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| Project Title: | Film & Reminiscence |
| Organisation: | British Film Institute |
| Project No: | 6/N/00259 |
Aim of Project:
 | to realise the importance of personal memories and experiences and to record and archive these; |
| to encourage intergenerational and cross-cultural dialogue; |
| to encourage and inform lively debate about cinema-going, past and present; |
| to nurture and broaden interest in and study and understanding of film culture. |
Themes/subjects covered:
| Arts; |
| Heritage |
| Reminiscence; |
| Community Work; |
Target group(s):
| Older people (50+); |
| Intergeneration work with 8-11 year olds & over 50s |
Activities and processes the project has undertaken:
During this project five film clubs for people over 50 years were set up in the London area in different types of venue: two residential homes, one cinema, one reminiscence centre and one adult learning centre. The clubs aimed to allow people a chance to select and view films in a safe and friendly environment and to discuss them over tea and biscuits. The discussion sessions became a mix of film studies and reminiscence and the majority of people took part. The models set up can be repeated across the UK.
Peoples' cinema-going memories and experiences were a crucial part of this project. A number of individual and group interviews were recorded. This formed the basis of an exhibition, Screen Dreams, about cinema-going in SE London. Elements of the exhibition have been kept and are now available as a reminiscence box for use in other film/community/school venues.
Working with North Southwark Education Action Zone and Warwickshire Arts Zone, the project was taken out into six primary schools. The children were able to exchange experiences of cinema-going with a number of older volunteers who visited the schools. At a Saturday morning pictures event they were also able to present to the other schools and volunteers what they had learnt about cinema-going in the past. A teaching pack showing how this work fits into the English, literacy and history curricula will shortly be available on the bfi website.
Progress/achievements/interesting developments which have taken place:
The ACLF allowed us to support the first year of the clubs and build audiences. All five film clubs proved very popular and are continuing with backing from the host organisation and in two cases with funding from 'Awards for All' for the necessary equipment to enable them to continue.
The bfi are continuing to look at ways in which film can be packaged and used in different ways with older audiences to stimulate memories and debate on different themes.
The intergeneration project proved very successful and many of the volunteers have been invited back into the schools to talk about other aspects of their lives. The bfi will continue to develop this work and are currently looking at ways to bring together older audiences and 13-19 year olds.
The bfi are currently discussing a major research proposal with an HEI partner to take the oral history of cinema-going to the next stage and to set up a UK-wide initiative to collect and archive these experiences.
Key things that helped make the project successful:
| Enthusiasm and commitment of participants, tutors, and venue staff. |
| The openness and willingness of people to share their memories and experiences with us, especially for the Screen Dreams exhibition. |
| The sharing of expertise and skills provided by the different partners and people involved. |
| Recognition by colleagues and other organisations that this was an innovative and worthwhile project. |
Any other comments:
Through this project, people involved in this type of work around the country have been able to come together and share experiences. These contacts will help to inform any future developments.
Contact Details:
E-mail:
screendreams@bfi.org.uk
Web-site: www.bfi.org.uk
Address: British Film Institute, 21 Stephen Street, London, W1T 1LN
Region:
| London |
