How can film help develop key skills?

The moving image plays a pivotal role in the lives of young people from a very young age and helps to shape their understanding of the world. Whether absorbing themselves in big or small screens, the power of the visual image to shape and inspire the minds of young people is unquestionable.

In Opening Our Eyes, a large-scale survey by the BFI, it was found that three quarters of people that watch films believe that it is a good way to make people think about difficult or sensitive issues. In fact, 85 per cent of those surveyed said that they’d recently seen a film which had provoked them to ‘do something’, such as talk to friends and family about it.

In this way, film can act as a driver, pushing us to consider our world and seek out others to discuss our perceptions and feelings. This is especially true of young people, with the report stating that those in younger age groups are more likely to see film as a source for role models. Harnessing that positive engagement with film, and using it to explore key issues such as sustainability, is an excellent method to engage young people with topical issues. Discussing films develops speaking, listening and comprehension skills, useful not only in literacy but across the entire curriculum.