Delegates have the opportunity to hear inspiring keynote presentations by leading figures from the worlds of film and education. The opening night's event will feature a keynote presentation from a leading figure in the UK film industry. On the Critical Process day, hear a leading figure from the world of education discuss new ideas and the issues connecting and affecting the critical and the creative in the classroom.

	James Durran is an Advanced Skills Teacher in English and Media at the Parkside Federation - two federated secondary schools in Cambridge, where he was previously Head of English, Media & Drama. He delivers seminars, lectures and training all across the UK and abroad, on innovative approaches to the teaching of English, media and literacy. He has lectured on PGCE courses for Cambridge University, and tutors on MA courses for the Institute of Education, London University. He is co-author, with Andrew Burn, of Media Literacy in Schools, and of a number of other books and resources for teachers and students.
Keynote description:	Creative Learning Through Filmmaking - The moving image is an increasingly essential part of students' everyday communicative repertoire, whether they are using simple webcams or high-end digital video. This talk will present a range of examples of video technologies and media approaches enhancing teaching and learning across the whole curriculum, from Science to Dance, from Maths to Geography, and across all Key Stages. It will argue that video production can provide a model for the personalisation of learning, for the effective development of higher-order thinking skills and - importantly - for putting creativity at the centre of learning.
	Roger Shannon - Born in Liverpool in 1952, Roger Shannon was schooled at Waterloo Grammar School, before taking an English degree at Teesside Polytechnic (now University), followed by a Masters in Contemporary Cultural Studies at Birmingham University (1977 – 79) under the inspirational Professor Stuart Hall. His beginnings in film included both Birmingham Film/VideoWorkshop, a Channel 4 and BFI backed organisation which pioneered new ways of making films with young people, and the award winning Birmingham International Film Festival. His work in the late 1980’s helped set up the network of Regional Film Commissions and the emergence of ‘Media Quarters’ in cities such as Birmingham and Sheffield. Returning to Liverpool in 1992 to head up the Moving Image Development Agency (MIDA), Roger Shannon established the first regional Film Investment Fund – the Merseyside Film Production Fund - applying ERDF support to the bustling film economy in the city, a model now adopted by most of the Regional Screen Agencies. He later pursued this robust regional approach as Head of Production at the British Film Institute (1997 – 1999), the UK Film Council as Head of the Production Dept (1999 – 2001) and as Head of Production at Scottish Screen (2004 – 2005). His film work also includes a number of educational affiliations. He is Professor of Film and Television at Liverpool’s Edge Hill University; visiting Honorary Professor in International Film Business at Glasgow Caledonian University and Birmingham City University’s Film Fellow. He also has an attachment to the Cuban Film School, where he teaches annually on the International Producers Workshop. Roger is also a Board Member of Midlands Arts Centre and of Tindal Street Press. Roger has been associated with over 20 UK feature films including Festival, Butterfly Kiss and Under The Skin and has worked with groundbreaking talents including Jimmy McGovern, Michael Winterbottom and Frank Cottrell Boyce. Roger’s productions have won awards at International Film Festivals such as Cannes, Toronto, Sundance and Edinburgh.
Keynote description:	Straight to radio / or / John Paul George and Quango - As a Film Funder, Financier, Producer and Executive Producer, I have been involved with a range of feature films and short films, and the decisions I have taken have given films the green light, or left them on the starting grid. The Producer is very much the 'poacher', tussling with the Funder / Financier, aka the 'gamekeeper.' Having been on both sides of the fence, I shall talk about the contrasting range of skills needed in this interplay - the developmental, creative, financial, and strategic judgements you have to make. Is the script 'oven ready'? Or need more cooking? In what way has the director shown talent before? Are these the right actors for this type of film? Will the film reach audiences beyond these shores? Or go straight to radio, never mind DVD? And if so, is that such a problem? How does a Film Fund Head balance such competing demands? Do you follow the market, and commission films similar to others that have performed well? Or do you aim to be ahead of the curve, and in that way create a market and audience for your films? As a film professional, I have chosen to work primarily outside the industry's metropolitan epicentre, in the creative economies of cities like Liverpool and Birmingham. How are those cities culturally defined and captured in film, and does it matter that UK cinema includes the centre and the off-centre? And why do we need regional funding for the popular media? There was no John Paul George and QUANGO offering grants and development funds when those four lads began The Beatles! Now, as a Professor of Film and Television at one of Liverpool's Universities, what do we hope to achieve in the Media Department there? Are we educating young people with the right kind of skills - intellectual, cultural, technical, critical - for the austerity decade that awaits them? Or will Media City in Salford deliver on its rich recruitment promise? Extracts of films - features and shorts - will be screened to complement the talk.