"FILM offers more to young people than something to do on a Saturday night. It can inspire, inform, educate and encourage them to question the world they live in."

So said Estelle Morris MP recently, kicking off the ninth National Schools Film Week (NSFW) in her capacity as Arts Minister.

Of course, there have been no shortage of folk, young and old, queuing up to question Ms Morris's boss Tony Blair and his pal George W Bush about "the world they live in" as a result of their Iraq adventure, though many haven't been too satisfied with the responses so far.

The world's noisiest "questioner" has perhaps been American documentarist Michael Moore, so it's quite appropriate that Moore's Oscar winner, Bowling For Columbine (12 Oct) appears among the ten features selected for the secondary-schools' half of Manchester's NSFW.

Also being shown are Goodbye Lenin (12 Oct, plus talk on film classification), Baz Luhrmann's take on William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet (13 Oct, plus 'Meet the Critic' talk by M.E.N. scribe Kevin Bourke), Bon Voyage (14 Oct), King Arthur (11 Oct), Etre et Avoir (13 Oct), The Day After Tomorrow (14 Oct), Sylvia (14 Oct), The Revenger's Tragedy (15 Oct).

There's also a preview of the latest by local-lad-made-good Danny Boyle, Millions (11 Oct).

Highlight of the primary schools' slate is an advance premiere of Five Children and It (12 Oct) featuring Eddie Izzard as the eponymous 'It'. From the archives come old favourites Whale Rider (11 Oct), The Secret Garden (12 Oct), A Little Princess (13 Oct), Young Black Stallion on IMAX (15 Oct) and Spirited Away (15 Oct).

Tickets are free for schoolchildren, but must be reserved on a first-come-first-served basis by visiting www.nsfw.org or calling 0207 439 4880. Check out the website for details of the NSFW's competitions for Young (11-18) and Junior (5-11) Film Critic of the Year - perfect for all you budding Pauline Kaels and Jonathan Rosses. Tweet