WE are reminded this week that the educational value of cinema extends beyond learning about the facts of life in the back row of the Odeon on a Saturday night. National Schools Film Week is the largest film and education event for schools and colleges in Europe. During the fifth such event organised by Film Education pupils from primary and secondary schools have been going to the pictures. As well as watching old movies, they've been seeing previews of films like Geordie comedy Purely Belter, The House Of Mirth with X Files star Gillian Anderson, Disney's animated Dinosaur, Richard Attenborough's new drama Grey Owl and children's story The Little Vampire.

The makers of Chicken Run have taken the Aardman Roadshow around the country to give students an insight into the making of the summer blockbuster.

Free screenings for around 200,000 schoolchildren are being backed by seminars and ideas for teachers to run film-related classroom activities and coursework. This year's themes include world cinema, animation, Shakespeare and U-certificate films for the youngest audiences.

Lord Attenborough commented when launching the event: "Film Education has always provided a vital link between one of the UK's most important creative industries and the young people who represent its future.

"By bringing schoolchildren and students into direct contact with those who make movies, Film Education is increasing their appreciation of the medium and crucially fostering informed and discerning audiences of tomorrow."

The regional launch in Newcastle had the benefit of a personal appearance by two Sunderland teenagers who not only go to the movies but are in them - Chris Beattie, 16, and Greg McLane, 18, who star in Purely Belter about two Newcastle supporters trying to raise enough money to buy season tickets for their favourite football team.

The young audience at the Odeon cinema in Newcastle had the chance to quiz the pair following the screening.

They were found after casting director Susie Figgis spent several weeks in the North-East seeing hundreds of youngsters in schools and drama clubs.

Both have previous acting experience. Chris, from Grangetown, has worked with Centre Stage North-East, taking leading roles in productions at Sunderland Empire. Greg, from Roker, has been a member of Shiney Street Theatre Group for five years and appeared on Byker Grove as an extra.

They've been to film festivals in Cannes, Dinard, Edinburgh and Leeds with Purely Belter which is based on the novel Season Ticket by Gateshead teacher Jonathan Tulloch. The movie is released on November 3, two days after a premiere at UCI cinema at the MetroCentre.

"I've loved it. It's been brilliant," says Chris of travelling around with the film.

Greg adds: "The best part has been meeting loads of different people and the public saying they like the film. At the Leeds festival they were in the foyer, shaking our hands and saying how much they enjoyed it.

"The worst part is not getting any sleep. They just throw reporters at us all day. In Cannes we never saw any of the other films. Dinard was a bit better. We got some free time to walk around the beach and find somewhere showing the England/Germany game."

The pair only watched Purely Belter for the first time at the Cannes Film Festival. "I just wanted to hide behind my chair when I saw myself," says Greg. Then they had to go straight into a press conference with the international media.

Since making the film Chris has acquired an agent and spent five months filming BBC children's TV soap Byker Grove in Newcastle. "I had an audition the previous year and was put up against a couple of my friends. One of my friends got the part. Then I went for an audition again this year and was cast," he recalls.

He plays Joel - "who's a bit of a bully but gets his comeuppance in the end".

Chris has started studying on a performing arts course at Shiney Row College, Sunderland, although because of his acting and promotion commitments he's only been to lessons three times in the past month.

Greg left college in June and has found a job to pay the bills until hopefully some more acting work comes along. He's working in a Comet store and brought the place to a standstill when his face flashed up on all the TV sets. "I was only doing a TV interview. The whole shop stopped and people went to watch," he says.

Neither lad seems spoiled by all the attention they're getting as the stars of a new British film or worried by the fact that it could all end as suddenly as it began. "You have to have your family and friends around you to bring you back to earth," says Greg.

l National Schools Film Week ends today. Purely Belter (15) opens on November 3