Bolton International Film Festival
@boltonfilmfestival.com
Open for submissions on FilmFreeway - next edition Wed 30th Sept - Sun 4th Oct 2026 - Patron Maxine Peake. BIFA & BAFTA qualifying short film festival
Fantasma by Mikey Slavich Set in the fleeting twilight before its day. Inviting both legend and future generation. Within the silent desert... #BoltonFilmFest #BoltonFilmFestival #BFF2026 #BookNow #FilmFestival #ThingsToDo #VisitBolton #CinemaLovers #ShortFilms #Dance #Music #CultureinMotion
Deaf Jams: Dance With Me by Bim Ajadi Dancer and actress Raffie Julien becomes the mentor she never had! She's guiding an 11-year-old dancer struggling with her deaf identity at school, proving that what makes you different makes you unstoppable on stage and beyond. #BoltonFilmFest #BFF2026
Bleat! by Ananth Subramaniam Torn between faith and the expectations of their community, an elderly Malaysian-Tamil couple struggle to decide whether to slaughter their male goat or face the wrath of the gods. #BoltonFilmFest #BoltonFilmFestival #BFF2026 #BookNow #FilmFestival #ShortFilms
Rainy Day by Jack Hartley Small-time crook Victor Varnavas thinks he’s struck gold when kindly Beryl Cooke invites him into her home, until he discovers he can’t have his cake and eat it too. #BoltonFilmFest #BoltonFilmFestival #BFF2026 #BookNow #FilmFestival #ShortFilms #Shorts #UK #UKShorts
Eye Jam by Julia Jolliffe Trapped in a self-destructive cycle on a far away planet, a lonely creature offers up pieces of itself in a desperate plea for acceptance. #BoltonFilmFest #BoltonFilmFestival #BFF2026 #BookNow #FilmFestival #ShortFilms #Shorts #UK #UKShorts #Animation
Nio Gånger Bättre by Lorenzo Follari, Emma Dock Venus has lost hope in love and decided never to fall in love again. But when a stranger knocks on her door, she immediately forgets her vows and gets caught in a whirlwind of love, sex, and passion... until she is disappointed. Again.
Binderella by Edie Barnabas While we worry about the cost of living, a community prays to their Goddess of the Bins, Binderella, for food sovereignty and a fully intact trifle. #BoltonFilmFest #BoltonFilmFestival #BFF2026 #BookNow #FilmFestival #ShortFilms #Shorts #UK #UKShorts #Documentary
Agnes by Leah Vlemmiks Under pressure from her adult daughter to move and become a live-in babysitter, Agnes finds agency in an unexpected place. #BoltonFilmFest #BoltonFilmFestival #BFF2026 #BookNow #FilmFestival #ThingsToDo #VisitBolton #CinemaLovers #ShortFilms #Shorts #UK #UKShorts
How to Wash a Body, How to Cleanse a Soul by Luke Bather The first time Jack ever sees Richard, his biological Dad, is two hours before Richard's funeral. When Richard's lifeless body starts talking back to him, Jack realises he's got a second chance at a first meeting.
