The world’s largest, free, youth film festival opened today with simultaneous pupil premieres of Illumination’s Dr. Seuss’The Grinch held in Manchester, London, Cardiff, Belfast, Edinburgh and London ahead of the film’s release in cinemas across the UK on 9^th November.

At each premiere, young audiences across the UK got into the festive spirit and brought donations for their local foodbanks in a bid to give ‘the gift of kindness’ and not be ‘a Grinch’ this Christmas.

For their eighth fully animated feature, Illumination and Universal Pictures present The Grinch, based on Dr. Seuss’ beloved holiday classic. The Grinch tells the story of a cynical grump who goes on a mission to steal Christmas, only to have his heart changed by a young girl’s generous holiday spirit.  Funny, heart-warming and visually stunning, it’s a universal story about the redemptive power of kindness and the true spirit of Christmas.

Now in its sixth phenomenally successful year, having welcomed nearly half a million Primary and Secondary students and their teachers in 2017, the Into Film Festival returns this week with over 3,000 free screenings and special events in over 550 venues across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Festival is hosted by film education charity, Into Film, which engages with over half of UK schools, and is free to all students, supporting education through a carefully curated programme of films, events and resources suitable for Primary, Secondary and Sixth Form students with topical themes, resources, debates, special events and careers activity. https://www.intofilm.org/festival