THE Birkenhead International Film Festival returns this October with a season of science fiction films. 

All of the films included in the festival are short films by independent filmmakers from across the globe with the final selection to be chosen on October 11.

A spokesperson for the festival said: "From our core voluntary BIFF team at Convenience, we saw a lot of love and passion for sci-fi, and we wanted to help create a platform for this through the festival.

"With our previous years' festivals presenting animation and horror, we are very excited to present science fiction.

"It’s a genre steeped in history, thought to date back in literary works as far back as 2000 BCE, before it became much more prevalent in the 17th , 18th and 19th century literature following the scientific revolution.

"We now see this as a staple of written and visual works, and see it regularly on our screens on television to cinema. Science fiction has massively influenced pop culture through both utopian and dystopian presentation and we’re excited to see and share what this batch of filmmakers showcase during the festival.

"As always our festival is free to attend but if you can, please donate. BIFF is an unfunded project at Convenience Gallery and any support goes a long way to continue the work we do.

This year's festival will take place at Pilgrim Street Arts Centre in Birkenhead. Convenience Gallery will be running a bar subject to licence agreement and will be serving popcorn, sweets, and crisps too.

Families are invited to attend the event, and any films where viewer discretion is advised a warning will be given. Please can anyone under 14 please be accompanied by an adult.

You can register for tickets here: eventbrite.com/e/428477897927