On Tuesday, Spanish A Level students from Kingsley and King’s High visited the British Film Institute in Southbank (London) for a study day on Pedro Almodóvar, the Spanish film director. In particular, the day focused on his famous film ‘Volver’ in response to the AQA A Level specification.
When they arrived at the BFI, they started with a presentation on Pedro Almodóvar’s life and film career using some clips to analyse in depth his style and techniques used in most of his films. After a quick lunch, they spent the afternoon watching the film ‘Volver’ on a huge screen and in very comfy seats. The students were given a very useful booklet to take home with lots of information and questions all about Pedro Almodóvar and his films.
Lucy, one of our Year 13 students said: ‘Our trip to London to take part in a Volver study day was so beneficial to the study of our A Level film as it provided us with in depth analysis that we had never discussed before – giving us new and complex ideas to include in our essays. The day was structured in a lecture format, with professors from universities leading it, which was very beneficial to me as it gave me an idea of what it is going to be like to study French and Spanish at university next year.’
Zahara, also in Year 13 said: ‘It was brilliant! I was able to learn a lot more about the themes of Volver. We watched the film after analysing the themes. It was a great day, which allowed me to get to know the film in a fun way coming from a different perspective.’
Later in the afternoon, the students enjoyed some delicious Mexican food in Wahaca restaurant where they had the opportunity to try a wide variety of plates such as nachos, burritos, quesadillas or churros con chocolate. The girls used their Spanish skills to order their food.
Despite the weather, London was beautiful, and it was nice to enjoy the Christmas spirit with all the Christmas lights, including some landmarks like the Big Ben and the London Eye all beautifully lit up.
The mood was still positive on the way back as both students and teachers spent the whole journey singing the current top Spanish hits. It was such an enjoyable day!