During the opening week of the world’s largest, free, youth film festival, over 100 pupils from St Teilo’s Church in Wales High School and Cathays High School got the opportunity to learn about everyday science and the fact that we have the know-how in Wales to resurrect dinosaurs.

A screening of blockbuster Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom in Chapter Arts Centre – a joint initiative between Into Film Cymru and Wales Gene Park as part of the Into Film Festival – was followed by an exclusive talk from BAFTA nominated Dr Rhys Jones, an Evolutionary Biologist at Cardiff University, who explained the advances in medical genetics research.

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Speaking at the event, Dr Rhys Jones said:

“Into Film Festival is an important vehicle for learning and is excellent in getting students excited about science, which can prove challenging for teachers and parents alike! Taking time to watch films like Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom helps students to really engage with complex information.”

Dr Jones continues:“It’s a pleasure to see these young people get to grips with the differences between cloning and genetic modification. These students can now go back into the classroom confident in knowing how dinosaurs could make a comeback: it’s unlikely to come about through the cloning of DNA fragments in dinosaur fossils, but with the aid of a chicken embryo, genetically modified so that it hatches with a velociraptor-like head, teeth, claws, and tail. That’s science. That’s real life.”

Non Stevens, Head of Into Film Cymru, said:

“Accurate science rarely works at the box office, but cinema can be the gateway to a wealth of knowledge. Our festival offers an opportunity for teachers, lecturers, home schoolers across Wales to see the value of our work and to see the way film can breathe life into everyday learning. Last year, across the UK, we welcomed nearly half a million primary and secondary school students to the festival – 24,000 in Wales alone. We’re delighted to have pulled together such a wide-ranging bilingual programme, from blockbusters to classics, and very much hope schools will take full advantage of this fantastic opportunity, with limited free tickets still up for grabs.”

Into Film Cymru is hosting 184 free screenings across 42 venues in Wales until 23 November. Remaining screenings, with free tickets, in Cardiff, include:

Ferdinand (Autism Friendly Screening) – Cardiff Nantgarw, 14 November
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom – Vue Cardiff, 15 November
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle– Cineworld Cardiff, 23 November
The Wound – Culture and Media Centre, Loundon, 23 November

For more information and to book your tickets today, go to: https://www.intofilm.org/festival