Probably late to the party on this OP but as someone kindly pointed out right at the beginning , this is my subject.
If you still want info , do let me know.
I am not interested in a bunfight over the quality and reputation of Film...people who think it is somehow easy have never seen the spec or an exam. When it was reformed an independent analyst informed Ofqual that the new A Level was 'a film degree and MA in two years'. They responded and took out some content! But it is very wide ranging, opens your mind, is great for historical nd cultural awareness (that cultural capital thing, now so prized) and actually keeps foreign languages going to an extent. I adore the subject. It is (whispers) more rigorous than media, especially if the school chooses the screenplay writing option. It is assessed entirely through writing. I teach English Lit too, which obviously is highly regarded. It has a high drop out rate and is actually narrower in scope and focus (not necessarily demand) than film. that said, they are a great complement.
I would say, I have five students this year who have offers (actual offers and interviews) coming in as we speak for Warwick, Manchester, Oxford and Birmingham for film, English, history of art , creative writing and history. From last year's group, one is now at Warwick studying film,and another at Birmingham studying history. The previous year we sent students to Loughborough (on a scholarship) and Manchester. So none has struggled to gain places at highly regarded institutions.
The options are a bit narrow : but that is rarely said to someone who does physics , maths and another science.
We have a drama teacher who did film A Level and now teaches English and drama. he keeps begging me to teach film because he preferred it!