BFI Young Programmers Festival 2025

Curated by 30 young people aged 16–19, The BFI Film Academy Young Programmers Festival returns to Showroom Cinema!

The festival is made up of five days of double bills which include some of the best contemporary and cult classics, each with a different theme.

This team of young film experts have put together a varied and considered season of cinema. Their selections are a joy to behold on the big screen, and putting these films back where they belong gives viewers a chance to see them for the first time or give a classic a much-needed rewatch.

The BFI Young Programmers Festival was planned and put together by 30 talented 16–19 year olds from this year’s BFI Film Academy Specialist Programming Course, which runs here at Showroom Cinema each year.

On the month-long course, young people from all over the UK learned about film programming, marketing, distribution and audience development alongside industry professionals and filmmakers from across the world.

Each strand, film, event and discussion has been curated by young programmers from across the UK. This course is part of BFI Film Academy, a national talent programme supported by the Department for Education and the National Lottery.