Into Film Clubs
Find out everything you need to know about starting an Into Film Club.
The Into Film Festival is back! The UK's largest free youth film festival runs from 8-29 November 2024, with thousands of free screenings and special events taking place across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. Bookings are now live, so don't delay - places are sure to fill up fast!
Since 2013, the Into Film Festival has seen over four million young people and teachers heading to UK cinemas for free, and with this year's programme offering over 2,000 screenings across 450+ UK cinemas, there's a lot to look forward to.
Whether you teach primary, secondary, or you're a home educator, the Into Film Festival offers your learners the magical opportunity to enjoy the big screen experience for free, and provides a special insight into the film industry itself through our special events and Q&As with the talent that bring these films to life.
As always, we aim to ensure that the Into Film Festival is accessible to as many young people around the UK as possible, with SEN and autism-friendly screenings and events taking place, and with this year seeing more screenings for deaf and hearing-impaired people than ever before.
The 2024 Into Film Festival Programme
This year's Festival will open with UK-wide screenings of beautiful animated film, Kensuke's Kingdom, based on Michael Morpurgo's beloved children's novel of the same name. We also have special guest appearances from those involved in making the film, including talks and Q&As with the directors Neil Boyle and Kirk Henry; Bumpy Box, the Welsh animation studio behind the film; and a talk on conservation with Ben Callison, the CEO of The Borneo Orangutan Survival UK.
Many of the films showing as part of the Festival are accompanied by a film discussion guide, while some titles have additional resources that further support curriculum learning. Plus, our Festival Review Writing Competition asks young people to review the films they see at the Festival, encouraging literacy and adding further educational value to this unique cinema experience.
As part of the 2024 Into Film Festival, we will also be premiering the short film that was made based on the winner of our Time to Inspire storyboard competition, in partnership with Swatch. We asked young people to create a storyboard for an inspiring original story, with the prize including having their storyboard turned into a real film. And we're delighted that the winning film will play in cinemas around the UK as part of the showreel ahead of every event at this year's Festival. We'll be officially announcing the winner of the competition on 26 September, so keep your eyes peeled!
Pixar sequel Inside Out 2 will be screening as part of World Kindness Day, while primary audiences will also be able to enjoy an eclectic range of more fantastic animations from this year, including Despicable Me 4, Robot Dreams, The Garfield Movie, and The Wild Robot.
For older students, titles include Back to Black, The Fall Guy, A Quiet Place: Day One and Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes, while documentaries showing include To The End, Is There Anybody Out There?, Food, Inc. 2, All That Breathes, Wilding and Copa 71.
Plus, it wouldn't be a Festival without a few classics, so don't miss out on a rare chance to see The Lavender Hill Mob and Made in England: The Films of Powell & Pressburger, which will be screened in select cinemas across the UK.
As ever, the Festival offers special events, panel discussions and workshops as well as regular screenings, and this year's highlights include:
- An East Asian Heritage screening of Raging Grace in London, followed by a Q&A with producer Chi Thai and director Paris Zarcilla
- A comic book workshop with Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse in Bristol
- We'll be partnering on the BAFTA Young Showcase with a series of special careers events.
Screenings will be taking place at many multiplexes and local cinemas, but also in some of the most unique venues in the UK, including everything from the BFI Southbank in London, to the Kinema In The Woods in Lincolnshire, and even Edinburgh Zoo!
Give your learners a day out that not only immerses them in the magical world of film, but also engages them in a memorable and powerful learning experience.
The Into Film Festival is possible thanks to the support of Cinema First and multiple partners across the cinema sector.
