Bournemouth International Film Festival (BIFF), supported by local lead commercial partner Not Just Travel, will welcome film fans and filmmakers from around the world to Hilton Bournemouth on Friday 9th and Saturday 10th October 2026. More than 60 films will compete at the festival, selected by BIFF’s judging panel from over 300 entries, with the winners announced at a black-tie awards ceremony on Saturday evening. Alongside the screenings, attendees can take part in workshops and networking sessions. Special presentations include an exclusive pre-release screening of the perimenopausal comedy Hot Flash and the final UK screening of LOMU, a sports documentary about Jonah Lomu produced by Bournemouth-based Sylver Entertainment.
What: Bournemouth International Film Festival
Where: Hilton Hotel, Terrace Road, Bournemouth
When: Friday 9th and Saturday 10th October
Tickets: https://bit.ly/4gYPYgu
Info: bournemouthfilmfest.co.uk
Festival highlights include:
- ‘The Hustler’, the festival’s opening film, is a dark comedy-drama about a wealthy Russian banker whose deal becomes entangled in a large-scale scheme to embezzle billions from the state treasury. It screens on Friday 9th October at 11.15 am.
- The festival will premiere Miss Jobson, a documentary about Diane Jobson, the civil rights lawyer who represented Bob Marley. Jobson dedicated her career to defending Jamaica’s poorest communities and became known as the island’s beloved ‘Rasta lawyer’. It screens on Friday 9th October at 1.30 pm.
- LOMU, a theatrical documentary about the late All Blacks rugby legend Jonah Lomu, receives its final UK screening before arriving on digital platforms later in October. The film was created by Bournemouth-based production company Sylver Entertainment and screens on Friday 9th October at 5.30 pm.
- BIFF will present an exclusive pre-release screening of the out-of-competition film Hot Flash. The comedy follows Geri as she pursues her lifelong dream of becoming an entrepreneur after losing her job, while navigating severe menopause symptoms and imposter syndrome. It screens on Saturday 10th October at 3.30 pm.
- Created by local director Johan Nayar, The Banjo Boys follows two Malawian street musicians who build their own instruments and busk their way from Lilongwe to Glastonbury. It screens on Friday 9th October at 7.30 pm.
- Local historical drama producer Nicole Sarah Fry returns to BIFF with three film entries, following the four awards won by her film The Lace at last year’s festival.
- Talks include ‘How to Get an Agent’, presented by James Little on Friday at 11.15 am; a fireside conversation with renowned stunt performer Paul Weston, whose credits include James Bond films; a session on using AI in filmmaking with Clare Cahill and Fiona Bavinton from Arts University Bournemouth; advice on earning a living as a screenwriter from local film directors Tim Clague and Danny Stack; and a live pitch competition judged by a panel in association with MySMASH Media.
On Saturday 10th October at 1.30 pm, Oli Tridgell, series director of Made in Chelsea and The Real Housewives of London, will sit down for an intimate fireside chat, offering audiences a rare look behind the scenes of structured reality television: how the stories are shaped, how the cast is handled, and what it takes to keep millions of viewers coming back.
- A selection of National Film & Television School graduate films, followed up with a Q&A with Paul Carey and Jason Hogan. Paul Carey is an award-winning screenwriter and MA graduate of the National Film and Television School. His credits include writing episodes on two series of ITV’s BAFTA-nominated sitcom G’Wed and working in writers’ rooms for series such as BBC’s Video Nasty and Netflix’s How to Get to Heaven From Belfast. Currently, he is writing an original 6-part radio comedy series for BBC Radio Ulster. Jason Hogan is a writer and director and a graduate of the National Film and Television School. Drawing on his own working-class background, his films explore family, belonging and ambition with warmth and humanity. His shorts have screened internationally and won numerous awards, and he was a finalist at the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards.
Tickets are available at https://bit.ly/4gYPYgu, ranging from £7.50 for a screening of the new film, Hot Flash; to Day Tripper tickets at £24.99; or all-access VIP tickets at £75, which include access to both festival days, a table seat at the Black Tie Awards Night and entry to the after-parties.
Bournemouth-based festival director Steve McCarten said: “We’re delighted to present more than 60 shortlisted films, including the premiere of a documentary about civil rights lawyer Diane Jobson and exciting work from talented local directors. The standard of submissions has been exceptional this year, making the judging process especially challenging across the documentary, animation and short film categories. I can’t wait to share this remarkable talent with audiences – film fans are in for an absolute treat!”
Steve Witt, co-founder of Not Just Travel, said: “Not Just Travel started 25 years ago from a simple idea and so we know what it takes to build something from scratch. Steve McCarten has done exactly that with the Bournemouth International Film Festival. It’s only its second year, and it is already bringing international film to our doorstep. We’re backing the festival to support the town’s creative ambition and help put it on the map.”
