The This is England short-film festival in Rouen has a specific programme of short films for lycée classes. This year you can access screenings all school year all around France. This year’s selection will make you laugh and make you cry, from the Troubles in Northern Ireland to sibling rivalry. Some films are very British, featuring the seaside and dog racing. And one takes an ironic look at the hurdles faced by those sitting a British citizenship test.
If you sign up for a lycée showing, your students will see nine films ranging in length from 3-and-a-half to 28 minutes. There are four documentaries, one of them animated, a fiction animation and four live-action fiction stories.
You can find out about organising a screening in our article. And you can download the teaching packs for jeune public, collège and lycée on the schools site.
You can see the nine titles in the lycée selection here and access a downloadable teaching pack for each. There is also a presentation to help pupils anticipate about the films before seeing them tailored for lycées professionels.
Beyond The Bomb: 13m
The first documentary is the remarkable story of peace activist Jo Berry who found understanding and decided to meet the IRA bomber who killed her father.
Gilbert & George Daytripping Forever!: 8m
This is the third in a trilogy of documentaries about daytrips to the seaside at Southend on Sea by the London-based artistic duo. You can read more about the trilogy on a mini-site.
Plunge: 8m
More on the sea with this animated documentary showing Katie Wotton reconnecting with life through open-water swimming.
WildKind: 7m
The beautiful black-and-white animation WildKind from Northern Ireland, based on a picture book is a celebration of nature and simplicity, with voiceover in English and Irish.
Hustle And Run: 18m
The last documentary is a true underdog story about a form of dog sport called Flyball. A women's team with no great experience decides to overturn the conventions of the sport, which is dominated by Border collies, by training a whippet called Hustle.
Run Like We: 13m
There is more running in this short fiction set around the 2012 Olympics in London. Fourteen-year-old Alvin's friends are all mad about Usain Bolt, and his Jamaican father is of course proud of the sprinting start. But Alvin hates sport with a passion and can't understand why, "Everyone thinks every black guy can run fast."
The Test: 12m
This is a fiction but based on the experiences of lots of immigrants. I-Ling is preparing to take her "Life in the UK" test to get her citizenship.
Terminal: 10m
The "terminal" of the title is a gambling machine which the protagonist is always convinced will bring him a fortune. Spoiler: it doesn't.
What Would Mother Say?: 7m
Sibling rivalry is writ large in this comic fiction about two sisters with a LOT of history.
This is England in a Cinema Near You
If you would like to organise a projection of one of the This is England schools programmes for your pupils at any point this school year, and you have a local cinema that is willing to do so, they can download a programme from Cinego for professional cinemas. Find the details here.
This is England
Rouen and region
15-23 November 2025
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Tag(s) : "British culture" "citizenship" "coming-of-age" "difference" "dogs" "Environmental Activism" "festival" "film" "film festival" "gambling" "integration" "Jamaica" "lycée" "lycée pro" "Normandy" "Rouen" "short films" "sibling relationships" "sport" "teaching materials" "the Olympics"