As one of the UK's BAFTA & BIFA Qualifying festivals, we've welcomed future Academy Award winners, first-time directors and some of the most exciting voices working in cinema today. Who will you discover this year? 📅 Wed 30 Sept – Sun 4 Oct 2026 📍 The Light Cinema, Market Place, Bolton BL1 2AR
Muses by Simon Vermeulen A dancer struggles to break free from the hold of his choreographer now attracted to another. #BoltonFilmFest #BoltonFilmFestival #BFF2026 #BookNow #FilmFestival #ThingsToDo #VisitBolton #CinemaLovers #ShortFilms #Shorts #Dance
Occupied by Mike Cochran A young man is forced to confront his greatest fear while trying to support his family after his grandfather's funeral. #BoltonFilmFest #BoltonFilmFestival #BFF2026 #BookNow #FilmFestival #ThingsToDo #VisitBolton #CinemaLovers #ShortFilms #Shorts #UK #UKShorts
Vote Gavin Lyle by Aneil Karia Told through a series of intimate, observational vignettes, it follows Gavin over the course of a single day, exploring nationalism, masculinity and the quiet absurdities of modern British life. #BoltonFilmFest #BoltonFilmFestival #BFF2026 #FilmFestival #UKShorts
Geronto by Mark Pluck Over the course of one night in London, an unexpected encounter between two men from different generations unfolds into something intimate, fragile and uncertain. #BoltonFilmFest #BoltonFilmFestival #BFF2026 #BookNow #FilmFestival #ShortFilms #UKShorts #LGBTQIA+
Remember That Time by Sophia Rose Seymour In an unprecedented cinematic experiment, five strangers, led by an enigmatic facilitator enter a Nordic LARP (Live Action Role Play), about grief, love, and loss, where the line between performance and reality begins to dissolve. #BoltonFilmFest #BFF2026
Gaffer by Will Dennies An amateur football manager’s pre-game preparations are thrown into disarray when his star player disappears in the run up to a crucial match. #BoltonFilmFest #BoltonFilmFestival #BFF2026 #BookNow #FilmFestival #ShortFilms #Shorts #UK #UKShorts
Superposition by Adora Wang The concept of superposition - where particles exist in multiple states until observed - is transformed into the language of interactive fashion and wearable technology. #BoltonFilmFest #BoltonFilmFestival #BFF2026 #BookNow #FilmFestival #ShortFilms #Music #Fashion
Small Hours by Oscar Wyndham Lewis Struggling with alcohol addiction and mental illness, a once-proud artist (Robert Bathurst) reaches out to an old friend. #BoltonFilmFest #BoltonFilmFestival #BFF2026 #BookNow #FilmFestival #ThingsToDo #VisitBolton #CinemaLovers #ShortFilms #Shorts #Animation
When The Tide Comes by Fêt-Nat Bailly On a quiet summer morning, an old sand creature is enjoying the peace of the endless dunes he calls home. That peace doesn’t last long though, as a noisy flock of seagulls drops its lunch right on his lap: a helpless baby sea turtle. #BFF2026 #FamilyFriendly
Amaretti by Stacy Martin When septuagenarian Lenny's reality is devastated by the discovery of a prolonged, pernicious crime committed against her by her own son, an unexpected connection helps her to begin a journey towards re-forging her fractured identity. #BoltonFilmFest #BFF2026 #UKShorts
Whether you're building a career in film or simply fascinated by the creative process, there's plenty to discover. 📅 Wed 30 Sept – Sun 4 Oct 2026 📍 The Light Cinema, Market Place, Bolton BL1 2AR 🎟 Tickets on sale now.
Eye of the Game by Ramas McRae Born profoundly Deaf, an Australian Rules footballer defies expectations by playing in an all hearing team, striving to break out of the reserves and claim a position in the seniors. #BoltonFilmFest #BoltonFilmFestival #BFF2026 #ShortFilms #dDeafAudience
The Flesh Dress by Joachim Hérissé John, an old nostalgic taylor, makes his wife work on dresses out of fashion. A macabre event inspires the designer a new dress gorgeous but freaky… #BoltonFilmFest #BoltonFilmFestival #BFF2026 #BookNow #FilmFestival #ShortFilms #Animation
Pale Sun by Adrian Moyse Dullin, Jawahine Zentar On a beach in summer, 12-year-old Abel is ashamed of his father’s body, marked by cancer. #BoltonFilmFest #BoltonFilmFestival #BFF2026 #BookNow #FilmFestival #ThingsToDo #VisitBolton #CinemaLovers #ShortFilms #InternationalShorts #International
Strange Teen Spirit by Frank Ternier Anton observes. Alone. A phosphorescent glow flickers through the streets. Kata and his gang are running, laughing, spray-painting. Anton watches them, especially her. He dreams of joining them. #BoltonFilmFest #BFF2026 #Animation
The Cowgirl by Chris Lewort A two-minute fable about a quietly determined girl and the rather troublesome cloud that shadows her. #BoltonFilmFest #BoltonFilmFestival #BFF2026 #BookNow #FilmFestival #ThingsToDo #VisitBolton #CinemaLovers #ShortFilms #FamilyFriendly
Il Cervo Verde by Jude Ellis Rogers A deer and an opera singer are plunged into an absurd life swapping story in a nonsensical operatic performance. Can they adapt to each other’s worlds, or will they end up with stage fright? #BoltonFilmFest #BoltonFilmFestival #BFF2026 #BookNow
