Screenplay Education Programme 2023

WELCOME

WELCOME

Film, like other forms of storytelling, offers us a window on the world and an opportunity to reflect on what matters to us – our aspirations, values, challenges, the choices we make and the consequences of our decisions and actions: and cinema invites us to do that together. So we warmly welcome you to Screenplay 2023.

As ever we are grateful to our partners at the Discovery Film Festival for Young Audiences for finding engaging and great quality films from around the world – five of the week’s titles have been shown there and come recommended by a wide range of pupils and teachers. Discovery has also generously made available to us the comprehensive and detailed resource packs which include suggested classroom activities and detailed information on the specific aspects of the

curriculum to which the films relate.

They are available online and can be accessed via the links in the programme. Created and developed by teachers, they really add value to the cinema experience.

For the other two titles on offer, we are very excited to have director Hassan Nazer ( Winners ) here to do a live Q&A after the screening of his film, and to have a specially pre-recorded online Q&A with the legendary Emma Thompson, exclusive to Screenplay ( Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical ).

We look forward to seeing you again at Mareel.

Kathy Hubbard Screenplay Festival Director

LUNANA: A YAK IN THE CLASSROOM LUNANA: A YAK IN THE CLASSROOM PG

Still training to be a teacher, Ugyen lives in Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan, but dreams of moving to Australia to become a singer. When he finds out that his final year teaching placement will be in Lunana – a community so remote that it is a seven day walk from the nearest road – his enthusiasm for the teaching profession is dampened still further. But go he must, and he sets off with all his urban essentials, including his mobile phone ever-present in his hand. But the onset of the high altitude, the lack of amenities and the absence of any signal doesn’t improve his mood, and he arrives in Lunana ready to turn straight around and head back to the city. Can the children in his new community change his mind, and win him round before the onset of winter forces him to decide –should he stay or should he go?

Proud of its claim to have been shot on location in the world’s most remote school, the making of the film was as much of a challenge to the film team as that faced by Ugyen. So take a look at this lovely film and ask yourself: northern Bhutan? Or Australia? Would you make the same choice as Ugyen ultimately does?

Rec 8+ (but will appeal more to older pupils). There is an online resource pack developed by teachers available here: discoveryfilmfestival.org.uk/resources/ item/lunana-a-yak-in-the-classroomresource-pack

Clip: youtube.com/watch?v=iYTggIkn45Y

Trailer: youtube.com/watch?v=-R-LX0qdghw

Dir. Pawo Choyning Dorji | 1h49m | Bhutan 2019 | Dzongkha with English subtitles

Shetland Arts is delighted to offer a great programme of films for schools at this year’s Screenplay

OINK DRAGON PRINCESS OINK (KNOR) PG

DRAGON PRINCESS (PRINCESSE DRAGON) PG

Bristle isn’t like other little girls: for a start, she has green hair (lots of it), she has been raised by a dragon, she breathes fire and can talk to animals using only her mind. When she meets Princess, who looks a bit like her in some ways, she discovers a whole new world, featuring lots of new things to treasure but also some big disappointments. With their very different starts in life (and families), can they become friends? And if their friendship can overcome their own individual differences, how will they manage to reconcile their fathers, whose rivalry is so deeply entrenched and seems certain to end in destruction? This is a fascinating blend of classical fairy story and modern sensibilities, rooted in the eternal clash between human civilization and the untameable natural world.

Different locations (the dragon’s lair, the royal palace, the wild woods) are all drawn, coloured and animated to reflect their differences, as the burgeoning friendship between Bristle and Princess develops on their journeys together. There are shades of Cartoon Saloon’s animations (including favourites like The Song Of The Sea and Wolfwalkers ), Japanese anime and even the representations of Smaug’s treasure halls in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit .

(Rec 8+) There is an online resource pack developed by teachers available here: discoveryfilmfestival.org.uk/resources/item/ princess-dragon-resource-pack

Trailer: youtube.com/watch?v=SvISwasu-lY

Nine-year-old Babs is perfectly content in life. She has a loving family, a great best friend/ skateboarding buddy and is very happily 100% vegetarian. But what she really, really wants is a puppy...

When a rather strange elderly banjo-playing cowboy (with a truly awesome moustache) turns up out of the blue just before her birthday, claiming to be her long-lost grandfather, Babs is initially annoyed – especially when he takes over her garden hut as his new lodgings. But when he gives her what she describes as “the best birthday present ever”, she begins to slowly warm to him. It’s just that the present is not a puppy – but a pig. In addition, he steadfastly refuses to reveal what is in the locked suitcase under his bed - and seems to be showing rather a lot of interest in a forthcoming sausage–making competition.

