THE world's biggest youth film festival is offering young people more than 20,000 free tickets.
Bookings are open for the sixth Into Film Festival, which is aimed at schools, colleges, youth leaders and home educators.
It will return to Northern Ireland on November 7-23, with 21,677 free places available for film screenings and events for 5-19 year-olds.
The festival uses film to engage young minds in a broad range of topics. This year it will host 98 events in 34 different venues.
Held across Britain and Northern Ireland, it will welcome an estimated audience of almost half a million young people and their educators offering a packed and varied programme, many linked to subjects in the curriculum.
It is made possible through a wide collaboration with the UK cinema industry and funding from Northern Ireland Screen, Cinemagic, Nerve Centre and support from the BFI through Lottery funding and Cinema First.
It will open on November 7 with simultaneous pupil premieres of The Grinch, starring Benedict Cumberbatch in Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff, London and Manchester.
Additional pupil premieres in Northern Ireland include Cannes Palme D'Or winner Shoplifters and lovable, Christmas caper, Nativity Rocks.
The programme ranges from indie titles to popular classics to engage young minds in a broad range of topics from foreign language films, documentaries, animation, classics and hidden gems from the archive.
Highlights include the Ark Farm showing The Zoo while there will be a virtual reality event with Ready Player One in Queen's University Sonic Arts Lab
Screenings will be held across Northern Ireland in locations including Belfast, Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Maghera and Dungannon.
The programme supports educator and student needs and interests and has been curated in six strands which include Mental Wellbeing: Moving Minds, Year of the Woman: Empowered Voices and Visions of Europe.
:: For programme details and to book free tickets visit www.intofilm.org/festival.
