A-Level Film Studies (WJEC)

Cert

Age group14+

Duration98 mins

Casablanca(1942)

In Nazi-occupied Morocco, an American expatriate is reacquainted with his former lover, plus her husband, as they seek safe passage to the US.

This film is one of the set titles to choose from in the study of Classic Hollywood as part of component 1, section A: Hollywood 1930 - 1990. Regarded as one of the best screenplays ever written, it offers a rich introduction to exploring the varieties of film and filmmaking.

Cert

Age group14+

Duration128 mins

Vertigo(1958)

A retired detective suffering from vertigo is hired to follow the wife of a friend but soon finds himself caught up in a web of deceit and lies.

A specialist focus in the study of Classic Hollywood on this syllabus is the concept of the auteur. Alfred Hitchcock is recognised as a master filmmaker with his own distinctive style, highlighted in this film through his highly inventive camerawork such as the dolly zoom and the reoccurrence of themes such as guilt and voyeurism.

Cert

Age group11+

Duration116 mins

Some Like It Hot(1959)

Classic screwball comedy which sees two unemployed musicians forced to go on the run disguised as women after witnessing a crime.

Another title from the Classic Hollywood era that component 1, section A focuses on, this film features Marilyn Monroe in her full star power. It combines elements of gangster films, musicals and comedy, with a playful approach to sexuality that reflected changing attitudes while also adhering to classic genre tropes.

Cert

Age group16+

Duration107 mins

Bonnie and Clyde(1967)

Classic film about the true-life story of the two infamous criminals that went on a gleeful spree in the US during the 1930s.

Section A of the varieties of film and filmmaking component requires a comparative study between Classic and New Hollywood films. This title, named after its dashing and dangerous protagonists, epitomises the latter, with French New Wave influences, on-location filming and transgressive scenes.

Cert

Age group14+

Duration113 mins

Blade Runner(1982)

In the future human clones are sent to work in the outer reaches of space, when six escape and head to earth a blade runner is sent to hunt them.

Also part of the New Hollywood selection of titles for assessments up to and including 2024, ‘Blade Runner’ draws on film noir and science fiction conventions resulting in an aesthetic best described as ‘retro-futuristic’. Study areas include political and technological contexts and the vivid cinematography and lighting.

Cert

Age group16+

Duration125 mins

Do the Right Thing(1989)

Racial tensions run high in Brooklyn on the hottest day of the year.

Released towards the end of the New Hollywood era, as well as towards the end of the Cold War and during a turbulent period in New York City politics, Spike Lee’s third feature is visually arresting and thought-provoking. Students may explore how the fast editing, colourful mise-en-scène, and characters breaking the fourth wall boldly capture the audience.

Cert

Age group11+

Duration142 mins

Inception(2010)

An agent attempts to use experimental dream-sharing technology to infiltrate a target’s subconscious so that he can be reunited with his children.

An example of mainstream film in section B of component 1, which focuses on American film since 2005, this title is one of the options for assessments up to and including 2024. It offers opportunities for students to reflect on how cinema itself is a metaphor for dreaming, thus engaging with study areas such as spectatorship and ideology.

Cert

Age group14+

Duration123 mins

Selma(2014)

Powerful drama focusing on Martin Luther King’s campaign to secure voting rights for black Americans.

Also on the syllabus for assessments up to 2024 as an example of mainstream American film since 2005, this title lends itself to an analysis of narrative structure and ideology: based on real historical events, the Martin Luther King biopic explores the differing views and philosophies that sparked the Civil Rights Movement.

Cert

Age group11+

Duration128 mins

La La Land(2016)

A sentimental, dreamlike musical which sees two aspiring artists attempt to make it in Hollywood amidst a whirlwind romance.

A tribute to old school Hollywood musicals, this highly stylised film also feels refreshingly original. Like many of the other American productions grouped in the mainstream film list on this syllabus, it was nominated for Best Picture at the Acadamy Awards but famously did not win. It provides ample scope for analysing film form, spectatorship, meaning and responses.

Cert

Age group16+

Duration122 mins

Joker(2019)

An aspiring comedian in Gotham City begins to psychologically unravel, taking on a new, dangerous persona.

This title has been newly added to the syllabus in the same section as ‘La La Land’. A dark drama with comic book origins, the film attempts to humanise the iconic Batman villain through a compelling and controversial characterisation. It presents an interesting case study for the cultural and social contexts around mainstream cinema.

Cert

Age group11+

Duration135 mins

Little Women(2019)

Adapted from the much-loved novel, four sisters grow up together in the aftermath of the American Civil War.

Another new title among the mainstream films of component 1, section B, for assessments starting from 2025, Greta Gerwig revisits Louisa May Alcott’s coming-of-age novel in a screen adaptation that reflects contemporary sensibilities. The carefully choreographed and lively dialogue is particularly engaging and relatable.

Cert

Age group11+

Duration91 mins

Beasts of the Southern Wild(2012)

A beautiful blend of fantasy and drama sees an isolated community threatened by a storm, told through the eyes of a remarkable young girl.

The second group of American films produced since 2005 in the varieties of film and filmmaking component focuses on contemporary independent film. This title has elements of magical realism and its young protagonist's perspective offers interesting interpretations in terms of spectatorship.

