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By scotthgilliland on April 10, 2026 |
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Press release: 10 April 2026
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BFI are excited to share details for a special one-day programme takeover at BFI Southbank on Sunday 3 May led by young curators and speakers, exhibiting work by and about young people. Tying into Southbank Centre’s epic, one-off pop culture spectacular You Are Here, an electrifying journey through 75 years of British Music, dance, theatre, fashion and film co-directed by Danny Boyle taking place the same day, RIP IT UP will celebrate the changing face of youth rebellion , culture and expression, from the birth of the teenager in the 1950s through to the present day through film and online moving image.
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RIP IT UP dives into the youth-driven movements which they feel have defined our cultural identity, the agonies and ecstasies of growing up in Britain, and the issues facing the next generation. From teddy boys to microtrends, 90s rave culture to social activism, moving image, film and television are a direct window into the staggering impact of youthful creativity on our society. All programmes are conceived, curated and hosted by young people aged 19 to 29, drawing from the collections of the BFI National Archive, personal collections and memories, conversations amongst peers and the online ecosystem.
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RIP IT UP’s rich and diverse programme includes an exploration of the emergence of Grime DIY DVDs, the rise of YouTube, the evolving relationship between trans youth culture and the moving image, stories celebrating the intersection of sport, creative culture and identity, the Roots and Evolution of British Dance Culture, female fandom, the Welsh rock scene and Wales wider music culture, teenage boredom, street dance, the dawn of the digital teen, dating, 75 years of Black British fashion.
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Ruby McGuigan, BFI Programme Development Manager said, “Handing over keys to our building should be a nerve-wracking experience, but as soon as we saw the ideas these curators wanted to present, we knew we were in safe hands. Their programmes span different eras, mediums and social movements, united by that intangible energy of youth that we all understand, and hopefully remember, but may not be able to articulate. They’ve explored the BFI National Archive, every corner of the internet and a fair few personal DVD collections to bring RIP IT UP together. We can’t wait to spend the day learning from them.”
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RIP IT UP invites audiences to tap into their own memories and emotions, embrace hedonistic impulses, rage against the machine and throw themselves headfirst into this BFI Southbank-wide takeover led by the youth of today. Tickets provide access to the full day’s programming and all sessions are first come first served.
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From May-October, the 2026 BFI FAN UK-wide season – Rip It Up – will be exploring and celebrating the changing face of youth rebellion, culture and expression – from joy to heartbreak – on screens across the UK, supported by BFI National Lottery funding. Visit www.ripitup.org.uk for more information.
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RIP IT UP, BFI SOUTHBANK, 3 MAY, Full Programme:
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360p Relics: Grime on DVD
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The emergence of ‘DIY DVDs’ like Risky Roadz, Practice Hours and Lord of the Decks pierced the veil of the burgeoning grime scene. These underground releases highlighted the early talent of artists such as Skepta, Kano, D Double E and many more. Over two decades on, we’re screening a handful of the raw, unfiltered moments captured on those discs. A panel will reflect on the makers’ prescience and the resonance of the culture they documented. Curated by Luke Ainger, Milo Holmes, and Sara Ismail
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Nothing But Time: YouTube’s DIY Filmmakers
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British YouTube in the 2010’s became synonymous with DIY spirit. With no budget, but plenty of time, these filmmakers pioneered new genres and styles. Join us for a screening of the era’s quintessential videos. Followed by a discussion exploring the value of this Online Moving Image, now being preserved in the BFI National Archive. Curated by Leonor Silva
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Transfiction: Trans Youth Culture and the Moving Image
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The experiences of trans youth have rarely been given an authentic depiction on-screen; transgender artists are often marginalised, and trans youth have been denied a cultural voice. Yet, young trans people have found ways to see our stories in all sorts of film and television. This presentation aims to dissect the evolving relationship between trans youth culture and the moving image, establishing a ‘trans film map’ of sorts, and interrogating what place cinema holds in the lives of young transgender people in the UK. Curated by Katy Hanson
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The Spaces We Make explores football as more than a game, but a cultural space shaped by identity, community, and creativity. Through a curated programme of short films, the session highlights stories at the intersection of sport and lived experience. A guided conversation will bring together voices across football and the creative industries to reflect on storytelling, access, and the spaces we build for ourselves and others. Curated by Georgia J Summers
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Chronically Online: A Personal History of the UK Internet
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We all have that one YouTube video we’re obsessed with. Or that one vine that we think about more than most movies. ‘Chronically Online: A Personal History of the UK Internet’ is the Creative Nonfiction Film Weekend’s one-night-only programme of digital delights on the big screen, showcasing the stories Britain tells about itself through the internet. Touring the UK with guest curators, the programme is never the same twice — as unpredictable as a social media scroll.
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‘Chronically Online’ is presented in partnership with the BFI National Archive’s Our Screen Heritage Project, supported by the BFI Screen Heritage Fund, awarding National Lottery funding.
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No Rude Boys, No Rave: The Roots and Evolution of British Dance Culture.
