostalgia - as in Swallows and Amazons (UK, 1974, U) and Le Petit Nicolas (France, 2009, PG)
- or adult fears the zombie children of Village of the Damned (UK, 1960, 12) and vulnerability of James in Ratcatcher
(UK, 1999,15). In big budget Hollywood lms aimed at family audiences, children are often cute and romanticized,
perhaps nowhere more so than in musicals, from Mary Poppins (US, 1964, U) to School of Rock (US,2003, PG).
Filmmakers have to make choices; what to put in, what to leave out. If something is always represented the same way
(children are cute and funny) we become used to seeing them that way, whether it reects what is true about how
children behave (actually in ways as complex and thoughtful as adults) or not. For each child or young person watching
a lm from The Cinema of Childhood programme, the representation of the children will mean something diferent for
each of them, depending on their life experience and the other lms theyve seen.
When children and young people watch one of the lms from The Cinema of Childhood programme, they
could think about these ideas:
What are the diferences between these lms and other lms you have seen starring children, perhaps
fantasy or adventure lms?
How do the lmmakers tell the story from the childs point of view?
Could an experience from your life be made into a lm? Choose a strong memory or feeling an
attachment, loss or a moment of joy? and, discuss how it might look on screen (see next section on
representation).
The Cinema of Childhood
Our downloadable resources are designed to be used in conjunction with selected lm titles, which are available free for clubs at www.lmclub.org
intolm.org 6
The language of camera
Representing childhood in lm
Is it possible for a director to portray every aspect of a person in a feature lm? If it were, it would be hard to do in 90
minutes, so lmmakers highlight and enhance features of personality and appearance, often using familiar symbols as
visual short cuts.
A childs clothes let us know if they are a boy or a girl, rich or poor, looked after or not - if we see their home this will
help us understand them further. Casting is very important the child has to look the part and, whether or not they are
an experienced young actor, be able to be directed in the style of the lm, imagining their character in a real place or
even a fantasy future! A childs small size is often emphasised, putting them in a large open space: to emphasise how big
the world is around him, Little Fugitive cinematographer Morris Engel shot Joey tiny on the wide beach after the storm,
and Crows cinematographer Artur Reinhart shot empty beaches and wide skies to emphasise Wronas internal longing
for something she missed. As it is not typical for a child to be without an adult in a public space, when they are we are
instantly alerted to something being unusual.
There are expectations of how a child will behave in a conventional lm made for children. The lms in The Cinema of
Childhood programme were not made specically for children, and the representations of children do not conform to
these conventions: it is their story, we understand and interpret the world through their eyes, and we need to follow
them the close up on little boys face in Ten Minutes Older (Latvia, 1978, U) shows this in real time. The lmmakers
approach the subject and themes of the lm ensuring they stay close to the childs perspective of whats happening -
their attachment or loss via the use of the camera (perhaps staying low, as if seeing the world through their eyes) and
the sound (perhaps only hearing what they hear).
The Cinema of Childhood Activity pack
intolm.org
Our downloadable resources are designed to be used in conjunction with selected lm titles, which are available free for clubs at www.lmclub.org
7
Palle Alone in the World
Denmark | 1949 | Cert: U
Representation of a childs imagination
Palle is a little boy who lives in a real place, the city of Copenhagen in Denmark. He changes it into a dream place with
his imagination, in which he is totally in control of what happens to him. This activity focuses on how the lm represents
Palle and shows us the world from his point of view.
Close your eyes and imagine that, even though you are a child, you can drive!
No-one will tell you to stop, no-one will think youre too young and, even better, youre totally brilliant at it and can
go wherever you want.
What kind of car do you have? Where do you go? Do you take someone with you or not - why? How does it feel?
Watch the clip of Palle in the re station on The Cinema of Childhood website of Palle (69secs) www.bit.ly/PalleAlone
How does he feel? How do the fast editing, the point of view camera shots and the long shots of the engine whiz-
zing through the empty streets make us feel? How would it feel diferent if there were no pov shots? How would it
feel diferent if there were other people in the lm?
The city is not only empty but silent. How does this emphasise the dreamlike experience and if you can watch the
whole lm Palles feelings at the end about the value of sharing experiences.
Little Fugitive
US | 1953 | Cert: PG
Representation of a childs joy in a moment
7-year-old Joey runs away after thinking hes hurt his brother and is in big trouble; he gets on a train to the seaside and
spends nearly two days wandering around. The lm was made quickly and cheaply by the directors, who experimented
with an energetic style to represent Joeys experience; the small portable camera designed and worn on his shoulder
by one of the directors, Morris Engel, allowed him to lm in public areas without being noticed and still keep the image
steady. This activity focuses on how the lm represents Joey and shows us the world from his point of view.
Close your eyes and imagine what its like sitting on a horse on a carousel. What can you see, what can you hear, what
can you smell? How do you feel? How could you capture this with a camera?
Watch the clip of Joey at Coney Island on The Cinema of Childhood website (72secs) www.bit.ly/LittleFugitive
How does it make you feel? How do you think Joey is feeling as he whizzes round?
What do you think of how it was lmed, where do you think the camera was? Imagine if the camera had stood still
(like a waiting parent) at the side watching it go round rather than riding how would this have made the scene feel
diferent?
The Cinema of Childhood Activity pack
intolm.org
Our downloadable resources are designed to be used in conjunction with selected lm titles, which are available free for clubs at www.lmclub.org
8
Hugo & Josephine
Sweden | 1967 | Cert: PG
Representation of a childs isolation
9-year-old Josephine lives in the countryside, largely ignored by her busy father, who we never see, and not tting
in with other children her own age until she meets Hugo. The story is told entirely from Josephines perspective, so
what she doesnt fully understand we dont either; on The Cinema of Childhood website, Malena Janson (Swedish Film
Institute) writes of Josephine that, Her fear and her love dye the characters. She experiences her world as fragments,
memories, unique moments, and these are put together in an impressionistic, associative, way. This activity focuses on
a scene from early on in the lm and shows how it represents Josephine and shows us the world from her point of view.
Watch the clip of Josephine and her suitcase on The Cinema of Childhood website (36secs). www.bit.ly/HugoJosephine
It is a sequence of nine shots.
1. High angle Long shot (LS) of Josephine carrying her doll and large heavy suitcase away from the house,
walking barefoot on the gravel drive and looking down. The camera is tracking (moving) backwards.
2. Medium close up (MCU) of van of noisy children driving past, looking at her.
3. MCU of Josephine looking at them.
4. LS of van driving into distance (Josephines point of view)
5. Same MCU of Josephine looking at them (held longer than the last one).
6. LS of van further into distance (same Josephine point of view)
7. High angle Very long shot (VLS) of Josephine dragging her case along the road between yellow elds. She
is head down, doesnt see woman on a bicycle with an umbrella wobbling towards her. They crash, the
woman falls.
8. High angle Medium shot (MS) of woman on the path looking cross (J pov)
9. Low angle MS of Josephine looking expressionlessly at woman (woman pov)
Look at how the camera moves (tracks) sometimes its xed, sometimes it moves. What efect does this have
how does it make you feel?
Look at the camera angle sometimes its looking down, sometimes up. What efect does this have how does it
make you feel?
Look at the camera shots sometimes its shot from a distance, other times its close up, as if from a persons eyes.
What efect does this have how does it make you feel?
What might happen next - what are the next 6 shots?