Grab the popcorn and join a class of like-minded individuals.

Attending one of our film classes means you’ll get to explore film history across a broad range of genres, time periods and regions, from classic Hollywood films to independent film and television. 

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Learn the meaning behind famous films and television shows

Throughout our film classes, you'll learn about all aspects of the film industry, including how films generate meaning and how actors and producers contribute to them. From cult classics to modern day blockbusters, you’ll be immersed in the world of cinematography.  

Our specialised film tutors will discuss up-to-date trends in the industry, empowering you to develop a broad set of skills. You’ll build your awareness of the evolution of film history as an art form and business too, charting the development of film and television through the ages. 

Find film classes near you 

At WEA, we offer courses in a range of venues as well as online. Whether you’re in a classroom or learning from your bedroom, lounge or kitchen, you’ll still get the same support from your tutor.   

The support you’ll receive 

All our courses are friendly and supportive, helping you build your confidence as well as your understanding of the magical world of film. At the end of your course with us, you’ll leave with a new network of people, all of whom share the same interest and passion as you.

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Film & Media: 5 More Wonders of New Hollywood Cinema & Beyond

With the decline of the old Hollywood studio system, a new generation of film makers, many of them exposed to international cinema at film school, expressed themselves on screen with individual voices and a counter culture attitude. Key to this selection of films is the notion of a ‘crisis of public myth’ echoed throughout this period – just who are the heroes and who are the villains? We examine better known and continually highly acclaimed films such as Cool Hand Luke, was it just recycling the chain gang film or doing something more? The Outlaw Josey Wales as an example of the ‘Revisionist Western’ which came out of this period with its differing representation of the people and events of the Old West as previously seen in Classic Hollywood. The Last American Hero arguably questioning youthful attitudes, the law, freedom and the concept of the popular ‘folk heroes’ in a modern corporate world. Cult favourite, The Swimmer offering an example of more unusual comment on materialism, a crisis of national identity and more. With the Blues Brothers serving as an example a film carrying the New Hollywood baton in its attitude and approach after the blockbusters of the mid 1970s, mixing genres in a more comedic, musical and anti-realist style. All promoting knowledge of the subject matter and enthusiasm for film in general. Cool Hand Luke (1967), The Last American Hero (1973), The Swimmer (1968), The Blues Brothers (1980), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 04/11/2024 -
Mon 02/12/2024
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
George Cromack
Course code:
Q00018212
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

Film & Media: 4 Wonders of Modern French Cinema

'Immerse yourself in the five film wonders of modern French cinema, deepening your knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of 21st-century international filmmaking. Discover the magic of these cinematic gems and broaden your love for the art of film. Moving slightly beyond the well-trodden historical path of French New Wave and even the Cinema du look of the 1980s, you'll explore the themes, influences, techniques and voices behind some captivating French cinema from relatively more recent years – have things changed? Are there still some factors parallel to earlier works? And what exactly might we mean by the term Modern French Cinema?

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 04/11/2024 -
Mon 25/11/2024
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
4 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
George Cromack
Course code:
Q00017789
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £29.60

Film & Media: 5 Wonders from International Directors

Away from any specific film movements or ‘waves’ relevant to their own countries, some filmmakers seem to earn greater acclaim internationally, often making films set outside their own native country, yet still telling the stories and expressing the themes they wish to portray. We examine what some of these, perhaps universal, stories and themes are, what are the stylistic approaches they use and just how and why these manage to resonate with critics and audiences. Are all these films received with equal praise within the director’s home country, are they seen as ‘selling out’? And regardless of what the director themselves might intend or state, are there still conscious or unconscious echoes of national cinematic movements within their work? And what role might financial sources play? Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon received praise yet the director was regarded by some as ‘selling out’ or ‘exploiting’ himself to the West. Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element could be viewed simply as a Hollywood sci-fi with a French Director, yet does the director add far more as an outsider, making more intellectual comment than one may expect from a commercial genre-movie. Not unlike Peter Wier’s Witness and Jane Campion’s The Piano, so many of these works which despite their creative diversity, also evidence their director’s own unique cinematic voice. Likewise, Wim Wenders recent Perfect Days, set in Japan, how far removed is it from the director’s early underpinnings of German Cinema? Perfect Days (2023), Couching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000), The Piano (1993), Witness (1985),The Fifth Element (1997).

