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  Films are a great medium to use not only to practice English, but also to facilitate intercultural learning. Today English is a global language spoken by people from many countries and cultural backgrounds. Since culture greatly impacts communication, it is helpful for teachers to introduce lessons and activities that reveal how different dialects, forms of address, customs, taboos, and other cultural elements influence interaction among different groups. (...)

  Culture, according to one definition, is the values, traditions, customs, art, and institutions shared by a group of people who are unified by nationality, ethnicity, religion, or language. The language teaching profession‟s interest in cross-cultural communication has increased during the past few decades. According to Kramsch (1995), the development is due to political, educational, and ideological factors; even though politicians might feel that learning a foreign language will solve socioeconomic problems, educators think that for that to happen a language course must contain legitimate cultural content. (...)

   Intercultural topics that show how people from different backgrounds communicate and interact are becoming more prominent in language teaching. Teachers can benefit from the treasure trove of films that deal with subjects like immigration, xenophobia, adjusting to a new culture, or dilemmas faced when one belongs to two cultures. Although films cannot substitute for actual interaction with numbers of other cultures, they can provide useful preparation for those encounters by fostering understanding and developing sensitivity. “Learning about stereotypes, ethnocentrism, discrimination, and acculturation in the abstract can be flat and uninspiring. But if we experience intercultural contact with our eyes and years, we begin to understand it” (Summerfield 1993, 1). Intercultural contact through films enables students to understand other people‟s actions and to have empathy with members of minority groups. Films also vividly represent intercultural misunderstandings and the roots of racism.

   There is a wide variety of films with intercultural themes, and the teacher must consult reviews or see the movie firsthand to determine if it is appropriate for the desired lesson.

(Source: ROEL, Christine. Intellectual Training with Films. Forum English Teaching, vol. 48, number 2, Washington DC, 2010.)