The 2025 Into Film Festival is coming to an end, so here’s a lowdown of all the free film screenings, screen careers activity, and curriculum-linked special events that London educators and their pupils aged 5-19 experienced this year.
The Festival launched with premieres across the UK – including Cineworld Leicester Square and The Cinema in the Power Station – of Future Council; the story of eight kids on a road trip across Europe to challenge powerful leaders and find solutions to our greatest ecological challenges. Director, Damon Gameau appeared at Cineworld, as well as some of the young Future Council members.
Former-prime minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern spoke to a packed cinema of young people at Regent Street Cinema after a special preview of new documentary, Prime Minister. Ardern shared wisdom and advice for the young audience and emphasised her hopes for future generations to follow in her footsteps and provide a more measured and compassionate alternative in an increasingly volatile world.
Jacinda Ardern – “We have to demonstrate to the next generation that we know that we have a job to do on their behalf and be willing to make this our cause.”
Meanwhile, director Gurinder Chadha, actor Kunal Nayyar, and several of the young cast appeared at Cineworld Leicester Square for a pupil premiere of their vibrant new musical Christmas Karma. A Bollywood-inspired reimagining of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol, which is here transformed into a joyous, colourful, feel-good Christmas musical that celebrates modern-day London and all its communities and cultures.
Gurinder Chadha – “I wanted to make a Christmas film that made me feel like my favourite film makes me feel: ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’. I also wanted to update Charles Dickens, because what he was saying in 1843 I felt was really relevant to today”
Careers-focused events provided young people with information and guidance on entering the screen industries, including two careers insight events in collaboration with BAFTA and a ‘Representation Matters’ screen careers panel with Adjani Salmon (Writer, Director, Actor), Rico Johnson-Sinclair (Training and Skills Director, CrewHQ) and Tobi Kyeremateng (Producer).
Adjani Salmon – “Nobody ever gave me money, but because of that I just made my own stuff, I just kept making short films with my friends. By doing that, we created our voice – the industry never taught me how to make films but subsequently, my stuff is authentic because no one tried to tell me how it goes and no one tried to teach me what’s funny.”
A screening of Brides featured a Q&A with director Nadia Fall and lead actors, Ebada Hassan and Safiyya Ingar. Meanwhile, collaborative special events took place with the likes of The London Transport Museum, the BBFC and Modus Arts, as well as filmmakers such as Joshua Trigg, Noel Goodwin, Pinny Grylls and Moya O’Shea.
Just some of the films that screened across London throughout the Festival include: Zootropolis 2 (pupil premiere and closing film), Ocean of David Attenborough, Kensuke’s Kingdom, The Wild Robot, Clueless (30th Anniversary 4K Re-Issue), National Theatre Live: The Importance of Being Earnest, Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning, Deep Sky (Imax), The Wild Robot, Flow, The Phoenician Scheme.
The Into Film Festival Review Writing Competition adds an additional educational element, by supporting literacy through film. It asks young people to review the films they’ve seen at the festival, and each winning entry will receive a £200 voucher for their class to enjoy.
The Into Film Festival is supported by Cinema First and the UK film industry.
Discover more about the Festival – www.intofilm.org/festival
