Madame Helm (Head of MFL)

We didn’t make it to France, but according to some students, it felt like we were in France!

Our enthusiastic Year 8 students had a fantastic day at their French film study day on Thursday 16th June at the Stables in Milton Keynes. Organised and hosted by the BFI Education team, the workshop uses French short film, interactive activities and an afternoon screening of a feature film to inspire and motivate students into learning and speaking French.

These were hot tickets but we managed to secure a fair amount and our students represented the school wonderfully. They were constantly engaged in all activities, asked questions, practised role plays and went on stage to perform.

The morning activities were based on three short movies and the students had to predict the characters’ lines, describe characters’ personalities, write dialogues and express their opinions on the short films. The students learnt about short movies versus long features and some French chat up lines too!

In the afternoon, we were definitely transported to France and the beautiful Alps whilst watching a long feature film set against breath-taking scenery and a dramatic time in history.

We followed the story of the developing friendship between Belle the ‘dangerous’ dog and Sebastien, the 6-year old boy raised by his adoptive grandfather. Both tried to foil a Nazi plan to capture French resistance ‘passeurs’ and Jewish families, on the French Swiss Border. The main characters were a hit with our students and there were some tears in the audience during this moving film.

I think the students’ comments are a testimony to a great event and we hope that next year we can venture abroad and experience (the real) France again! But this was definitely a fantastic taster.

Read the students' reflections here.