From Snow White to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and Toy Story to Persepolis, animation – like every other film genre – is a broad church. Tutor Kenton Hall delves into the wonderful world of film animation – from early shorts to today’s blockbusters.

From Snow White to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and Toy Story to Persepolis, animation – like every other film genre – is a broad church. Often seen as a child-friendly form of cinema, its history is in fact much more complex and exciting.

Join Kenton Hall for this exploration of animation on film, from early shorts to today’s blockbusters.

Using Zoom, the course will deliver expert tuition, film clips and group discussion – all in the comfort of your own home.

Places can be booked online only. Access details will be sent to participants by email shortly before the first session.

PLEASE NOTE: This course was originally planned earlier in the year as a one-day event, then subsequently postponed until the autumn. In light of the continuing COVID-19 outbreak we have decided to run the course online instead. Customers who booked previously for the one-day version will be contacted by our Box Office team to discuss their booking and refund options.

★★★★ – Telegraph. Gemma Arterton is on great form in this story of enduring love and hope set during World War II.

"What a lovely, hopeful and rather magical movie this is … Summerland provides just the tonic we need in times of turmoil. A tale of love lost and found, told with wit and charm, it maintains an impressive balance between the sly and the sentimental, gently subverting mainstream formulae as it slips back and forth in time, alternating between the realist and the romantic." – Mark Kermode, The Observer

During World War II, reclusive writer Alice (Arterton) enjoys her life of solitude in a windblown cottage on the seaside cliffs. Shocked at the ‘inconvenience’ of being told she has to adopt a young London evacuee called Frank, against her own expectations Alice begins to bond with the young boy – discovering they have more in common in their pasts than she had first assumed.

A beautifully filmed and moving drama, Arterton is on great form in this story of enduring love and hope.

The monks of Leicestershire's Mount St Bernard Abbey are a community of 25 men, half of them over 80 years old. Director Nick Hamer spent a year with the monks, gaining privileged access to document their hidden lives.

As we look forward to reopening we want to screen films that state who we are, and why Phoenix is here.

Outside the City is a special film for us – a great film from a local filmmaker that struck a chord with our audiences and was a huge success.

The monks of Leicestershire's Mount St Bernard Abbey are a community of 25 men, half of them over 80 years old. Director Nick Hamer spent a year with the monks, gaining privileged access to document their hidden lives as they attempt to open the first Trappist brewery in the UK.

★★★★★ – Guardian. Alfre Woodard is on scintillating form in Chinonye Chukwu’s brilliant drama about a prison warden haunted by her work on death row.

★★★★★ – Guardian

In any normal year, awards media would be filled with acclaim for Alfre Woodard’s scintillating performance in Chinonye Chukwu’s brilliant drama. But this is obviously not a normal year.

Having been included in our Phoenix at Home recommendations over the summer, we wanted to give Clemency the big screen attention it rightly deserves.

Woodard plays prison warden Bernadine Williams, haunted by her work on death row and struggling with its effect on her marriage.

★★★★★ – Empire. A 25 year-old film that speaks directly to our present, Mathieu Kassovitz’s stunning film following the lives of three young men in the banlieues of Paris caused a sensation on its release in 1995.

★★★★★ – Empire

Arriving on the big screen in a new 4K restoration, this stunning 25 year-old film speaks directly to our present. Mathieu Kassovitz’s La Haine follows the lives of three young men in the banlieues of Paris, and caused a sensation on its release in 1995 with the French Prime Minister demanding that it be watched by his entire cabinet.

Its effect, influences and issues are still being felt today; later this October we screen Ladj Ly’s sublime Les Misérables, the heir apparent to La Haine, which has shocked President Macron into taking action on poverty.

Perhaps no other author is more synonymous with their genre than Agatha Christie. With Kenneth Branagh's Death on the Nile due for release in October, tutor Kenton Hall leads this timely visual tour through Christie’s life and work on screen.

Perhaps no other author is more synonymous with their genre than Agatha Christie. She even managed to cram a real-life mystery into the mix!

With Kenneth Branagh's Death on the Nile due for release in October, tutor Kenton Hall leads this timely visual tour through Christie’s life on screen, exploring the various adaptations of her novels, depictions of her life and times, and the influence she has had on cinema.

Using Zoom, the course will offer an engaging mix of film clips and tutor-led group discussion.

Places can be booked online only. Access details will be sent to participants by email shortly before the first session.

COURSE BREAKDOWN:

Week 1:  Poirot on screen

Week 2:  Marple on screen

Week 3:  International adaptations

Week 4:  Agatha on screen

With the Trump vs Biden race for the White House nearing its conclusion, this four-week course explores the history of the US Presidency on screen, and how it has influenced the world’s view of America.

The White House and its occupants have long held both fascination and, at times, infuriation for people across the world. And, in cinema, it has been no different, with many on-screen depictions of US Presidents.

With the Trump vs Biden battle nearing its end, tutor Kenton Hall takes us on a visual tour through the history of the Presidency on screen, and considers how cinema’s portrayals shape people’s view of America and its leaders.

Course breakdown:

Week 1:  Independence Day

Week 2:  A Nation at War

Week 3:  All the ‘Gates

Week 4:  Fictional Presidents

Using Zoom, the course will deliver expert tuition, film clips and group discussion – all in the comfort of your own home.

Places can be booked online only. Access details will be sent to participants by email shortly before the first session.

Mental health is finally getting the attention it deserves, thanks to high-profile individuals speaking openly about their experiences. Join us for this introductory course exploring how mental health and mental illness have been portrayed – for better or worse – in cinema.

The conversation around mental health and mental illness has evolved considerably over recent decades, with high-profile individuals now speaking openly about their experiences, and public campaigns to raise awareness and help support those affected.

This short introductory course, led by Kenton Hall, takes a look at some of the ways in which movies have helped – and hindered – our understanding of issues surrounding mental health.

Course breakdown:

Week 1:  From Bedlam to Beautiful Minds

Week 2:  From Cuckoo’s Nests to Silver Linings

Using Zoom, the course will deliver expert tuition, film clips and group discussion – all in the comfort of your own home.

Places can be booked online only. Access details will be sent to participants by email shortly before the first session.