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British rave culture didn’t come out of nowhere; before the rave, there were sound systems, blues dances and Rude Boys. This viewing and conversation looks at Jamaican youth subculture, specifically Rude Boys, whose migration to Britain heavily influenced British youth through style, music and attitude, reshaping British nightlife forever through the musical evolution of Ska and Dub to Jungle and DnB. We’ll be discussing how culture is adopted, repackaged, and pulled away from its original purpose, also taking time to recognise the lineage as Black people continue to build and keep the joy of raving alive today. Curated and hosted by Ronni Michaela Pierre (RMP)
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From Beatlemania to Directioners: Female Fandom Through the Years
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Where would British music be without its fans? From Beatlemania to Directioners is all about the teenage girls behind the music, from the 1960s up to present day. This 50-minute archive programme explores the importance of female fandom and how it has been perceived, highlighting the misogyny of their reception. Curated by Daisy Hutchings
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Video Hud: Have You Seen Your Culture Baby, Standing in the Shadows?
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Bringing together new film Glasbren with excerpts from Emyr Ankst’s Saunders Lewis vs Andy Warhol, this exploration of youth-led creativity in Wales traces a lineage from the 1990s Welsh-language indie movement to a new wave of grassroots creativity emerging today. Grounded in voices from the contemporary Sîn Roc Gymraeg, we’ll be celebrating raw, self-made cultures forged outside of major hubs and traditional structures. Curated by Gwenno Llwyd Till, Cian Clinc, Yannick Hammer and Cell-b
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let them cook! is a shorts programme exploring the endless stretches of time that are interwoven with youth in Britain. Waiting at bus stops. The chip shop at 10pm. Scrolling on your phone in a town where the youth club closed years ago. This programme brings together UK-centred films that trace how boredom has been experienced and redefined over time. In a society where productivity is the ultimate flex and time has become commodified, let them cook! counters this narrative. It recognises boredom as the starting point for creativity and community, and highlights the importance of third spaces in facilitating young people to flourish. Curated by SplicD Cinema: Afra Nuarey, Marta Cappozzo and Mariana Enriquez Denton Bustinza
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When Popping and Locking Exploded on Our Screens
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Dance has always played a role in cinema, reflecting the culture and trends of each decade. In the 2000s, hip hop culture became increasingly mainstream, bringing a fresh and global energy to the big screen. Popping, locking and breaking quickly became iconic, widely loved and practised. Join Naz Hamdi to explore how street dance has appeared in film, its popularity and its resonance with youth culture today. Curated by Naz Hamdi
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Grown Up Online: The Dawn of the Digital Teen
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Teen-hood has always been associated with subcultures, born from dancefloors, clubs, record shops, and community. But what happens when those dancefloors are digital?
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During the 2000s and 2010s, the internet became a place for young people to gather, share, discover, laugh, cry, create, rage, and, most importantly, learn how to be ‘a teen’. In this illustrated panel discussion, we’ll explore how the teen went digital and what this means for a digital future; surfing through memes, short-form content, and online culture to ask how this landscape shaped the 21st Century teen, and how the teen helped shape it. Curated by Gabriel Leavey
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Dating, a Youth Rebellion
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In today’s algorithm infested landscape, it’s difficult to imagine dating as anything other than desire packaged into swipes and likes. But long before apps, young people have been pushing against the limits placed on who they could love, how they could meet, and what types of relationships were acceptable. Through a selection of archival and contemporary short films, this screening will trace how different generations of youth have exercised romantic and sexual autonomy as a form of personal resistance. Curated by Nico Hughes
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Rebels in Style: A 75-Year Journey of Black British Fashion & Film
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Rebels in Style is an immersive, film-led exploration of Black British youth culture across generations. Blending archival footage, music videos and live model interventions, each era is brought into the present, creating a cinematic dialogue between past and contemporary fashion. Directed and Produced by: Ayiesha Sankoh Fashion Creative Director: Aerin Agyei Movement Direction/Assistant: Idriss Sankoh
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Our childhood bedrooms hold memories – the place we grew into ourselves, spent time with friends and sought comfort. Hosted in a fully immersive bedroom recreation, this shorts programme explores the nostalgia of the bedrooms of the 2010s and what it was like to be a British teenager from the Asian communities of Southall to the subgenre techno scenes that emerged across the North of England. Alongside the screenings, audiences can burn their own CDs to take home at our activities bar. Curated by Sahar Hamidollah and Olgalissia Riley
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Rebel Badges: An Afternoon of Workshops, Archival Collections and Talks
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Badges have long been worn by queer youth to signal identity, solidarity and resistance. Join us for a drop-in badge making workshop, alongside archival badge collections, relaxed screenings of queer shorts from the BFI National Archive and guest speakers – offering insight into queer youth culture in Britain from the 1950s onwards. Participants can also contribute to a collaborative ‘big badge’ – a large banner-like artwork that, unlike small badges that are typically concealed, demands to be seen. Curated by Tom Stocks and Helen Jockel
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The Video Hud Swap Shop is a curated, drop-in space exploring Welsh music culture through memory, material, and making. Centred on 1990s Welsh-language indie and the legacy of DIY culture, it brings together curated archival display, a participatory memory archive, and a creative response swap shop. Visitors can browse authentic Welsh merchandise, zines, CDs, and ephemera from key bands and cultural moments of the era, and are invited to contribute stories and memories, building a living archive of lived experience. Dal Dy Dir! Curated by Gwenno Llwyd Till, Cian Clinc, Yannick Hammer and Cell-b
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