Keeping a pet pig is not for the faint of heart. Flatulence and poop are everywhere – and this film does not shy away from the awkward facts! The film revels in its Roald Dahl-esque sense of humour, but the overall message is one of triumph over adversity, and ultimately diplomawinning good behaviour. And remember, sausages don’t always have to be made of meat...

(Rec 8+) There is an online resource pack developed by teachers available here: discoveryfilmfestival.org.uk/resources/item/ oink-resource-pack

Clip: youtube.com/watch?v=K-6PlOCmAy8

Trailer: youtube.com/ watch?v=RJiO7wTEIlw&t=31s

Dir. Mascha Halberstad | 1h12m | Netherlands 2022 | Dutch with English subtitles

Dirs: Jean-Jacques Denis/Anthony Roux | 1h14m | France 2021 | French with English subs

SHORTS FOR WEE ONES U

Dirs. Various | 45m | Various countries | Dialogue free

It’s not just the youngest age group that enjoys these films, but the Discovery Film Festival does seek out the best examples of films from around the world that will appeal most to those at the start of their engagement with film. This year we will be taking you all on a journey with animated stops in France, Germany, Slovenia, Norway and the Netherlands. Who needs a spoken language to tell a story when they are as visual as these are? Sheep, walruses, toddlers, jubee-loving Spuffies (wait and see!) and a bright red Wellington boot all invite us into their worlds for a whole host of adventures!

Discovery often talks about films using the ‘three Cs and the three Ss’ – referring to Colour, Character, Camera, Sound, Setting and Story – and these films are great examples

of how the filmmakers have made some very clever choices to tell their tales so effectively. A musical interpretation of the aurora borealis, simple geometric shapes to present a flock of sheep and a characterful spider we learn not to be afraid of are all on offer!

These magical tales will delight children age 3+ and are a colourful introduction to the cinema experience as well as moving image literacy. All these short films are dialogue free.

(Rec 3+) There are online resource packs for each short film in this screening, developed by teachers, available here: discoveryfilmfestival. org.uk/resources?ay=2022

FRANZY Trailer: youtube.com/ watch?v=FfgQ5U-ieYE

30 AUGUST, 10 am (Screen 2 =  37) & 11.30 am (Screen 2 =  37)

FRIDAY 1 SEPTEMBER, 10 am (Screen 2 =  37)

SHORTS FOR MIDDLE ONES

SHORTS FOR WEE ONES SHORTS FOR MIDDLE ONES PG

Dirs. Various | 55m | Various countries

This annual collection of short films for those aged eight and above is always a mix of animation styles and content that promises something for everyone. Sometimes chaotic, sometimes very serious, there is no predicting where we will head next.

This year we have films from Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and the USA, but often they are such universal storylines they could have been made right here. There are tales of brothers and sisters who turn fights into friendship, a renewed bonding between a young boy and his parents brought about by a friendly fox and an animated chase through a myriad of backdrops by some very strange characters.

There’s a beautiful, poetic account of the reflowering of the Yellowstone National Park

after a devastating fire in 1988, and a melodic tale of music overcoming hatred of the unfamiliar (featuring an extremely perky raccoon).

The Discovery Film Festival has been promoting the use of short films in the classroom for a wee while now. If you’re not quite sure how these films can be used in your learning environment, please do have a look at the accompanying resource packs written for teachers by teachers and free to download here.

(Rec 8+) There are online resource packs for each short film, developed by teachers, available here: discoveryfilmfestival.org.uk/ resources?ay=2022

TOBI & THE TURBOBUS Trailer: marcangele. ch/projects/tobiturbobus/

WINNERS PG

ROALD DAHL’S MATILDA THE MUSICAL WINNERS ROALD DAHL’S MATILDA THE MUSICAL PG

When an Oscars Award statue goes missing in Iran, two children race the authorities to return the treasure to its rightful owner.

In a poor Iranian village, the children work hard to support their families. One day nine-yearold Yahya and his friend Leyla find a precious statuette in the desert. As the authorities search for the lost treasure, sharing Yahya’s passion for cinema, Yahya’s boss Nasser Khan decides to help the children find its rightful owner.

