- From 30 May–13 June, the National Science and Media Museum’s Pictureville Cinema will host Northern Youth, a season of films dedicated to northern youth culture and identity specially curated by award winning, Bradford-born director Dominic Leclerc (Sex Education, Shameless, Skins).
- From 19 – 25 June, Pictureville Cinema will also host A Time and A Place – a season of coming-of-age films by women filmmakers across the globe, curated by archive activist feminist film collective Invisible Women.
The National Science and Media Museum’s Pictureville Cinema will host two specially curated seasons this June, as part of an ongoing collaboration with Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture.
The seasons, Northern Youth and A Time and A Place, showcase Pictureville’s ongoing commitment as Yorkshire’s largest independent cinema to providing unique and thoughtfully curated cinema experiences to its audiences. Both seasons look to Bradford’s status as the UK’s ‘youngest city’ – with over a third of its population aged under 25 – placing emphasis on coming-of-age narratives and diverse explorations of identity that have their roots in the region.
Northern Youth
30 May – 13 June 2025
Northern Youth captures the punky and poetic spirit of young northern characters in British cinema. Specially curated by Bradford-born director Dominic Leclerc (Sex Education, Shameless, Skins), the season covers six decades of bold, raw and rebellious storytelling from across the North.
Running 30 May to 13 June 2025, the season includes special guest appearances throughout. Opening night film How To Have Sex¸(30 May) will be introduced by Dominic Leclerc and followed by a Q&A with actor Shaun Thomas and producer Ivana MacKinnon. Highlights include a screening of East is East (7 June) in partnership with the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA), with special guests Nick Ahad (BBC Front Row) and actor Chris Bisson, as well as The Long Day Closes (8 June), followed by a Q&A with actor Tina Malone. Elsewhere in the season, audiences can look forward to Shane Meadow’s seminal classic This is England (31 May) with writer and broadcaster Terri White, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1 June) with film historian Melanie Williams, and Ian Curtis biopic Control, with guest music journalist Dave Simpson.
The season offers a rare chance to revisit iconic titles or discover new voices, all united by a fierce sense of identity. Northern Youth is a powerful celebration of northern identity on screen, amplifying bold voices, untold stories and the vibrant spirit of adolescence.
Dominic Leclerc, curator of Northern Youth, commented: Northern Youth is a filmic deep-dive into the hearts and souls of characters on the cusp of adulthood. Poetic, punky and passionate - this season of extraordinary films celebrates the complexity, beauty and wonder of youth, and asks the question: what happens when the emotional geography of adolescence intersects with one's regional identity? From rural Yorkshire landscapes to the gritty backstreets of Salford, come and take a northern road trip to the heartland of youth.
A Time and A Place
19 – 25 June 2025
Curated by archive activist feminist film collective Invisible Women, A Time and A Place takes inspiration both from Bradford’s diasporic history alongside its youth. A Time and A Place shines a spotlight on stories of youth and identity from those who have since made Bradford home, from post-war German, Hungarian and Ukrainian communities to the Irish and Pakistani migrants who helped shape its industrial story.
From Mädchen in Uniform (1931), a quietly radical queer coming of age story exploring rebellion under rising authoritarianism, right through to Fawzia Mirza’s semi-autobiographical debut The Queen of My Dreams (2023), the season charts almost a century of women’s voices in film.
The season opens with My Twentieth Century (1989), Ildikó Enyedi’s counter-historical Cannes Camera d’Or winning debut exploring fate, identity and sisterhood in early 20th century Hungary, and continues to explore ideas of adolescence and self-discovery across cultural contexts. In Hush-A-Bye Baby (1989), teenage girls navigate love, loss and reproductive rights amid the Troubles in Northern Ireland, while in The Long Farewell (1971), a Soviet mother and son struggle with the pain of separation and shifting identities.
Each film in A Time and A Place offers a powerful exploration of growing up across borders and generations, whilst highlighting women’s stories that have shaped the history of cinema and continue to inspire new voices today.
For more information and to book tickets, visit Pictureville’s website.
ENDS
For more information and images please contact Alice Browne, Senior Press Officer alice.browne@scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk
A media pack of images can be downloaded here.
Northern Youth is part of Bradford: A City of Film, a programme of independent film across the Bradford District. 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.
Notes
About the National Science and Media Museum
The National Science and Media Museum in Bradford, West Yorkshire, opened in 1983, and has since become one of the most visited UK museums outside London. It draws on more than three million objects from its national collection to explore the science and culture of image and sound technologies, and their impact on our lives.
The museum creates special exhibitions, interactive galleries and activities for families and adults, and is home to Pictureville, Yorkshire’s biggest independent cinema with three screens including Europe’s first IMAX and the only public Cinerama venue in the world.
The National Science and Media Museum reopened on 8 January 2025, following a £6m once in a generation transformation. The museum is open seven days a week, from 10:00 – 17:00. For more information and to book tickets, please visit our website.
About Bradford 2025
Bradford became the fourth UK City of Culture in January 2025. The district was selected by the UK Government in May 2022 from a record-breaking 20 bids, following Derry~Londonderry (2013), Hull (2017) and Coventry (2021) to take on one of the most prestigious and transformative titles in UK culture.
Bradford 2025 takes place throughout Bradford District, which covers 141 square miles across West Yorkshire. It features performances, exhibitions, events and activities inspired by the extraordinary variety of this landscape, from the city’s historic centre to the breathtaking countryside that surrounds it. It pays homage to Bradford’s potent heritage as everything from a former industrial powerhouse to the world’s first UNESCO City of Film. Most of all, it celebrates the people of Bradford, from local artists and creative organisations to the diverse communities who call Bradford home.
Bradford 2025 is created for, with and by the people of Bradford, and it has young people at its heart. With more than a quarter of its population aged under 20, Bradford is one of the UK’s youngest cities. Bradford 2025 is proudly reflecting this youth across all aspects of its programme, from education, skills and training projects to new artistic commissions centred on the lives, concerns and ambitions of young people today.
Bradford 2025 is set to spotlight Bradford’s dynamic contemporary arts and culture, from dance and theatre to film, music and even food. At the same time, it will cement Bradford’s reputation as one of the most welcoming places in the UK for artists, producers and creative entrepreneurs, with international exchanges, development programmes and new cultural investment benefiting the entire district.
The impact of UK City of Culture will continue long after the end of 2025. The district’s designation has already brought significant investment to the region, and Bradford 2025 is set to serve as a catalyst for development, regeneration and change—reshaping Bradford for the benefit of future generations.
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