Cert

Age group16+

Duration119 mins

Captain Fantastic(2016)

A family who have withdrawn themselves from the real world re-enter mainstream society following the sudden death of their mother.

A popular choice for the study of American independent film, this film presents an ideological take on contemporary US society, with the story of a family who has been leading an alternative lifestyle off the grid. The feature has gathered much critical acclaim, making it an interesting case study for the impact of festival success on spectators’ expectations.

Cert

Age group14+

Duration159 mins

Boyhood(2014)

An ambitious coming-of-age drama, filmed over 12 years, following the journey from childhood into adolescence of a boy from Texas.

Also following the point of view and growth of a young central character, ‘Boyhood’ is in the same section of the syllabus as ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ for assessments up to and including 2024. Its production model and critical success provide a unique case study for institutional contexts around filmmaking.

Cert

Age group16+

Duration104 mins

Get Out(2017)

An African-American young man fears for his life upon meeting his Caucasian girlfriend’s mysterious family for the first time.

This title has been newly added to the syllabus for the study of contemporary independent film for assessments starting from 2025. Rich in symbolism and mounting tension, ‘Get Out’ can be defined as a ‘social horror’ film exploring racial politics in America and challenging genre conventions.

Cert

Age group16+

Duration109 mins

Promising Young Woman(2020)

A 30-year-old woman is determined to inflict revenge on her former medical school classmates after a traumatic incident in their past.

Another new title among the contemporary independent films of component 1, section B, ‘Promising Young Woman’ is a dark satirical commentary on gender politics. In a similar vein to ‘Get Out’, it offers a rich discussion on spectatorship, deliberately playing with expectations and cinematic conventions.

Cert

Age group14+

Duration95 mins

Shaun Of The Dead(2004)

Good-natured loser Shaun has to find his inner hero when he and friends are thrown into battle with zombies in modern-day London.

Section C of component 1 of this syllabus examines British film since 1995. One of the titles in this group is the first film in Edgar Wright’s ‘Cornetto Trilogy’ and a hugely successful example of genre hybridity blending zombie movies with British humour.

Cert

Age group14+

Duration120 mins

Fish Tank(2009)

Both atmospheric and effortlessly authentic, Fish Tank is a note perfect story of an adolescent's struggle in a complex adult world.

A further example of British film since 1995, this title takes on the tradition of British Social Realism through its casting and aesthetics, and by exploring themes such as family and class divides. Its lead female character is ambitious, sensitive and fierce, challenging stereotypical representations of urban youth.

Cert

Age group14+

Duration97 mins

Belfast(2021)

The story of a 10-year old boy’s childhood growing up amid the social and political turmoil of 1960s Northern Ireland.

Newly added to the set films of component 1, section C for assessment starting from 2025 is this Kenneth Branagh film, largely inspired by his own childhood and set within an affectionate – but not rose-tinted – portrait of his home city. Students may discuss how music, colour and perspective help construct the narrative.

Cert

Age group16+

Duration127 mins

Small Axe: Mangrove(2020)

Based on the true story of a West Indian community restaurant in London that was subject to relentless police aids in the 1970s.

Another title included in the section dedicated to British film since 1995 for assessments starting from 2025, 'Mangrove’ is a powerful film to engage students with specialist study areas such as ideology: it explores cultural reappropriation, postcolonialism, institutional racism and feminism, and is rooted in real events.

Cert

Age group16+

Duration90 mins

Mogul Mowgli(2020)

A British-Pakistani rapper is struck down by a mysterious illness on the eve of a big tour.

Tackling diversity within British Muslim identities, this film offers opportunities to engage with post-colonial theory and representation of the psyche through narrative techniques. This title is also in component 1, section C for assessments starting from 2025.

Cert

Age group14+

Duration118 mins

Pan's Labyrinth(2006)

Outstanding fantasy grounded in a Spanish Civil War setting, about a girl who discovers a magical maze at her ruthless stepfather's remote army base.

Component 2 of this syllabus explores global filmmaking perspectives, with section A focusing on European film. This title brought director Guillermo Del Toro to international attention, with a triumphant worldwide box office of $83.3 million and a critical acclaim that still marks it as one of the most distinctive foreign language films of recent years.

Cert

Age group16+

Duration97 mins

Mustang(2015)

Five orphaned sisters are imprisoned by their family to guard their virtue in preparation to marry them off.

Another title to choose from among the European films of component 2, section A of the syllabus is this Turkish female-directed coming-of-age film. Culture and gender politics are important themes here, and the camera angles and framing are strong entry points for discussions on the meaning behind cinematography.

Cert

Age group14+

Duration94 mins

Sunrise(1927)

This visually stunning, classic silent movie is a morality tale about a farmer who becomes torn between his wife and another woman.

Appearing in section C of the global filmmaking perspectives, which focuses on film movements, F.W. Murnau’s silent era classic is unique in that it is a German Expressionist film made for a Hollywood studio, an early example of influences in cinema practices and filmmaking talent collaborating internationally.

Cert

Age group5–11

Duration29 mins

Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers(1993)

A beloved Aardman animation about an inventor and his dog’s hilarious misadventure with a pair of robotic trousers and a devious penguin.

As well as the production options of component 3, learners must write an evaluative analysis of their own work in relation to professionally produced short films. This British production is an inspiring reference for plot development, character design and stop-motion animation.