Our partnership with the BBC for 'Share your Story'

Since the start of 2023, we have been delighted to partner* with the BBC for their centenary education project, Share Your Story. 

The project aimed to inspire young people to share their own stories, highlight the range of storytelling careers available within the creative industries and ultimately listen to the voices of young audiences that will shape the future.

The BBC said; "The tour, produced by BBC Children's and Education, was designed to inspire young people to achieve their goals and help realise their ambitions. The BBC teamed up with Into Film, supported by the BFI using National Lottery funding, to provide hands on training to help students take their story from the page to the screen".

Into Film has now delivered documentary filmmaking workshops in 19 secondary schools across England and Scotland, enabling over 400 young people to develop filmmaking skills including storyboarding, use of shot types and sound, and introductory editing techniques. Students simultaneously increased their literacy, teamwork, communication, independent working, time management and problem-solving skills. They were also exposed to the different job roles available within film and TV production.

Through the 70 films produced, young people have shared what resonates with them right now. Some of the main topics and themes explored included Covid, isolation, the environment, sport, dance, healthy lifestyles and equality, diversity and inclusion. 

Here are a five of our favourite youth-made shorts from the project:

The Legacy of Heroes

For the Love of Sport

Insecurities

Being an Introvert

Don't Change Just Be You

Filmmaking is a powerful tool that can enhance and deepen learning in any subject area. To learn more about using filmmaking in your class, head to our Secondary Filmmaking Guide.

Meanwhile, encourage your pupils to develop their own filmmaking skills in their free time through our Filmmaking At Home resource.

We also run an online course for teachers, Curricular Filmmaking for Secondary, which will equip you with the skills to seamlessly incorporate filmmaking projects into any subject area.

The BFI Film Academy offers opportunities for young people, anywhere in the UK, to get to know more about film and how to make a career in the screen industries. A range of accessible courses offers opportunities for those wanting to test the water through to young people keen to hone their skills.

Short Courses for 16-19-year-olds are delivered at over 50 locations across the UK. Supported by the Department for Education, National Lottery, Screen Scotland and Northern Ireland Screen, introductory hands-on filmmaking courses build knowledge and skills and show the different pathways into the industry.

BFI Film Academy also includes regular events for young people aged 16-25 online and at cinemas and other venues across the UK, as well as the annual BFI Future Film Festival.

*All films were created as part of the BBC's Share Your Story project  - a UK-wide initiative encouraging students from a wide variety of backgrounds to tell their story in film. This project was delivered in partnership with the BFI Film Academy and Into Film.