Lights, camera, action! This year's Leeds Young Film Festival is ready to roll

Tito and the Birds is being screened at this year's Leeds Young Film Festival.

Thousands of children and families are expected to flock to the Easter holidays event, which is taking place for the 20th time and runs from April 8 to 22.

It will feature screenings of much-loved films such as Kes, War Horse and The Little Mermaid as well as more recent releases like Tito and the Birds, Zombillenium, One Girl and Supa Modo.

A virtual reality cinema is being set up at Leeds City Museum while Leeds Town Hall will play host to a special showing of ET: The Extra-Terrestrial with its musical score performed live by the Czech Symphony Orchestra.

There will also be workshops where youngsters can learn new skills with the help of expert guests from top industry names such as Lego and Aardman.

And organisers are confident this year's programme will be a hit with young cinema-goers in Leeds, the city where film pioneer Louis Le Prince recorded the world’s first moving pictures in the late 19th century.

Leeds City Council leader Coun Judith Blake said: "We’re incredibly proud of Leeds’s rich history as the birthplace of the moving image and each year Leeds Young Film Festival gives thousands of young people and families the opportunity to continue that legacy by experiencing the magic of cinema together.

“It also gives some much needed help and guidance to those wanting to make their way into the industry, inspiring the next generation of young talent.”

A scene from Supa Modo, one of the movies picked for this year's Leeds Young Film Festival.

For full programme information, visit the www.leedsfilmcity.com website.

Leeds Young Film Festival is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through the BFI Audience Fund and Arts Council England.

Children who want to act as reviewers and help choose the winners of this year's festival awards are asked to e-mail their name, age and contact details to [email protected].

Louis Le Prince famously recorded the first-ever moving images as he stood at a window overlooking Leeds Bridge one day back in 1888.

Sadly, he never benefited from his breakthrough – two years later he mysteriously disappeared after boarding a train during a trip home to his native France.