Every September, the Glasgow Youth Film Festival proves there are still young audiences for smaller films.
For almost two decades, the Glasgow Youth Film Festival (GYFF) has granted people aged 15–18 the opportunity to programme a weekend’s worth of films at the Glasgow Film Theatre. Throughout the summer, these young programmers collectively decide what films and events to include, whether it is live music or a Q+A with a director. The overall purpose of the festival, however, is to ensure the programmers have their voices heard, inverting the usual system of adult programmers catering to them in ways that are often misrepresentative or unappealing. During one of their meetings on the countdown to the festival, I visited the young programmers to understand their relationship to film and how that relationship is reflected in this year’s programme consisting of films such as Do the Right Thing (1989) and Dead Poets Society (1989).
To understand this relationship, I found it essential that I understand where the current displeasure for the stereotypical films targeted at young adults comes from, and why the group felt it was important to challenge. Many voiced their dislike for “the default” premise of “popular kids going through high school” and that they “don’t think Hollywood’s caught up” with modern teenage life. Clearly, the newer generation feels jaded towards their current on-screen representation and the inability for films to capture the reality of being a teenager in the digital age. Rather than looking for films that simply reflect their age, the programmers emphasised the importance of emotional connection. Jokingly, one of the programmers suggested that they “enjoy sad films” the most, a sentiment the others agreed with. The group stressed the importance of engaging younger audiences emotionally, rather than attempting to relate to them through outdated experiences of high school. Such an approach overlooks the impact of social media and its fast-paced nature.
The festival champions a programme which “goes against the mainstream”, uniting young people in ways anyone above their age range would not fully understand. We briefly discussed what attracts young people to certain films, with many suggesting they were intrigued by the creative marketing strategies used to promote films such as The Drama (2026) and The Invite (2026), particularly their use of social media as a gimmick. It seemed that the group was more critical of how films were marketed than one might otherwise expect. One programmer argued that a “cinema culture” remains and that “there are still young audiences for smaller films.” They pointed to the anticipation surrounding The Odyssey (2026) and Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026), noting that audiences were booking tickets months in advance. At the same time, classmates continued to discuss smaller productions such as Tony (2026), the Anthony Bourdain biopic. GYFF itself reflects this broad cinema culture among a generation stereotypically associated with streaming platforms and phone screens, demonstrating that young audiences are not abandoning cinema. The true size of this culture cannot be underestimated, and each year, GYFF proves it certainly is not diminishing.
GYFF enables young people to reverse the conventions of what adults expect them to watch and encourages them to think more critically and creatively as a collective. This programme truly caters to them through emotional solidarity and a strong desire to experience films together, at the cinema.
Glasgow Youth Film Festival 2026 runs from 25 – 27 September at the Glasgow Film Theatre with a programme full of films and events designed for young people.
Image Credit: Glasgow Youth Film Festival
