Scalarama DIY film festival – review

Credit: Scalarama Leeds @scalaramaleeds Instagram.

The Scalarama DIY film festival launched in February with a fundraiser and film screening. We went along to find out more about the festival and what events we can look forward to leading up to the main event in September. 

Scalarama DIY film festival has been a cornerstone of the Leeds film scene for over a decade. It is a celebration of cinema where anyone can join and put on a film screening of a feature film or a selection of shorts, which can be screened anywhere in Leeds. The 2025 Fundraiser at The Tetley was an exciting preview of what is to come when the festival really kicks off later in September.  

The evening started with a talk about the ethos and history of ‘Scalarama’, a DIY film event that happens every September to highlight community-led film exhibitions. Launched in 2011, the festival was inspired by the energy, creativity and diverse programming of the iconic Scala Cinema in London. Today, ‘Scalarama’ exists to pay tribute to the vast and rich heritage of the Scala Cinema by offering a wide-ranging national programme of events which champion community-led cinema.

Credit: Scalarama Leeds @scalaramaleeds Instagram.

Information was given about the various workshops taking place throughout the year, covering topics such as licensing, contacting venues and marketing. These workshops are a fantastic way to learn from the knowledge and expertise which, old and new, programmers have developed over the previous years of the festival. These workshops will  be hosted in iconic venues around Leeds, with the first Scalarama workshop of 2025 being hosted by Hyde Park Picture House. It will discuss how to source film licences for screenings and where best to start searching.

The DIY nature of the festival was on full show, with volunteers hosting a raffle & bake sale, demonstrating the communal spirit that ‘Scalarama’ has always been about. Whether it be the Giallo movies of the 1970s or monster movies from the1950s, this was an inclusive and safe space where all genres and passions from the world of film were shared and welcomed.

Credit: Scalarama Leeds @scalaramaleeds Instagram.

Finally, the evening ended with a screening of ‘El Cine Soy Yo’ (1977), restored into glorious 4k. The story follows a man who converts a van into a mobile cinema, setting off on a mission to bring film to small villages across Venezuela. This strangely unique and funny story was the perfect film to show at the first ‘Scalarama’ meeting of the year, where everyone watching shared this man’s wild and offbeat love of film.

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‘Scalarama’s’ next event will be a venues workshop on Tuesday 15th April at The Attic. You can keep up to date with all of their upcoming events and the exciting programme launch in August on their website or instagram (@scalaramaleeds).