Six Edinburgh teens have won the Best Film 16-19 award at the Into Film Awards 2026, the UK’s leading celebration of young filmmakers, organised by education charity Into Film.
Made by a group of young people working with Screen Education Edinburgh and BFI Academy, What’s in a Bowl? was announced as the winner of the Best Film 16–19 category at the ceremony held at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London on Tuesday 16 June.
The award was presented by actor Peter Capaldi, whilst other presenters and guests at the ceremony included Jason Isaacs, Hayley Atwell, Nick Frost, Jodie Whittaker, Bella Ramsey and Blake Harrison.
Award-winning broadcaster and best-selling children’s author Konnie Huq hosted the awards which honoured the most inspiring and original short films created by young people aged 5–19 from around the UK, across 13 different categories.
What’s in a Bowl? follows a young Chinese immigrant living in Edinburgh who is struggling with homesickness and feelings of belonging.
With his late grandmother’s words and memories still alive in his mind, he sets out to recreate her classic noodle dish in the hope of reconnecting with his sense of home.
The film was created by six young filmmakers through Screen Education Edinburgh and BFI Academy, as part of Into Film’s programme to support the next generation of storytellers.
Aurora Quoiani, one of the filmmakers behind the winning film, said: “This is amazing. This film is about a Chinese Immigrant in Scotland finding their culture again.
“And I feel it is a very important thing to be talking about at a time like this, where immigration and Immigrants are being villainised by a lot of people.”
Alice Chen, writer and co-filmmaker behind What’s in a Bowl?, said: “I’d like to begin by saying what an incredible honour this is to receive this award.
“This film is very close to my heart and telling this story is important to me because it reflects growing up having immigrated from another country and what identity means to those who live in different and often conflicting cultures.
“This film explores experiences and emotions that deserve to be seen, heard and shared because it lets people know that no matter who you are and where you are, belonging comes from within.
“I want to thank everyone at Screen Education Edinburgh who believed in this project and supported myself and the teammates along the way.
“I also want to thank BFI for funding these academies and giving young people a voice and the opportunity to learn and thrive in the creative industry.
“Filmmaking is also never a solo effort, and I’m incredibly grateful to the cast and crew and everyone who gave up their time and energy to bring this story to life.
“Receiving this award is a wonderful reminder of why we tell stories in the first place, to connect with one another, to inspire conversation and to help us better understand ourselves and each other. Thank you so much. This means more to me than I can ever express.”
Into Film CEO Fiona Evans commented: “Today’s Into Film Awards is the UK’s most prestigious showcase for young filmmakers, backed by leaders from across the industry.
“Each year we receive hundreds of brilliant entries and for every young filmmaker walking the red carpet today, the Awards will be a life-changing experience.
“We are thrilled to see creative activities such as filmmaking recognised in the Government’s new Enrichment Benchmarks released this week.
“We welcome the Benchmarks as an important and positive step for young people because access to creative and cultural experiences should not be for a lucky minority, but a fundamental part of every child’s education.
“Film is uniquely placed to enrich and support media literacy, critical thinking and wellbeing, in ways that are engaging and helps them better understand others and the world around them.
“The incredible young people and educators recognised at this year’s Awards show what can be achieved when schools, creative industries, charities and government all work together to give children the opportunity to express themselves.”
Eric Fellner, Into Film Chair and Co-Chairman of Working Title Films, commented:“As the UK’s leading showcase for young filmmaking talent, today’s Into Film Awards brought the screen and education sectors together in recognition of the brilliant films shortlisted.
“We believe passionately in a world where AI is increasing its presence that creativity should be a fundamental part of very child’s education, and we welcome the Government’s renewed commitment to providing a framework and benchmarks for how enrichment is delivered in schools.
“We at Into Film look forward to continuing our work in thousands of schools across the UK which will also support this vital initiative.”
This year’s awards saw record-breaking submissions across the categories, which included two new categories – Innovation in Filmmaking, showcasing impressive feats of creativity and technical prowess, and Best Film Review shining a spotlight on budding wordsmiths.
