“The kids were buzzing”: How the 2025 Into Film Festival introduced the cinema experience to UK youngsters

The UK premiere of Prime Minister, complete with a Q&A with former New Zealand leader Jacinda Ardern, took place at this year’s Into Film Festival, one of the largest youth-focused film festivals in the world.

Some 3,000 screenings of over 85 films took place in 580 cinemas around the UK in November 2025.

The festival is run by UK-based charity Into Film, which places film at the heart of the educational and personal development of children and young people aged from five to 19 years old.

“The Into Film Festival is unique in delivering access to culture for UK schools on such an incredible scale,” says Fiona Evans, CEO of Into Film. “The screen sector is stepping up to help meet the government’s drive for more opportunities for creative experiences and enriching extra-curricular activities. Going to the cinema is a magical experience, full of opportunities for learning, empathy and inspiration - the whole sector should be proud that this year, because of the Into Film Festival, we welcomed nearly 400,000 children to experience that magic for the very first time.”

The festival also hosted preview screenings of Christmas Karma with director Gurinder Chadha, actor Kunal Nayyar and several of the young cast on hand to talk about the film, and of Kirk Jones’ I Swear, which tells the true story of activist John Davidson, a Scottish man who developed Tourette’s Syndrome at the age of 14. He suddenly found himself unable to live a normal life before ultimately becoming an activist for those with the condition.

“The FDA and its members are delighted to support the annual Into Film Festival, which continues to offer young audiences unforgettable experiences at the cinema,” says Andy Leyshon, chief executive of the Film Distributors’ Association (FDA). “Collectively seeing a film on the big screen and sharing in its unique visual pleasures with others remains the most democratic and accessible form of culture, and it is thoroughly rewarding to have the opportunity as an industry to help introduce new audiences to the power of cinemagoing.”

Admissions to the festival, which ran from November 7-28, reached a record-breaking 399,000, up from the previous year’s tally of 356,085.

“For so many young people, their attendance at the Into Film Festival is their first experience of the big screen. It shows how important this event is,” says Phil Clapp, chief executive of the UK Cinema Association (UKCA) and a director of Cinema First, the cross-industry independent body representing UK cinema exhibition and film distribution, which is a long-standing sponsor of the festival.

“The support given by our members to the festival is ample evidence of the value they attach to the event, and to offering children and young people the chance to enjoy the best possible way to enjoy a film.”

Universal Pictures International (UPI) hosted a “pupil premiere” of Wicked For Good, the second part of the fantasy musical adaptation starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, for children aged six to 11, 

“It’s so important for this film to be part of the entire film festival, because it’s about bringing a new audience into the cinema,” says Kezia Williams, managing director of Universal Pictures International, UK & Ireland. “For many children, this might be the first time that they’ve ever been to the cinema. It’s incredibly inspiring to see that and to be nurturing that new audience.

“It’s the power of the shared experience and seeing something collectively, communally, together,” she continues. “The fact you get to laugh together, you might feel nervous together, but you can support each other through that experience.”

Partnering with the Into Film Festival makes business sense for exhibitors too.

“We’re thrilled to have opened Odeon’s doors to schools and youth groups on our largest-ever scale for the Into Film Festival,” says Suzie Welch, Odeon managing director UK & Ireland. “From first-ever cinema trips to confidence-building events, this partnership helps bring the stories to life for young people in every corner of the UK.” 

The festival opened with UK-wide screenings of Damon Gameau’s youth-led climate action documentary Future Council and closed with a pupil premiere of Disney’s Zootropolis 2.

“Into Film was the perfect home for the premiere of Future Council,” notes Sarah Mosses, founder & CEO of UK marketing, distribution and sales firm Together Films. “The festival doesn’t just screen films, it creates space for young people to see themselves as active participants in the world around them. This film is about listening to the next generation and taking their ideas seriously, and there’s no audience more engaged, curious or empowered than the one Into Film brings together.”

For filmmakers, Into Film reinforces the glories of cinema. “As a person who loves movies, it thrills me to see children being taken, and in many cases, introduced to movie viewing in cinemas,” says Moya O’Shea, co-screenwriter of The Glassworker, the hand-drawn animation feature by Pakistani filmmaker Usman Riaz.

O’Shea participated in a Q&A after the screening. 

“The cinema experience is so different to watching a film on a tablet or phone or even a TV,” she says. “I saw many children at the screening I attended, loving the experience of scale and community. They found it fabulous to watch a movie on a big screen with other people.”

Ceri Davies, director of Welsh creative hub Cynefin Caerffili, found it a joy to see two local primary schools attend the screenings.

“The kids were buzzing, the teachers were thrilled, and the whole atmosphere felt pretty magical,” says Davies. “We are really excited about the possibility of growing this partnership and supporting the amazing work Into Film does to bring film to young people across the UK.”