Rob Brown tours schools with his film Sixteen

30 Jul 2015

2 mins
Rob Brown, Sixteen school-visit
Rob Brown, Sixteen school-visit

As part of our ongoing industry interaction programme, offering young people the chance to put their questions to film professionals, director Rob Brown participated in Q&A screenings of his film Sixteen in Liverpool, Doncaster and Newcastle.

Sixteen is a taut teen drama about a former African child soldier trying to adjust to normal life in London, whose world is thrown into turmoil when he witnesses a violent crime and is threatened into not telling the police.

Doncaster's Ash Hill Academy incorporated their screening into their third annual DN7 festival, a free arts and culture festival curated by pupils at the school.

As well as answering questions about the film, Rob led a filmmaking workshop alongside Into Film staff, teaching different techniques and getting the students to make short films with an anti-bullying message. These shorts were then screened on the final day of the festival.

What a fantastic day! I've learned a lot myself and will be much more willing to do film projects with groups of students at our school in the future.

Miss Shaplin, Media Studies Teacher, Ash Hill Academy

Julia Tinsley, Headteacher at Holly Lodge Girls College in Liverpool, felt the film was very appropriate for her students, saying "[it was important for them] to put themselves in other people's shoes and face up to some really important issues facing the world today." Students Annie and Olivia, also from Holly Lodge Girls College, praised the film's intensity and emotion, and how Rob dealt well with a sensitive topic.

To find out more about Sixteen and Rob himself, watch our interview with him from this year's Leeds Young Film Festival, where he talks about inspiring the next generation to follow in his footsteps.

Into Film Clubs

Into Film Clubs

Find out everything you need to know about starting an Into Film Club.

News details

Want to write for us?

Get in touch with your article ideas for the News and Views section.