Students sitting the Leaving Cert now have the chance to study one of the greatest films of all time.
'The Shawshank Redemption' is among the films added to the Leaving Cert curriculum for English students.
The film, often cited as the greatest film of all time by pretty much everyone and currently ranks as the #1 best-rated film of all time on IMDB will now be studied by students sitting the Leaving Cert.
Upon release, the film was an acclaimed flop that garnered strong critical reviews, 7 Oscar nominations, but the film failed to recoup it's budget at the box office.
Over the years, a strong word-of-mouth grew around the film thanks to frequent television airings and incredibly strong DVD sales years after release, with the film enjoying a particularly strong cult following in the UK and Ireland.
Other films such as 2019's Oscar-nominated murder mystery 'Knives Out', Asif Kapadia's documentary about the late football superstar Diego Maradona, the timeless 'Casablanca', and Paddy Breathnach's drama 'Rosie' also feature on the curriculum for Leaving Cert students.
Junior Cert students will also be treated to some great films, with 2018's 'Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse', David Lynch's 'The Elephant Man', Rob Reiner's 'The Princess Bride' and Ken Loach's seminal classic 'Kes' on their curriculum.
Greta Gerwig's 2019 update of 'Little Women', Alfred Hitchcock's classic 'Strangers On A Train', and John Carney's musical 'Sing Street' will also be available to study for students.
The films will be available to study for students who have or will commence the Junior Cert cycle in 2021, 2022, 2023 and will sit exams in 2024, 2025 and 2026.
What film did you study for your Junior and Leaving Cert? Let us know in the comments!