Cinema

ESL discussion questions about the movies.

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  1. What is your favourite genre of film?
  2. What is more important, good actors or a good story?
  3. Are 21st century films better than 20th century ones?
  4. Is it still worth watching black and white films?
  5. Should a historical film be historically accurate?
  6. Is it better to watch a film at home or at the cinema?
  7. Do you illegally download films from the internet? Is this right?
  8. What is the greatest film you have ever seen?
  9. Can you think of a film which made you cry?
  10. What is the scariest film you have ever seen?
  11. Has film replaced painting as the primary visual art form?
  12. How important is a good director to a film?
  13. Do great novels make great films?
  14. Do you think the Oscar winning films are the best films?
  15. Do you prefer watching foreign films with dubbing or subtitles?
  16. Who is the greatest film actor or actress in history?
  17. Who is the greatest director in history?
  18. What is the ideal length of a film?
  19. Do you think CGI effects have improved modern cinema?
  20. Would you say that Hollywood actors and actresses are paid too much?
  21. Do you think some films make people violent?
PDF (Individual)
General
PDF (Pairs)
General
PDF (Threes)
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PDF (Cards)
General
How to use the cinema ESL discussion questions

It is recommended that you download the cinema ESL discussion questions in PDF format using one of the links above. The best way to encourage classroom interaction is to download and print the cinema discussion questions in the 'pairs' or 'threes' PDF format and then divide the questions by cutting along the dotted lines. This allows students to take turns asking and answering the cinema discussion questions in groups of two or three. Alternatively, you could use the 'cards' format to distribute the questions to any number of students to ask and share.

It is advisable to prepare students for using these discussion questions by first introducing them to the topic of cinema in an interesting and engaging way. An anecdote, quiz question or a related image or video could all be used to achieve this. Depending on the level, it may also be necessary to pre-teach any challenging vocabulary related to cinema contained in the discussion questions.

For more ESL discussion questions, see this site's main page. There are discussion questions on a range of topics including general, grammar and business English topics.

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