Into Film Festival Review Writing Competition: The 2025 Winners

The Into Film Festival 2025 took place last November, offering schools and young people of all ages across the UK the opportunity to enjoy free cinema screenings and special events. The 2025 edition of the Festival allowed almost 400,000 young people to enjoy the big screen experience and delve into the world of film and the screen industries.

As part of the annual event, each year we run the Into Film Festival Review Writing Competition, which asks young people to review the films they've seen at the Festival. Film reviewing can be an excellent tool to help boost literacy and adds an extra educational element to visiting the Into Film Festival.

We're delighted to present the winning reviews from the 2025 edition below.

Congratulations to...

• Will, aged 8, from London Primary School, for his review of Missing Link
• Ella, aged 10, from Forge Integrated Primary School, for her review of Kangaroo
• Leila, aged 14, home educated, for her review of Philomena

Each of our winners received a £100 voucher for their class to enjoy. Scroll down or hit the links above to read each of their fantastic winning reviews.

Into Film Spring Screenings 2026

Looking for more opportunities to take young people to the cinema for free? Into Film's Spring Screenings programme is back for 2026!

Taking place from 6-27 March across the UK, and with almost 400 cinemas taking part, there are more free cinema screenings and special events for both primary and secondary audiences available to book this spring than ever before. Plus, we're running a Spring Screenings edition of our Review Writing Competition! We have categories for both primary and secondary, with two winners from each. Each winner will receive £100 worth of vouchers for their class.

And remember - all events are completely free, so be sure to secure your booking quickly, as many screenings will fill up very quickly!

Wilf, aged 8, reviews Missing Link

Firstly I thought it was very adventurous and it taught everyone that you should always think about others and to not be selfish. I also think the film was very entertaining and there was a lot of exciting, dramatic moments! I like that the main character let Mr. Link/Susan join him in his work. My favourite character was Mr. Link/Susan because he was really funny and kept on doing the wrong thing! My favourite part was when Mr. Link/Susan took a hammer and clinged on to the ice. 

4.5/5

Ella, aged 10, reviews Kangaroo

I've come back from seeing Kangaroo and I'll never be the same person. Read on to see if you'll enjoy it too! 

This film truly represents Aussie life, I fear I've gained an accent! Burny sand, checking for snakes, and not to mention the kangaroos! The film shows Chris, a weatherman trying to look a hero but becoming the city villain. Then, he meets a young girl named Charlie and together they turn Chris' life around for good.

The film was a wild ride for sure! Tears were shed at one point. It was such an inspiring story and it was true! Length-wise, kind of long, but full of astonishing scenes. 

At some points the characters really annoyed me, but that just shows how good the actors are. I loved the entire storyline, yet some bits had me fearing for the characters! 

Overall this is an excellent, wholesome, family-friendly movie and a rollercoaster of emotions. My go-to film, I'd recommend it 1,000 times! 5 stars!

5/5

Leila, aged 14, reviews Philomena

Recently, I have watched 2013 drama Philomena directed by Stephen Frears.

This film starred Judi Dench who plays Philomena - a kind elderly Irish woman who is catholic and Steve Coogan who plays Martin Sixsmith - a recently unemployed former journalist who is portrayed as a rude character at first. These two characters contrast each other throughout the film.

The plot focuses on a BBC journalist who reaches out to Philomena Lee to help her find her son who was given up for adoption when she was a teenager.

I enjoyed watching this film because I was truly invested in what was going to happen next during the story. Also, knowing that this film was based on a true story made it very memorable and meaningful. It was mind-blowing to think some of these events in this story happened in real life and made me think how powerful it was that Philomena forgave what happened instead of staying hung-up or angry!

The only dislikes I have is that I was left with many questions and I feel some things were left unanswered.

In conclusion, I definitely recommend Philomena to others. 

4/5

Rukiya, aged 17, reviews Conclave

Conclave was an amazing watch. Mostly, because it gave the audience an insight into an incredibly private, sacred process which almost made the audience intruders. Additionally, I'm pleased that the story didn't follow Propps stereotypical character roles with a 'Hero' and 'Villain' setting up a simple binary, rather it was much more complex, following the main character, Cardinal Lawrence, root out corruption in the Church from conspiring groups/people instead of making it a cliché Bad vs Good. 

Not only did the picturesque backdrop of the Vatican and Sistine Chapel make the cinematography naturally phenomenal, but captured with the various shots: the birds-eye-view, long shots and close ups, they were able to enhance the audience's experience through visual storytelling. 

The costumes were remarkable! Especially the detailing of the stitching and embroidery, which were tapestry-like. Despite its beauty, the clothing was a way of reinforcing the hierarchy in the church, indicating the importance (or unimportance) of each cardinal's position. Alongside that, the use of colours is similarly crucial. When gathering to vote, they all wore a scarlet red cape and a white rochet to symbolise equality before God and the conclave, but in other scenes Cardinal Lawrence is dressed in extravagant garments of a royal purple to highlight his authorial role and power. 

However, the film definitely offers more entertainment than accuracy, but that made it a thrilling watch nonetheless. This has inspired me to research authentic descriptions of a conclave to gain deeper understanding. Furthermore, I believe the fictional appointment of Cardinal Vincent as Pope, despite genetic differences, poses a thought-provoking question - What can the actual Catholic Church do to reject outdated, conservative traditions and cater to all in the future?