Into Film Festival 2018 - bookings are open

06 Sep 2018

4 mins
IFF 2017 - Ark Northern Ireland
IFF 2017 - Ark Northern Ireland

Bookings for the 2018 Into Film Festival are now live! Having welcomed nearly half a million students and their teachers in 2017, the sixth Into Film Festival will once again bring the magic of film to audiences across the UK. Open to schools, colleges, youth leaders and home educators, the Festival boasts exclusive preview screenings of new blockbusters through to screenings of beloved classics - all designed to engage young minds in a broad range of topics and ideas.

Into Film is a really brilliant initiative because anything that facilitates the arts in our current climate, particularly with regards to younger people, is really vital as we are seeing increasing cuts and less funding in schools.

Gwendoline Christie, Actor

This year's Festival boasts nearly 3,000 free screenings and special events, featuring over 150 films, and screening in 550 venues across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Festival opens across the UK on 7 November, with simultaneous pupil premieres of Illumination's new adaptation of The Grinch, based on Dr Seuss' beloved holiday classic, and starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the green grump. The Grinch tells the story of a cynical misanthrope who goes on a mission to steal Christmas, only to have his heart changed by a young girl's generous spirit. Pupil premieres of the film will be held in BelfastCardiffEdinburghLondon and Manchester ahead of its UK release on 9 November.

The UK cinema industry is immensely proud to support the Into Film Festival. This wonderful event provides a unique opportunity for audience development, engaging and introducing many young people for the first time to the magic of the big screen experience.

Phil Clapp, Board member, Cinema First and CEO UK Cinema Association

Highlights from this year's Festival programme include Cannes Palme D'Or winner ShopliftersPeter Jackson's WWII archive odyssey They Shall Not Grow OldFreddie Mercury biopic Bohemian RhapsodyMike Leigh's Peterloo, about the the notorious Peterloo Massacre, screening in Manchester near the site of the events; and The Hate U Give, an adaptation of Angie Thomas' acclaimed Black Lives Matter-inspired novel of the same name. Many of these screenings are being supported by actors, directors, producers and others involved in the films at post-screening Q&As.

We also have a very exciting closing film to announce - as well as plenty more special guest speakers joining us throughout the Festival - so keep an eye out for more exciting Into Film Festival news in the coming days and weeks.

"We are incredibly proud of the Into Film Festival", said Into Film CEO Paul Reeve. "With the fantastic support of the UK film industry, this event reached 487,000 children, young people and their educators last year. We look forward to welcoming schools, teachers and pupils again in 2018, and enabling them to experience the magic of cinema."

The Into Film Festival engages youngsters in all aspects of filmmaking, from the popular Festival Review Writing Competition (launching soon), which keeps the Festival experience alive and encourages literacy and critical thinking, to learning about careers in the film industry, with industry experts lifting the lid on a vast range of topics, including VFX; Directing; Screenwriting; Foley Artistry and Sound Design; Prop Making; Costume Design; Audio Describing; Copywriting, Film Classification and Acting, to name but a few.

The Into Film Festival is a brilliant way to introduce and immerse young people from all over the UK in film. Encouraging young people to engage with film is key to growing the audiences and filmmakers of the future, vital to the success of the industry and our cultural life. The BFI is very proud to support the Festival and the work of Into Film year round, which makes such a positive impact on young people's lives.

Leigh Adams, BFI Director of Education and Skills

You may also be interested in...

Viewing 4 of 4 related items.

Into Film Clubs

Into Film Clubs

Find out everything you need to know about starting an Into Film Club.

News details

Want to write for us?

Get in touch with your article ideas for the News and Views section.