Director Hassan Nazer says: “I wrote the script bearing in mind how films allow us to dare to dream, how cinema is a perfect escape. Casting nonprofessional children was my aim for Winners. As a young boy I grew up in Garmsar selling plastic to make money to buy and rent DVDs, to also escape from my own hardships. Those films kept me in a dream-like place … I wanted to tell a story that’s a

bridge between my two homes (UK & Iran), that ties cultures peacefully and harmoniously together through universal themes, with a message that hardship can be overcome through hope and dreams. I wanted to give voice to a silenced, unheard and under-represented minority. In Iran there are over one million Afghan refugees living in hardship, so I chose to make two of my main characters a widowed Afghan mother and her son (Yahya), to give them voice. My hope and vision for Winners was to create something unique and interesting from my own background; to tie two cultures together; to tell a story close to where I grew up …”

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Hassan Nazer. The film has a PG certificate, but we recommend that pupils aged 12 and over will get the most out of it.

Trailer: youtube.com/watch?v=o7cJW-DwjKM

Matilda Wormwood (Alisha Weir) is a little girl with big curiosity, a sharp mind and a vivid imagination - and the worst parents in the world. While her parents (Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough) content themselves with trashy TV and dodgy money-making schemes, she loves to lose herself in the pages of her beloved books. Where they are loud, selfish and unkind she is a quiet observer, thinking up small and cheeky acts of rebellion and revenge. On meeting her inspirational teacher, Miss Honey (Lashana Lynch), Matilda is encouraged and begins conjuring her own fantastical tales. Excited to attend Crunchem Hall, Matilda is shocked to find the school is an ominous and oppressive place led by the huge and villainous Miss Trunchbull (Emma Thompson). Filled with an overwhelming sense of injustice, Matilda dares to take a stand for what is right.

Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical is an inspirational musical tale of an extraordinary girl who discovers her superpower and summons the remarkable courage, against all odds, to help others change their stories, whilst also taking charge of her own destiny.

This is the SING-A-LONG version of the film, so come ready to exercise your voices!

As an additional treat, there will be a prerecorded interview with the legendary Emma Thompson, made especially for Screenplay, before the film starts.

Trailer: youtube.com/ watch?v=lroAhsDr2vI&t=76s

Dir. Matthew Warchus | 1h57m + 20m Introduction | UK 2022 | SING-A-LONG Version

Dir. Hassan Nazer | 1h25m + 25m Q&A | Iran 2022 | Persian with English subtitles

BOOKING & AGE ADVICE

BOOKING & AGE ADVICE

Films will be open for booking from Friday 9 June . Schools should contact Shetland Arts Box Office on 01595 745500 with numbers, not forgetting to include teachers and accompanying adults. There will be a ticket charge of £2 per pupil (teachers, assistants and carers are free). Schools will be invoiced for this after the festival. Bookings will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.

We know that getting pupils here can be a prohibitive expense, but thanks to our funding partners, schools can once again book their transport and ask the operating company to submit their invoices to us at finance@shetlandarts.org . Going on past experience we strongly advise booking your transport as soon as possible.

We have tried to avoid impinging on schools’ lunch hours whilst at the same time making sure that island schools can get to Mareel in time for the morning screenings. If it helps, pupils are welcome to eat their packed

lunches in the main auditorium after the morning screening or before the afternoon screening. You can let us know nearer the time if that will be needed.

Please let us know if you require wheelchair bays or if there are any additional support needs of which we should be aware.

Some of the films have BBFC certificates for age appropriateness, although we have included additional information and guidance when we think that would be helpful. For the ones that have not been certificated we have allocated a category (PG, 12A etc).

Details about what these categories mean can be found at bbfc.co.uk. In addition, we have made suggestions about the most appropriate age range, using judgements that have been made by Discovery and other children’s festivals and by ourselves based on years of experience. Please get in touch if you would like to discuss the content of any of the films.

GENERAL GENERAL THANKS THANKS

All of the films in the education programme will be included as part of the main Screenplay Festival, which runs from Tuesday 29 August to Sunday 3 September, when the advertised ticket prices will apply. The full programme will be available either online at www.shetlandarts.org/screenplay or from Mareel, Bonhoga Gallery and various local outlets from early August.

For more information about any aspect of Screenplay or the education programme itself, please contact Kathy Hubbard at kathy.hubbard@shetlandarts.org

Shetland Arts would like to sincerely thank the local branches of the EIS and UNISON , The Robertson Trust and the former Shetland Film Club for financially supporting this programme.

Special thanks are also due to Mike Tait from Discovery and Noelle Henderson, Creative Links Officer with Shetland Islands Council for their longstanding commitment and support.