York St John University celebrates 15 years of the Aesthetica Short Film Festival

York St John University has been a proud host venue and sponsor of the event since it began in 2011. The Aesthetica Short Film Festival is a BAFTA qualifying festival, welcoming filmmakers, games developers and virtual reality (VR) experts from around the world to York, a UNESCO City of Media Arts. This year’s programme encompasses film screenings, industry masterclasses, kids’ workshops and events both in-person, and online.  
 
Screenings and live events take place across 15 unique venues, including York St John University’s Lord Mayor’s Walk campus, as the city transforms into a global stage for screen culture.   
 
The festival programme encompasses a spectrum of genres: animation, comedy, documentary, drama, dance, experimental, family-friendly, thriller and more. The VR Lab offers opportunities to experience immersive projects, and with Aesthetica being the only UK film festival to include games in its public programme, the Games Lab introduces new indie titles to discover and play. For the first time, a Podcasting Lounge will showcase audio productions, exploring new ways to listen, share and engage in conversations.   

Throughout the festival, attendees and participants from over 60 countries will have the opportunity to learn from top professionals in the screen industry. Guest programmes from partners including BBC and The New York Times highlight the global reach of storytelling and the Industry programme features experts from Aardman, BBC Film, Film4, Framestore and Ridley Scott Associates. Workshops will explore AI, VR, and careers in gaming and adaptation, whilst kids’ workshops encourage younger audiences to discover filmmaking, coding and stop-motion animation.   

Events taking place on the University campus include:

• Beyond the Logo, a session on creating impactful branded content with industry specialists discussing how to build successful campaigns that feel authentic and resonate with audiences.   

• Scriptwriting in Focus: How to get your film made, with experts exploring the art of scriptwriting, insights on crafting compelling scripts and how to avoid common pitfalls. 
  

• Documentary feature ‘The Silence of Life’, an observational documentary from Slovenia asking what is important in life?  

• Narrative feature ‘Happy as Larry’ following an uninspired novelist’s adventure in the Isle of Skye where he makes an unexpected and unrelenting friend. 

• a weekend of children’s workshops focused on filmmaking, game development and stop-motion animation. 

Dr Jack Denham, Associate Professor of Social Sciences at York St John University – and one of Aesthetica’s games programmers – helps oversee the festival’s Games Lab, hosted in the National Centre for Early Music.  
 
“With the collaboration of the investigate.games research group at York St John University, Games Lab 2025 will showcase more games across more platforms, in our continued mission to promote social justice in gaming,” said Jack.  
 
“Games Lab is an opportunity to endorse games creators who produce socially important and responsible games – ones which prompt introspection, reflection on our place in the world, or offer new ways of seeing. We are excited to continue the mission of broadening arts and culture in this UNESCO Media Arts City with our partners at Aesthetica.” 
 
Cherie Federico, Director of the Aesthetica Short Film Festival, and a York St John alumna and Honorary Graduate, said: 
 
“It is with great excitement and pride that I invite you to join us for this year’s celebration of creativity, storytelling and innovation. Our programme is a vibrant tapestry of world-class independent film, immersive VR and games, with a newly curated Podcasting Lounge. Our festival champions incredible work whilst igniting conversation about the power of the screen.   

“I encourage you to take a leap into something new – watch a film you’ve never seen, play one of our independent games, or immerse yourself in VR. There is a whole universe of discovery waiting at Aesthetica, and you are part of what makes these celebrations so extraordinary.” 

 
For more details and to access the full festival programme please visit the Aesthetica Film Festival website.