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Discovery Film Festival

Sat 25 October – Sun 2 November 2025

school group raising their hands in DCA cinema seats

Discovery Film Festival is celebrating its 22nd year! Based at Dundee Contemporary Arts and touring to partner venues throughout Scotland, the festival screens films from all over the world which have been specially programmed for young audiences.

The festival includes two exciting weekends of films, creative activities, and gala events, as well as two weeks of screenings and events for schools. 

Discovery aims to develop new audiences for the best in international film, improve media literacy and offer young audiences an insight into the lives of children and young people in other cultures. 

The festival works with partner venues in Dumfries and Galloway, Glasgow, Edinburgh, North Lanarkshire, Falkirk, Fife, and the Highlands and Islands to bring a selection of films from the Discovery programme to new audiences across Scotland.

Discovery Film Festival is a DCA project and is organised by DCA's Cinema Youth Development Officer. A team of Young Programmers (aged 15-19) are invited to programme films and advise on the overall design of the festival, while a team of teachers and education consultants advise on the education programme and create Curriculum for Excellence relevant resources for classes visiting the festival.

Discovery Film Festival 2025 takes place from Sat 25 October to Sun 2 November 2025. We'll update this page with information on screenings, activities and school visits as more details are announced. 

If you'd like more information, please drop us a line at dca@dca.org.uk.

Discovery Family Film Club

Discovery Family Film is our curated strand of family films that takes place on the first Saturday and Sunday in the month. 

Discovery Family Film Club
An animation still shows a blonde girl and a ginger child sitting on a tree branch together with a bird.

Discovery Family Film Club: Wolfwalkers

Duration: 1h43m
Sat 5 Jul 2025
V&A Dundee: Garden Futures
An animated still shows a little blonde girl enjoying a tea party with a rabbit and the mad hatter.

Discovery Family Film Club: Alice in Wonderland (1951)

Duration: 1h15m
Sat 2 Aug 2025
Discovery Family Film Club
An animation still shows a young boy flying through a busy street in New York

Discovery Family Film Club: Phantom Boy

Duration: 1h24m
Sat 6 Sep 2025