Photos: RIP IT UP Film Season to Explore Youth Culture at Storyhouse
Six films and two free workshops will explore identity and belonging at the Chester venue.
Storyhouse in Chester is set to present RIP IT UP, a season of six films curated by the venue's Young Film Programmers, ages 16 to 18, examining the changing face of youth culture through fashion, rebellion and self-expression. The lineup includes BILLY ELLIOT, BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM, YOUNG SOUL REBELS, CRUELLA, RYE LANE and WILD CHILD, with tickets offered on a Pay What You Can basis from £4 to £9.90. The season is presented and funded as part of a national programme by BFI FAN.
The season runs from Wednesday 19 August to Sunday 13 September, and invites audiences to reflect on their own experiences, identities and cultural influences while growing up in a changing world.
Curated by Storyhouse Young Film Programmers, whose members are aged 16 to 18, the season brings together six inspiring and impactful films which explore the changing face of youth through subcultures that have challenged class expectations, traditional family values and ideas of identity, spanning working-class Britain to life in the digital age.
It takes audiences on a journey through football pitches, dance studios, boarding schools and vibrant city streets, where characters navigate questions of identity, family, friendship, ambition and belonging.
Rip It Up opens on Wednesday, 19 August with a screening of timeless coming-of-age musical Billy Elliot, a story about self-expression, rebellion and the freedom to be yourself.
On Sunday, 23 August the female footballing drama Bend It Like Beckham will be screened in the Storyhouse Cinema, exploring cultural and generational conflict while confronting stereotypes about gender, sport and identity.
Young Soul Rebels, presented on Saturday, 29 August, is a landmark of Black and queer British cinema which stands out for its exciting story, fashion and strong sense of community.
Disney's bold new perspective on an iconic character, Cruella, comes to the Storyhouse screen on Wednesday, 2 September. The film, starring Emma Stone, places fashion at the heart of its story, framing it as a powerful form of self-expression and rebelliousness.
The season continues on Friday, 4 September with the funny, charming and stylish Rye Lane which has been chosen for its fresh and infectious energy, expressive styling and vivid sense of place and community.
And it concludes on Sunday, 13 September with a screening of 2008 generation-defining cult comedy Wild Child, about Malibu princess Poppy Moore who is sent off to a strict British boarding school by her father.
Storyhouse Head Of Cinema, Nicky Beaumont says: 'We are grateful for the support of Film Hub North and the Film Audience Network to make this season possible. The young people involved in the curation of this programme had so many great ideas and really threw themselves into the challenge of livening up the summer holidays with some bold film choices. There is plenty for audiences to enjoy in this season.'
The Young Film Programmers were recruited through a call-out to The Skills Studio at Storyhouse, which offers a range of programmes designed to support young people develop skills, confidence and career-readiness. Several of the programmers previously took part in The Agency Chester, empowering young people to become creative changemakers in their community.
For more details visit www.storyhouse.com.
Rip It Up Listings
Billy Elliot (15)
Date: Wednesday 19 August 2026
Time: 6pm
Tickets: Pay What You Can £4-£9.90
Bedazzle It Like Beckham
Date: Sunday 23 August 2026
Time: 3pm
Tickets: Free – booking required
Bend It Like Beckham (12A)
Date: Sunday 23 August 2026
Time: 5.30pm
Tickets: Pay What You Can £4-£9.90
Young Soul Rebels (15)
Date: Saturday 29 August 2026
Time: 3pm
Tickets: Pay What You Can £4-£9.90
Cruella (12A)
Date: Wednesday 2 September 2026
Time: 6pm
Tickets: Pay What You Can £4-£9.90
Rye Lane (15)
Date: Friday 4 September 2026
Time: 6pm
Tickets: Pay What You Can £4-£9.90
Brat & Bling: A Wild Child Workshop
Date: Sunday 13 September 2026
Time: 2pm
Tickets: Free – drop in
Wild Child (12A)
Date: Sunday 13 September 2026
Time: 4pm
Tickets: Pay What You Can £4-£9.90
Two free workshops, Bedazzle It Like Beckham and Brat & Bling: A Wild Child Workshop, are also planned alongside the film screenings, with Storyhouse Head of Cinema Nicky Beaumont crediting Film Hub North and the Film Audience Network for supporting the programme.
