Children’s International Film Festival will be supported by the British Museum for 2026

The British Museum in the heart of London, copyright: Trustees of the British Museum

Exciting partnership takes inspiration from the Bayeux Tapestry, uniting one of the world’s earliest visual narratives with the language of modern cinema.

HASTINGS — The Children’s International Film Festival (CIFF) is proud to announce that it will be supported by the British Museum for its 2026 season. This will bring together one of the world’s foremost cultural institutions and a pioneering festival dedicated to inspiring young filmmakers, with the Bayeux Tapestry as the centrepiece theme.

The collaboration unites one of the world’s earliest visual narratives with the language of modern cinema. The Tapestry’s sequential storytelling, rich symbolism, and political perspective make it a natural ancestor of film — offering young filmmakers a powerful case study in how stories have always been shaped through images.

“The Bayeux Tapestry is one of history’s great storytelling achievements. By working with the Children’s International Film Festival, this year located in Hastings, we have an extraordinary opportunity to connect young people with that legacy - not as passive observers, but as active creators. We are delighted to support a new generation of filmmakers in finding their own voice through one of the world’s most compelling visual stories,” commented John Stokes, Head of National Programmes at the British Museum.

What to Expect in 2026

This spring, three short documentaries - created by filmmakers under the age of 16 from schools across the UK — will explore the Bayeux Tapestry through themes including memory and survival, power and propaganda, and the human cost of war. Students will benefit from exclusive interviews with British Museum experts, including Dr Millie Horton-Insch – Project Curator of the Tapestry exhibition - giving young filmmakers unique and qualified insight into their subject.

“By interpreting the Bayeux Tapestry through filmmaking, children will explore history, authorship, and point of view in an active, creative way. Together, the Festival and the British Museum will transform an historic artefact into a living narrative - inspiring a new generation to see storytelling as something timeless, participatory, and alive,” explained George Young, Founder of The Children’s International Film Festival.

The partnership will culminate in two events: the flagship Children’s International Film Festival in Hastings on 18th June, and the London Children’s Film Festival in Kingston Upon Thames on 3rd July. Both events will feature workshops, award ceremonies, and keynote presentations by Dr Sue Brunning, Curator, Sutton Hoo & European Early Medieval Collection, with audiences of up to 1,200 students expected. The awards ceremonies will be launched by the British Museum under the banner Before Cameras, Before Cuts: The Bayeux Tapestry and the Birth of Documentary.

The programme will also feature a rich series of creative workshops delivered in co-operation with leading organisations including BAFTA, the National Film & Television School, IntoFilm, Creative Youth, The Bright Foundation, and Ciné Schools. Activities will range from zoetrope animation and archive filmmaking to screenwriting, storyboarding, game design, poster design and Foley sound design - all inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry.