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8½: your movie birthday
Do you remember the first time you were taken to the cinema?
What films did you watch when you were wee that seem to stay with you as vivid and dramatic as the day you saw them?
The memory of the time and place as strong an imprint as the film itself. I remember: at age 6 being mesmerised by the visuals of 2001: A Space Odyssey; falling off the sofa with stone cold shock when the head jumped out of the hole in the boat in Jaws; being scared witless by some freaky Russian horror film on a train with a guy with deadly piercing eyes; crying my heart out aged 7 at the ending of E.T. - at the now long gone cinema in Brechin; and thinking The Secret of My Success was the coolest film ever when I watched it at the moving cinema inside the Union Hotel in Turriff. Although, by that point the moving cinema had long been eclipsed by the seemingly infinite variety of VHS films we could freely rent from the local painter and decorator's shop. Changed days.
The 8½ Foundation was born from a letter written by the actress Tilda Swinton to her 8½ year old son, inspired by the magical combination that cinema, discovery and dreams can have on young minds. The film critic Mark Cousins wrote a letter in reply written by his 8½ year old self and a new movement was born. Last year hundreds of Scottish school children were introduced to new (even though some were made many moons a go) and exciting movie adventures from around the world. The 8½ Foundation invited them to celebrate their 8½ movie birthday by watching some clips of classic movies and then to write a letter about themselves and which movies they'd most like to see. A few weeks later the movie then came delivered to their door in the most exciting and sparkly wrapping paper, wishing them a happy 8½ birthday. Many children also held their own 8½ birthday parties, either at home or in school.
The 8½ Foundation is rolling out the project again this year and warmly invites many more children, teachers and parents to get involved. If you interested then you can contact them here to find out more. Or keep up to date via their Facebook page.
Mark Cousins and Tilda Swinton will also be taking part in a Glow Meet with Scottish pupils on the 11th November.
Foreign Language Films
A love and appreciation of foreign language films and subtitled movies is at the heart of the 8½ Foundation's ethos. For those of you who feel the same or wish to allay your fears of the sometimes dreaded subtitle then the BFI DVD Ciné-minis, a collection of short French films for ages 7 and above, is an excellent place to start. Users with a Glow account can access a growing range of foreign language films on the great Languages On Screen website, created to support the teaching of foreign languages in Scottish schools. There are also many great foreign language films being shown as part of the National Schools Film Week in October and the always excellent Discovery Film Festival for young people in Dundee - also in October. A search through the Discovery website archives will reveal many hidden gems from recent years. If you are willing to spend a little more time searching and discovering then the Vimeo website has a plethora of moving image delights awaiting within.