The Holocaust is considered by many to be one of the darkest episodes in the history of modern man. To help teachers tackle this complex and challenging topic the education charity FILMCLUB, in partnership with the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, has created a curriculum enrichment guide featuring seven specially selected films - each accompanied by a synopsis, discussion points and review starters to ensure the themes in the films can be fully explored. Developed to tie in with Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27^th and support this year's theme of ‘Communities Together - Build a Bridge', the guide is free for all schools to download from the FILMCLUB website and members can order the films in it for FREE.

‘Film can be an effective medium by which to engage young people with the messages of HMD.  Many films about the Holocaust follow the experiences and emotional journeys of individual characters.  By individualising such catastrophic events, young people can gain an insight into the impact that this devastation had on the lives of millions of men, women and children.  This guide includes discussion questions for teachers to use as prompts with their students.  Reflection and discussion about the films can enable students to gain a deeper awareness of the issues.' Olivia Marks-Woldman, Chief-Executive, Holocaust Memorial Day Trust

The Films featured in the guide are as follows:

• Life is Beautiful (1997, PG) Tragic-comic story about a life-loving Italian Jew who is taken with his son to a Nazi concentration camp, and tries to shield him from the horrors.
• The Diary of Anne Frank(1959, U) Moving adaptation of Anne Frank's world-changing diary, as Anne and her family must hide from the Nazis in occupied Amsterdam
• Sophie's Choice (1982, 15) A young writer in New York gets drawn into an intense friendship with fragile, secret-haunted Polish war survivor Sophie and her volatile lover.
• Paper Clips (2004, U) Moving documentary about some American school students who set about collecting six million paper clips in memory of the Holocaust victims.
• Everything is Illuminated (2005, 15) Quirky and touching tale about an eccentric Jewish writer who goes to Ukraine to research his family history.
• In Darkness (2011, 15) The lengths people take to stay alive are explored in this harrowing and claustrophobic Holocaust drama.
• Sarah's Key (2011, 12) This gripping drama highlights a shameful, little-known episode in France's wartime past

Launched in 2008 by educationalist Lindsay Mackie and filmmaker Beeban Kidron, FILMCLUB now operates in 7000 schools across the UK, where it provides free access to a curated catalogue of films from across the world and over 100 years of cinema. Through weekly screenings, online reviewing, industry events and hands-on support the charity promotes learning in an informal setting while encouraging critical engagement from young people, with proven academic and social benefits.

Start a film club in your school! Joining FILMCLUB is now even easier through free online induction sessions with one of their expert School Coordinators. To register and for further information visit http://www.filmclub.org/, email schools@filmclub.org or call 0207 288 4520.