Leeds Young Film Festival is back!

Part of the Leeds Film family, LYFF began with a mission to make cinema more affordable and accessible for children and families, especially those in marginalised communities across the North of England. With a focus on affordable pricing and showcasing a carefully curated selection of global family cinema, the festival ensures that children from all backgrounds have the opportunity to see themselves represented on the big screen, something which we have been championing now for over 23 years.  

Launched in 2023, Movie Club is LYFF’s crash course in filmmaking designed especially for young people. From conceptualising mood boards to working on set and editing their own films, Movie Club gave its participants the chance to bring their film ideas to life. This year, we’re excited to make it even bigger and better. In partnership with Screen Yorkshire, Movie Club returns with more opportunities for children in Leeds who are interested in filmmaking, storytelling or just unleashing their imagination.  

The experience offers hands-on learning, equipping young filmmakers with skills rarely available to children at this age, even though we know that watching short film content like YouTube and TikTok is where most young people spend a lot of their screen time. Many are also posting too, and so are filmmakers in their own right but perhaps don’t think of themselves as having that power. Lots of young people also miss out on learning about the wide range of careers available in film or how to start their filmmaking journey. Movie Club was created to change these things and empower young people to understand more about the art form that has such an influence on their lives. At its heart, it’s about supporting creative young minds who, with the right opportunities, could shape the future of the film industry or at least have more agency.  

Movie Club isn’t the only highlight returning to LYFF this year—we’re also bringing back our immersive VR cinema for families and young people. While film screenings remain at the heart of the festival, LYFF has expanded its focus to include VR cinema, helping to give more young people a chance to explore new media and narratives in an exciting, immersive way and we’re excited about a brand new VR project we’re going to unveil which will take our VR Cinema to the next level.   

LYFF 2025 will take place from 5–21 April 2025. The full programme of films, VR experiences, and Movie Club activities will be announced soon but you can stay in the loop by following @leedsyoungfilm on social media or signing up for their email list to be the first to know when tickets go on sale. Help us inspire the next generation of storytellers and creatives!

LYFF events at HPPH are now on sale here.