Bolton International Film Festival returns with 305 films

Bolton International Film Festival will mark its tenth edition with five days of short films and industry events from Wednesday, 30 September to Sunday, 4 October. Screenings take place at The Light Cinema, Market Place, Bolton, BL1 2AL.

Tickets are available through the festival’s official website, although ticket prices and daily start times have not been published in the supplied event information. The programme is aimed at film enthusiasts as well as emerging filmmakers and established industry professionals.

According to details published by Bolton Council, the anniversary edition will present 305 short films selected from almost 4,000 submissions. The line-up includes 39 world premieres, 22 European premieres and 78 national premieres, with filmmakers from more than 120 countries represented.

Five days of premieres at The Light Cinema

The festival is recognised as a qualifying event for BAFTA, the British Independent Film Awards and the Grierson Awards. Its programme combines work by emerging filmmakers with films from established international directors.

Kathryn Ferguson, director of the Sinéad O’Connor documentary “Nothing Compares”, will appear in the programme with “Nostalgie”. BAFTA-winning director Aneil Karia presents “VOTE GAVIN LYLE”, while Australian filmmaker Nash Edgerton joins the line-up with “Candy Bar”.

The live-action and animated selections feature performers including Jeremy Irons, Liv Tyler, James Cromwell, Maxine Peake, Christopher Eccleston, Rufus Sewell, Siobhan Finneran, Jack Lowden, Aidan Gillen, Ralph Ineson, Sally Phillips, Jason Watkins, Michael Smiley, Mia McKenna-Bruce, Nabhaan Rizwan and Ruth Codd.

More than 25 events for filmmakers

The programme extends beyond public screenings, with more than 25 talks, masterclasses, networking sessions and professional-development events. Documentary filmmaker Marc Isaacs, writer-director Naqqash Khalid and producer Andy Paterson are among the announced contributors.

BAFTA Breakthrough filmmaker Paul Sng will appear in conversation with Mandy Chang, chief executive of the Documentary Film Council and a former commissioning editor of BBC Storyville. A one-to-one filmmaker market and the launch of the North West Producers Forum also form part of the tenth-edition programme.

These sessions give working and aspiring filmmakers a separate reason to attend: the festival is positioning Bolton as a place where projects can be developed and professional connections formed, rather than solely as a screening location.

Film pitches put £16,000 within reach

Funding opportunities are a central part of the anniversary edition. Chris Overton and Rachel Shenton, whose “The Silent Child” won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, return with the £10,000 Slick Films Short Film Fund Pitch. Both filmmakers had work selected for Bolton’s inaugural festival in 2017.

The Northern Doc Pitch will also come to the festival for the first time. It offers two awards of £3,000 to documentary filmmakers from across the North. Combined with the Slick Films fund, the pitch initiatives make £16,000 available during the festival.

Previous Slick Films recipient Jordon Scott Kennedy developed “Rocket Fuel” after winning the fund at Bolton; the completed film later received a 2026 BAFTA Television Award nomination. Festival director Adrian Barber said the event’s purpose is to discover talent early and create opportunities that continue beyond the screenings.

Booking details before attending

The confirmed venue is The Light Cinema in Market Place, Bolton, and the festival runs from 30 September through 4 October. Visitors should consult the official Bolton International Film Festival website for the full programme, individual events and tickets. Prices, screening times, transport guidance and accessibility arrangements are not specified in the supplied announcement, so these details should be checked before booking or travelling.

Source: Bolton Council News