Lineup revealed for Cinema on the Square 2025

A major highlight closing this year’s Summer Series is the much-anticipated return of Cinema on the Square, brought to you by the team at Leeds International Film Festival (LIFF). Running from Thursday 31 July to Sunday 3 August, this special outdoor event transforms Millennium Square into a vibrant open-air summer cinema, offering a brilliant selection of concert films, classics from the ‘80s and ‘90s, Japanese cult films, a Bollywood blockbuster, family favourites, fun singalongs, and more.

For the first time, Cinema on the Square presents a special "Bring Your Own Dog" screening of Christopher Guest’s hilarious mockumentary BEST IN SHOW. The audience can also enter their own dogs into our “Best in Show” competition, with the chance to win prizes, while Dogs Trust staff will be on site to offer advice and raise funds for their important work.

Returning by popular demand is STOP MAKING SENSE, the ultimate concert film experience featuring David Byrne and Talking Heads, presented in a full digital restoration on the giant concert-stage screen. More music film highlights include the unique film experience KOYAANISQATSI with music by Philip Glass, and SUMMER OF SOUL – hailed as one of the greatest concert films of all time - about the legendary 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival which celebrated African-American music.

For families, Cinema of the Square presents two of the most acclaimed films from the last year, THE WILD ROBOT and FLOW, which won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film. For very young audiences, there is MIFFY’S ADVENTURES BIG AND SMALL, with a special collection of episodes from the children’s TV series and accompanying the Miffy’s 70th Birthday exhibition at Leeds City Museum.

It's Yorkshire Day on 1 August and Cinema on the Square presents one of the greatest films ever made in the region, the much-loved KES. Also showing as part of Cinema on the Square are classic films from the ‘80s and ‘90s including A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN, THE BLUES BROTHERS and RUN LOLA RUN, the incredible true story TOUCHING THE VOID, and a double bill of cult films from Japan, monster movie MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA and sci-fi delight SUMMER TIME MACHINE BLUES.

A Bollywood blockbuster is screening at Cinema on the Square for the first time, the comedy drama LAGE RAHO MUNNA BHAI, and the outdoor film event would not be complete without sing-alongs – and this year we have two, ENCANTO and the big finale screening of WICKED.

Tickets are now available and there are discounts for seeing two films and for groups of 3 and over.