Spanish Cinema in the Classroom

Teachers can request temporary access to one or more recent Spanish films from the audiovisual platform of the Spanish Ministry of Education –Veo en Español– for classroom viewing. The aim is to enhance Spanish learning through an engaging and motivating activity.

English subtitles and teaching guides are also provided to support their use in lessons.

Registration required.

Who is it for?

• Key Stage 4 and 5 pupils
• Pupils studying GCSE and A Level Spanish
• The activity is open to schools in secondary schools across the UK and participation is unlimited.

When will it happen?

• The Spanish Embassy Education Office will provide access codes for the films for classroom use during the Festival.
• Once teachers receive their code, they will have to log in to the platform and enter the code to access the film and the available teaching materials for classroom use. During the validity period of the code, teachers will be able to show the film as many times as they wish.
• The school could screen the film in an assembly hall or similar space, but the aim is for teachers to work with it over several classroom sessions.
• The number of classroom sessions used to work with a film will depend on the project each teacher plans to carry out.

What is the activity?

Spanish Cinema in the Classroom is an engaging educational activity designed for KS5 students that brings Spanish cinema directly into the learning environment.

The goal is to enhance language learning through a motivating and interactive approach, allowing students to improve listening, comprehension, and cultural understanding.

Through the Veo en Español platform, teachers can have temporary access (January to the end of March) to Spanish films for classroom viewing.

Each film comes with teaching guides to facilitate its use in multiple lessons.

The Education Office, with the support of Spanish teachers, has selected the films from the Veo en Español catalogue that are most suitable for KS4 and KS5 classroom use:

• Con la boca cerrada (2015, Director Anna Farré Añó, duration 10 mins, drama) Emma is 15 and has a strong personality that she does not know how to manage. Today she got herself into trouble again, but awaiting her in the principal’s office are two people that she is not expecting: her parents.
• Las bicicletas son para el verano (1984, Director Jaime Chávarri, duration 114 mins, drama) In the summer of 1936, the Spanish Civil War breaks out and in Madrid, a family finds itself besieged by the ravages of the conflict. However, the greatest concern of the young son, Luis, is that his parents buy him a bicycle—something they are forced to postpone. And the delay, like the war itself, will last far longer than expected. Based on the stage play by Fernando Fernán Gómez.
• Manolito Gafotas (1999, Director Miguel Albadalejo, duration 89 mins, comedy) Manolito Gafotas, a boy from Carabanchel—a working-class neighborhood in Madrid—faces a summer of school troubles and cramped family life. When tensions rise at home, his father takes him on the road in his truck, turning routine into adventure and discovery.

Schools may choose to screen the films in an assembly hall or similar space, but the activity is intended for in-depth work during several classroom sessions.

Teachers decide how many lessons to dedicate to each film based on their educational project.

All films include English subtitles, making them accessible to learners at different proficiency levels.

Participation is free and teachers are supported throughout the process by the Education Office.

How do I get involved?

Register by emailing info@expressyourselfne.com providing:

• the name of the activity (Spanish Cinema in the Classroom)
• your school name and address
• the school lead contact person and their email
• how many pupils will be involved and what year groups they are in

Registration details will be shared with the Spanish Education Office and the Veo en Español coordinators. Veo en Español coordinators will provide email teachers directly with a link and an access code. Teachers will also receive instructions on how to access the films and accompanying guides.

Further information and links

• Visit the Spanish Education Office website:  Find the latest news, CPD opportunities for teachers, and other activities and resources.
• Join the mailing list and receive regular updates on opportunities.
• Follow on social media: X and Instagram.
• Email info.uk@educacion.gob.es.

Click here to find out about more activities in the Festival where Spanish is a feature or can be used as part of multilingual projects, events and activities, as well as resources from the Spanish Embassy Education Office for use in schools.

Who is organising this?

This activity has been organised by the Spanish Embassy Education Office.

• Contact: Antonio J. Goñi
• Email: antonio.goni@educacion.gob.es