‘BIFA PRESENTS’ AT PICTUREVILLE CINEMA
BIFA is excited to be partnering with National Science and Media Museum and Pictureville Cinema on Bradford: A City of Film, a programme of independent film across the Bradford District.
We’ll be digging into the archives to present BIFA-winning and nominated films which complement selected film seasons throughout the year, as well as showcasing the best new British cinema from 2025’s BIFA nominees.
‘BIFA Presents’ kicked off with MOON in May and continued with EAST IS EAST in June and WALTZ WITH BASHIR in July. Up next, is multiple BIFA winner GOD’s OWN COUNTRY on Friday 15th August. Watch this space for more programme updates.
FRI 15 AUG 7.30pm
pictureville Cinema, National Science and Media Museum, Bradford BD1 1NQ
BIFA PRESENTS: GOD’s OWN COUNTRY 15
BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM / BEST DEBUT SCREENWRITER (FRANCIS LEE) / BEST ACTOR (JOSH O’CONNOR) / BEST SOUND (ANNA BERTMARK)
Our fourth film with Pictureville is Francis Lee’s multi award-winning tender romance featuring a star-making turn from Josh O’Connor.
Spring. Yorkshire. Isolated young sheep farmer Johnny Saxby numbs his daily frustrations with binge drinking and casual sex, until the arrival of Romanian migrant worker Gheorghe, employed for the lambing season, ignites an intense relationship that sets Johnny on a new path.
Multi nominated God’s Own Country also saw Francis Lee earn Best Director, The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director) and Best Screenplay nominations, with Alec Secareanu nominated for Best Actor and Ian Hart nominated for Best Supporting Actor. A Best Casting nomination went to Shaheen Baig and Layla Merrick-Wolf and a nomination in the Breakthrough Producer category for Jack Tarling and Manon Ardisson.
Tickets: £8.50/£6.50 concessions
EPIC YORKSHIRE
Catch iconic favourites and discover hidden gems in this city-wide screen celebration of Yorkshire.
Launching on Yorkshire Day (1 August), Epic Yorkshire showcases stories made and shaped by those who call this place home—from gritty urban dramas to romantic windswept landscapes. Enjoy special screenings and experiences in collaboration with brilliant local partners like Saltaire Inspired and Bradford Movie Makers, alongside beloved Yorkshire brands. Expect local flavours, unique venues, and a cinematic celebration of the people and places that make Yorkshire one of a kind.
PAST EVENTS
THU 17 JULY 7.00pm
pictureville Cinema, National Science and Media Museum, Bradford BD1 1NQ
BIFA PRESENTS: WALTZ WITH BASHIR 18
BEST FOREIGN INDEPENDENT FILM 2008
Our third film with Pictureville is Ari Folman’s acclaimed animation, which earned BIFA, BAFTA and Oscar nods in 2008 and is part of Brought to Life, a season exploring storytelling in animation.
One night at a bar, an old friend tells director Ari about a recurring nightmare in which he is chased by 26 vicious dogs. Every night, the same number of beasts. The two men conclude that there’s a connection to their Israeli Army mission in the first Lebanon War of the early 80s. Ari is surprised that he can’t remember a thing about that period of his life. Intrigued by this riddle, he decides to meet and interview old friends and comrades around the world. He needs to discover the truth about that time and about himself.
BROUGHT TO LIFE
A season of films honouring the beautiful art and storytelling of animation—from stop motion, to puppetry, British hand-drawn characters and the fantasy worlds of anime. This filmmaking technique has brought imagination to life for over 100 years and is still pushing the boundaries of creativity today.
SAT 7 JUNE 6.30pm
pictureville Cinema, National Science and Media Museum, Bradford BD1 1NQ
BIFA PRESENTS: EAST IS EAST 15
WINNER: BEST SCREENPLAY / NOMINATED: THE DOUGLAS HICKOX AWARD (BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR) 1999
Our second film with Pictureville is the debut feature of Damien O’Donnell, a wry comedy-drama following a Pakistani chip shop owner’s efforts to raise his kids amid cultural tensions in 1970s Salford.
For the seven kids of George Khan, life is one long compromise. Tomboy Meenah prefers playing football to wearing a sari, hippie Saleem pretends to be studying engineering when he’s really at art school, heart-throb Tariq has got a reputation as a local Casanova, and Sajid hasn’t even been circumcised yet. For George Khan (‘Ghengis’ to his kids), life is an uphill battle to get his family to conform to traditional Pakistani values. But this is Salford in the 1970s: George’s English wife Ella is Lancashire born, and his kids have got minds of their own.
northern youth
Northern Youth is a celebration of northern young identity in cinema. Bradford is one of the UK’s youngest cities with a significant portion of its population under 25, and this season champions the bold and blistering spirit of youthful northern characters, actors, film-makers, writers, and mavericks. Punky and poetic, powerful and punchy, this season celebrates northern youth in all its glory.
The season is curated for Bradford 2025 by Dominic Leclerc, the Bradford-born, raised and based director of Sex Education, Skins and Shameless, and the upcoming Bradford-set feature Flesh and Flamingos about queer northern youth. His passion for complex and daring stories about youth drive this rebellious and raw season.
The selections in Northern Youth span several decades, from a ’60s British New Wave classic celebrating teenage rebellion, to a provocative contemporary film debut about consent. The stories transport us from the back streets of Salford, to the majestic Yorkshire moors; from the Liverpool of a teenage boy’s lyrical imagination, to the underbelly of Nottingham’s council estates. The stories are unique and bursting with youthful spirit: from a group of ’80s skinheads exploring their collective and individual identity, to a teenage girl in Yorkshire pushing at the realms of her sexuality, from a young northern rebel boldly defying authority, to a group of adolescents navigating their bodies and emotions on their first clubbing holiday. Together, these films celebrate northern youth in all its complexity—championing diversity, the individual experience, and both the frailty and wonder of being on the cusp of adulthood. Find out more….
Sun 4 MAY 6.10pm
pictureville Cinema, National Science and Media Museum, Bradford BD1 1NQ
BIFA PRESENTS: moon 15 (35mm)
BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM 2009 / THE DOUGLAS HICKOX AWARD (BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR) 2009
Kicking off our screening partnership with Bradford: A City of Film we are delighted to present Moon, the BIFA-winning 2009 debut of director Duncan Jones at Pictureville Cinema in original 35mm.
Astronaut Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) has a quintessentially personal encounter toward the end of his three-year stint on the Moon, where he, working alongside his computer, GERTY, sends back to Earth parcels of a resource that has helped diminish our planet’s power problems.
BEYOND EARTH
Moon is part of Beyond Earth, Bradford’s beloved season of sci-fi. From 2 to 5 May film fans can journey far from home with a collection of classic films that define the genre. Featuring archive prints, family favourites, and the jaw-dropping spectacle of Pictureville’s curved Cinerama screen, your front-row seat to an interstellar journey awaits. Find out more here
BRADFORD: A CITY OF FILM
Bradford: A City of Film is co-produced by Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture and National Science and Media Museum with the support of the BFI, awarding funds from the National Lottery. You can find more information about the programme of events here
