The rooms of the Tate Modern are filled with the monumental art of Emily Kam Kngwarry, who depicted the life and beliefs of her Indigenous community in Australia’s Northern Territory. Kngwarry came late to art and spent the last eight years of her long life producing giant paintings which are now considered the forefront of … Continue reading “First Australian Art”
On October 1, 2025, the Jane Goodall Institute announced the passing of its founder, Dame Jane Goodall, at the age of 91. Ethologist, primatologist, and United Nations Messenger of Peace, she devoted more than six decades to studying chimpanzees and promoting a sustainable relationship between humanity and the natural world. Early Life and the Making … Continue reading “Jane Goodall: Into the Heart of the Wild”
The Commonwealth Youth Awards honour young people from around the world for their work trying to advance one or more of United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. This year’s winner, Stanley Chidubem Anigbogu from Nigeria, founded an organisation to transform waste into solar energy for people who have limited access to energy. The Commonwealth is a … Continue reading “Commonwealth Young Person of the Year 2025”
Watch the video and fill in your worksheet.
The Dinard British and Irish Film Festival takes place from 1 to 5 October. There are five films in competition as well as a short-film section, documentaries and lots of special showings. The opening film of the festival is one of several first films directed by actors. My Mother’s Wedding was written and directed by Kristen … Continue reading “Dinard British and Irish Film Festival 2025”
This year’s UK National Poetry Day is on 2 October. A great opportunity to get some poetry into your class, and to explore this year’s theme: Play. In any case, every day is Poetry Day! There are a couple of ideas of activities around the theme of play that you can use in an ESL … Continue reading “Celebrate Poetry Day in the Classroom”
Robert Redford died on September 16, 2025, at the age of 89, in his Sundance (Utah) home. A charming actor, Oscar-winning director, and founder of the world’s most important independent film festival, he spanned six decades of American cinema by combining seduction and rigor, star power and political conscience, Hollywood heritage and a desire for … Continue reading “Robert Redford: A Star Among the Stars”
Alice Guy was one of the first and pioneering filmmakers, working in France and the U.S.A. at the beginning of cinema. Her contributions seemed to have been forgotten but she finally being recognised, with a retrospective at the Deauville Film Festival, a role in the Paris 2024 opening ceremony and an upcoming TV series devoted … Continue reading “A Cinema Pioneer: Alice Guy”
South African creator William Kentridge first transposed Goethe’s Faustus selling his soul to the devil to the African continent 30 years ago. Against a backdrop of colonialism, it uses life-like puppets alongside actors to portray Faustus on safari in Africa. A new production arrives in Paris fresh from the Edinburgh Festival. Kentridge is a a … Continue reading “Faustus in Africa”
The Netflix series Wednesday, now in its second season, draws upon the Addams Family cartoons created by Charles Addams in the 1930s. But it also takes inspiration from the abundant mythology of supernatural creatures in Western culture. The Addams family are part of a world called the Outcasts. The various outcasts have different powers. For … Continue reading “Wednesday Addams and Mythological Creatures”