PLAY 2026 programme revealed

Following the first wave of announcements in June, the final line-up completes a programme of more than 20 film screenings, live events and workshops across the fortnight, from a 100th anniversary screening of the world's oldest surviving animated feature, to virtual reality storytelling from an award-winning Yorkshire studio.

New highlights announced today include:

·         The Adventures of Prince Achmed [100th Anniversary] + Live Score (Sun 2 Aug @ 14.00, PG) - A special screening of Lotte Reiniger's beautiful hand-crafted 1926 animation. When the world's most powerful sorcerer challenges brave young Prince Achmed to fly a magic horse, he plunges headlong into escapades that take him from Baghdad to China via the enchanted spirit lands of Wak-Wak. One of the most influential animations ever made, screened with a live soundtrack performed by Northern Silents.

·         Model Making with Aardman (Wed 5 Aug, various times, 7+) - Get creative with clay and make your very own model of Gromit, from Wallace and Gromit, to take home. The workshops are facilitated by Aardman’s expert model makers (who have worked on titles such as Wallace & Gromit, Chicken Run, Shaun the Sheep and Morph).

·         Dreaming Methods VR Sessions (Thu 6 - Sat 8 Aug, various times) - A celebration of the work of Dreaming Methods, the award-winning Yorkshire-based immersive arts studio creating original narrative-led work across games, virtual reality, mixed reality and interactive media.

·         Felt Moomin Workshop (Sat 8 Aug @ 12:30) - Join artist Mia Eccleston to bring Moomin Valley to life with felt character puppets and decorations, and make your very own stop-motion Moomin film.

·         The Puppet Folk Experience (Sun 9 Aug @ 18:00) - Join the 'most sensational' Muppet tribute show, bringing acoustic mayhem, heart and humour to audiences across the UK, performing as part of a Muppet All-Dayer celebrating Jim Henson’s fabulous creations.

·         Site Gallery’s ‘When The Sky Gets Bright’ exhibition by artist collective Babeworld, exploring loneliness, isolation and the complex relationship between online and physical worlds.

They join an already packed programme exploring new forms of storytelling through gaming, interactive media, immersive technology and film, including WiFi Wars, the award-winning live comedy game show hosted by Steve McNeil (Wed 29 Jul @ 18.00); Extra Lives, a live-scored audience RPG where the crowd votes to shape the game (Fri 31 Jul @ 18.00); and Concerteenies: The Duck with No Luck, the much-loved children's book brought to life with animation and live music (Mon 3 Aug @ 11.15). Running throughout the festival, the free Playroom offers video games, crafts and pop-up activities in a relaxed and cosy space.

Johnathan Ilott, Head of Programming at Showroom Cinema, said: "The full PLAY programme is here, and it's everything we hoped it would be: a century of storytelling in one festival, from Lotte Reiniger's hand-cut silhouettes with a live score to brand-new virtual reality worlds made right here in Yorkshire. Showroom has always championed young audiences, and PLAY is that promise made real: two weeks for kids to experiment, create and lose themselves in stories told in ways they've never seen before. Now everything is on sale, we can't wait to throw open the doors."

Kids' tickets are £5.25 for regular film screenings, £4.50 for Family Time and £3.50 for Toddler Kino. The full programme and booking are at: https://showroomcinema.org.uk/festivals/PLAY2026

PLAY is produced in partnership with local venues and creative organisations including Site Gallery, Computer Xplorers Sheffield, Northern Silents and Concerteenies. The festival is made possible with the help of our funders Arts Council England, the British Film Institute and Sheffield Town Trust.