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

The very best of independent cinema returns to York for one of the UK’s largest screen industry events from Wednesday 5 to Sunday 9 November 2025.  

York St John University has been a proud host venue and sponsor of the event since it began in 2011. The Aesthetica 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.   
 
In addition to films spanning a spectrum of genres, the Festival programme includes a VR Lab to experience immersive projects, a Podcasting Lounge for the first time, and the return of the successful Games Lab, supported by academics and students from York St John. Aesthetica is the only UK film festival to include video games in its public programme, and with Yorkshire’s games design industry booming, the Games Lab offers an exciting opportunity to discover new titles.    

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 at the National Centre for Early Music.  

“Students from our third-year research-led module, ‘investigating games’, are helping to run Games Lab 2025, which will showcase around 50 new games this year,” said Jack.  

“Along with fellow research group members Matt Spokes and Matt Coward-Gibbs, we are excited to be chairing masterclasses and panel discussions from industry experts and be part of the selection committee for game submissions.  

“Games Lab is a fantastic opportunity to endorse games creators who produce socially important and responsible games which prompt introspection, reflection on our place in the world, or offer new ways of seeing.”  

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. 

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.