Wes Anderson’s latest film The French Dispatch is a homage both to his adopted country and to the amazing writers nurtured by The New Yorker magazine, of which Anderson is an avid reader. As with his earlier films like The Grand Budapest Hotel and Moonrise Kingdom, he has assembled an amazing cast. The conceit of … Continue reading “Love Letter to France”
The British Royal Foundation is awarding five prizes a year till 2030 for innovative ideas to help the planet. The Earthshot prizes have been named in reference to President Kennedy’s Moonshot project which concentrated innovators’ energies on putting a human on the Moon in the 1960s. Prince William explained that the aim of the Earthshots … Continue reading “The Earthshot Prizes”
The Extinction Rebellion ecological movement first came to prominence in 2019 when after 11 days of protests it persuaded the British government to declare a state of ecological emergency. This twelve-minute-long film starring Emma Thompson is a fiction based on real events and was shot during the 2019 protests in an eco-friendly sustainable way. It … Continue reading “Extinction Rebellion Short Film”
This year marks the 250th anniversary of author Sir Walter Scott’s birth, on 15 August 1771. Our Biobox video quiz will allow you to familiarise your students with Scott’s life from A2+ level. You can download the MP4 file below to use in class.
This A1+ article is a short introduction to the Gunpowder Plot, which could of course be treated from a more complex historical point of view at a higher level. The traditions of Guy Fawkes night, fireworks, bonfires and the State Opening of Parliament are introduced. As 5e pupils are studying the same period in history (Thème … Continue reading “Guy Fawkes”
Sir David Attenborough has fascinated viewers around the world for decades with his documentary series like The Blue Planet and Life on Earth. Now the 95-year-old naturalist is using his communication skills to try to explain the complex issues to be tackled the United Nations’ COP26 environmental summit in Glasgow from 31 October. Attenborough was … Continue reading “David Attenborough: People’s Advocate for the Planet”
Rosa Parks is known the world over as the African American who refused to give up her seat to a white person on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955. But nine months before Parks, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin did the same thing. She’s the subject of a play (in French), Noire. Maybe the time wasn’t … Continue reading “Before Rosa Parks”
This inspiring documentary features teen activists around the world who see a problem and try to fix it. From Malawi to Colorado they are fighting pollution, opposing child marriage, supporting education, freedom of speech and sustainable agriculture and demanding rights for the planet and indigenous people. Melati Wijsen and her sister founded Bye Bye Plastic … Continue reading “Bigger Than Us”
Little Amal is anything but small: she’s a giant puppet of a Syrian refugee girl making her way across Europe. The 3.5-metre-tall puppet began an 8,000 kilometre journey in Turkey on 27 July. After the south of France in September, she’ll be making stops across the north in October before embarking for the U.K. The … Continue reading “Walking Across Europe for Refugees”
The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to two journalists with a long track record of fighting to protect freedom of expression: Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov, working in the Philippines and Russia. Both journalists are working in countries with populist governments which seem to have little respect for freedom of expression and both have … Continue reading “2021 Nobel Peace Prize Supports Freedom of the Press”