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 05/11/2024 -
Tue 03/12/2024
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
George Cromack
Course code:
Q00018214
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
3 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

Film & Media: Exploring British Culture Through Cinema

Explore the rich history and cultural significance of British cinema in this comprehensive course. Analyse iconic films, directors, and movements that have shaped the British film industry from its inception to the present day.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 05/11/2024 -
Tue 26/11/2024
Times:
9:30am - 11:30am
Duration:
4 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Andrew Roles
Course code:
Q00016333
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £29.60

WEA Membership

For just £15 a year, you can:

  • Join our popular, award-winning weekly lecture series,
  • Access an archive of over 100 past lectures,
  • Get priority online and phone booking for autumn courses (England only),
  • Receive our Highway magazine and access back issues,
  • Attend our members’ annual conference.

Just add us to your basket to sign up today!

Membership Information

Duration:
12 months
Fee:
£15

Film & Media: 5 Films of Haunting & the Supernatural

This which go bump in the night, are some to quick to dismiss anything ghostly or supernatural as ‘horror’? Films which feature haunting and/or the supernatural so often rely on the fear of what might happen, mystery and suspense. As Alfred Hitchcock once said, ‘there is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it’. We examine of this is also true of a good ghostly tale on film, like a thriller keeping the audience wondering what might happen? How do they do this, what techniques do they use? Films such as 1961’s The Innocents are noted as classics of the genre, adapted from a literary source, with memorable shots and scenes it still has the power to unnerve but has some of this been lost as other films copy its template? Ealing’s Dead of Night is now an influential cult classic but an oddball for the studio so noted for its comedy, what does it indicate about immediate post-war Britain? Rosemary’s Baby is now noted as pushing the genre forward into the modern age, from external terrors to fears lurking within society itself, 2001’s The Others attracted a broad audience, with fleeting nods to The Innocents, how did it re-energise the ghost story on film for the 21st Century. Whilst Ghost Story serves as an example of an all too often curio worth seeing for every fan of a ghostly tale. The Innocents (1961), Dead of Night (1945), Rosemary’s Baby (1968), Ghost Story (1974), The Others (2001).

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 06/11/2024 -
Wed 04/12/2024
Times:
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
George Cromack
Course code:
Q00018215
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

Film & Media: A Short History of Italian Cinema

Full of iconic moments, stories that capture everyday and life with great authenticity, Italian cinema has produced film-makers of singular vision and style who have pushed the boundaries of visual storytelling and film form. This course will introduce you to a national cinema that has made a unique contribution to world cinema

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 18/11/2024 -
Mon 16/12/2024
Times:
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Ruth Mulandi
Course code:
Q00017438
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
2 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

World Cinema

We will consider a range of films, from classics to contemporary cinema. We will discuss the style and meaning of diverse extracts drawing on key ideas from Film Studies. We will consider films from diverse countries, comparing and contrasting these with American and British cinema. The class will be organised around discussion of selected extracts, with guidance on points to look for, including different aspects of film such as the screenplay and cinematography. Students will be encouraged to develop their responses in small groups. Case studies will be included on Alfred Hitchcock and British cinema.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 13/01/2025 -
Mon 24/03/2025
Times:
6:30pm - 8:30pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Daniel Williams
Course code:
Q00017612
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £74.00

Film & Media: Cinema of the Surreal

One of the revolutionary art movements of the early 20th century, surrealism was made for the movies. Artists keen on challenging the boundaries of form, genre and art itself, quickly made use of the possibilities of the moving image. Beyond that, early filmmakers discovered film’s potential for the ‘unreal’. In surrealist cinema, questions about identity and reality, challenges to social norms, the subconscious, dreams and the fantastic meet.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 13/01/2025 -
Mon 17/02/2025
Times:
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Ruth Mulandi
Course code:
Q00017443
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £44.40

Film & Media: Costume on Film

The course aims to introduce learners to the idea of how the role of the cinematic costume designer can be crucial in making or breaking a whole film. Costumes can evoke bygone eras, tell us hidden truths about characters, make outlandish otherworldly futures believable, and so much more. With a wealth of clips and background material.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 13/01/2025 -
Mon 10/02/2025
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Christopher Budd
Course code:
Q00019121
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

World Cinema

We will consider a range of films, from classics to contemporary cinema. We will discuss the style and meaning of diverse extracts drawing on key ideas from Film Studies. We will consider films from diverse countries, comparing and contrasting these with American and British cinema. The class will be organised around discussion of selected extracts, with guidance on points to look for, including different aspects of film such as the screenplay and cinematography. Students will be encouraged to develop their responses in small groups. Case studies will be included on Alfred Hitchcock and British cinema.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 14/01/2025 -
Tue 25/03/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Compass Theatre (Ickenham)
Glebe Avenue
Ickenham
UB10 8PD
Tutor:
Daniel Williams
Course code:
Q00017584
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £100.00