A group of young filmmakers from Screen Education Edinburgh and BFI Academy have won Best Film 16–19 at the prestigious Into Film Awards 2026, the UK’s leading celebration of young filmmaking talent organised by education charity Into Film.
Award-winning broadcaster and best-selling children’s author Konnie Huq hosted the awards that honoured the most inspiring and original short films created by young people aged 5–19 across 13 different categories from around the UK. The winning film, What’s in a Bowl? was announced at the star-studded ceremony held at ODEON Luxe Leicester Square in London on Tuesday 16th June and the award was presented by Glasgow born actor Peter Capaldi.
What’s in a Bowl? follows a young Chinese immigrant living in Edinburgh who is struggling with homesickness and feelings of belonging. With his late grandmother’s words and memories still alive in his mind, he sets out to recreate her classic noodle dish in the hope of reconnecting with his sense of home.
The Into Film Awards nominated short films provide an invaluable insight into the things that are important to young people. In an increasingly fast-moving and ever-changing world, it’s never been more important to support young people to use their voices and use film to tell their own stories and address the things that matter to them.
Into Film CEO, Fiona Evans commented “… “We are thrilled to see creative activities such as filmmaking recognised in Government’s new Enrichment Benchmarks released this week. We welcome the Benchmarks as an important and positive step for young people because access to creative and cultural experiences should not be for a lucky minority, but a fundamental part of every child’s education. Film is uniquely placed to enrich and support media literacy, critical thinking and wellbeing, in ways that are engaging and helps them better understand others and the world around them.
“The incredible young people and educators recognised at this year’s Awards show what can be achieved when schools, creative industries, charities and government all work together to give children the opportunity to express themselves.”
This year’s awards saw record-breaking submissions across the categories, which included two new categories – Innovation in Filmmaking, showcasing impressive feats of creativity and technical prowess, and Best Film Review shining a spotlight on budding wordsmiths.
With high-profile ambassadors including Sir Kenneth Branagh; Lashana Lynch; Eddie Redmayne; Jack Lowden; Amma Asante; Lynwen Brennan and Jamie Dornan, Into Film continues to bridge the gap between classroom and screen, championing the next generation of film industry talent from every corner of the UK.
Each year, the Into Film Awards are made possible through sponsorship from the UK Screen Industry: Amazon MGM Studios; EON Productions; IMDb; Lucas Film Ltd; Odeon; Paramount; Pinewood Studios; Shepperton Studios; Swatch; Universal Pictures; The Walt Disney Studios; Warner Bros Discovery; Working Title Films; 72 Films.
Into Film is supported by the BFI, awarding National Lottery and Good Cause funding. www.intofilm/awards
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 