Aesthetica Film Festival Set To Celebrate 15th Anniversary

This November, York is ready to pulse with cinematic energy as the BAFTA-Qualifying Aesthetica Film Festival (ASFF) celebrates its 15th anniversary, transforming the city into the UK’s largest screen and media event. Running from 5–9 November 2025, the festival combines film, comedy, music, games, VR, podcasts, masterclasses, and a city-wide Fringe, creating a celebration of creativity and innovation on a scale unseen elsewhere in the UK.

Dubbed the UK’s answer to SXSW, ASFF is not just a festival — it is a national platform for the future of storytelling, drawing audiences, creators, and industry leaders together in a single, city-wide cultural moment.

A Global Programme of Film

At the heart of the festival is an ambitious screening programme of over 300 films, spanning Animation, Comedy, Dance, Drama, Documentary, and more. These screenings showcase both established and emerging voices, with many films going on to BAFTA and Academy Award success.

With filmmakers attending in person, conversations spill beyond cinemas into York’s streets and cafés, giving audiences unprecedented access to the creators shaping global storytelling today.

Masterclasses and Industry Insight

ASFF’s award-winning masterclass series returns in 2025 with world-class talent, including:

• Peter Straughan (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)
• Alex Lawther (The End of the F**ing World; Black Mirror*)
• Jasmin John (Adolescence; Boiling Point)
• Mick Audsley (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)

Leading organisations such as Aardman, BBC, Film4, Framestore, The New York Times, Industrial Light & Magic, ITV, and Ridley Scott Associates share insights across directing, screenwriting, visual effects, and production. All sessions are open to the public, offering rare access to knowledge usually reserved for industry insiders.

Beyond the Frame: Music, Comedy & Performance

York’s theatres and venues come alive with live performance, conversation, and music. Highlights include:

• Comedy Night with Sophie Duker & Friends, featuring Eleanor Tiernan and Bella Hull.
• Silent Cinema with Live Score, with Beggars of Life accompanied by The Dodge Brothers and Neil Brand, with film critic Mark Kermode.
• Mark Kermode in Conversation, exploring film music’s impact on storytelling.
• The New Music Stage, showcasing ten breakthrough British acts, with Universal Music A&R and Jack Savoretti (on the Jury) in attendance — potentially discovering talent live.

Immersive Experiences and Next-Generation Creativity

ASFF is home to the UK’s only VR & Games Lab within a film festival, blending cinema, gaming, and interactive storytelling. The Podcasting Lounge celebrates audio fiction, investigative journalism, and experimental sound, with panels and Q&As from creators.

York’s UNESCO City of Media Arts EXPO showcases cutting-edge digital media, design, and VFX, while workshops for children aged 7–14 in filmmaking, stop-motion animation, and coding nurture the next generation of creatives. The Fringe brings installations, pop-up exhibitions, and interactive art across the city, ensuring creativity thrives in every corner.

A National Gathering: UK Film Production Summit

York will also host one of the most significant screen industry gatherings of the year. The UK Film Production Summit, taking place at The Grand, York, brings together over 150 of the UK’s leading production companies, development executives and commissioners under one roof.

At the centre of the Summit is The Future of Production: Scripted, Unscripted, Film, TV & Streaming, chaired by Ridley Scott Associates. Sessions explore how AI, virtual production, global streaming, and new investment models are reshaping British production.

Mark Herbert, CEO of Warp Films, headlines the Summit. Known for This Is England, Four Lions, Submarine, and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Herbert will discuss the future of independent production and bold, risk-taking storytelling. Warp’s 2024 hit, Adolescence, won top honours at the Edinburgh TV Festival, highlighting the calibre of projects being discussed.

Representatives from BBC Films, Film4, Working Title, Paramount, Clerkenwell (Baby Reindeer), Warp Films, Netflix, and Amazon Studios will attend, making York a national hub for production strategy, commissioning, and collaboration.

Cherie Federico, Festival Director, says:

“The UK Film Production Summit is about scale, ambition, and intent. Bringing together 150 companies in one space is unprecedented. York has the privilege of hosting, but the significance is national. The conversations happening at The Grand will shape what gets made, how it gets made, and where British storytelling goes next.”

A Platform Beyond the Festival

ASFF is part of a wider cultural ecosystem. Aesthetica Magazine, read in over 80 countries, provides international insight into art, design, and screen culture. The Aesthetica Art Prize attracts thousands of entries annually, and the festival’s ongoing work in sector development positions York at the centre of national creative innovation.

Tickets and Information

• Dates: 5–9 November 2025 (Online until 30 November)
• Locations: Across York, including The Grand, York Theatre Royal, City Screen, NCEM, and partner venues
• Tickets & Programme: www.asff.co.uk