Bournemouth's film calendar has a busy weekend coming up. The Bournemouth International Film Festival (BIFF) returns on Friday 9 and Saturday 10 October, and this year it comes with a clear theme: 'Social Realism — Real Stories. Real Cinema', with the programme built around films rooted in community, work, identity and a sense of belonging. It is a compact two-day event, so it is worth knowing what is on before you commit.
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The line-up is broad. You will find British and international feature films, short films, documentaries and animation, plus industry panels, workshops, networking events, Q&As and script competitions. Among the titles to look out for are 'The Hustler' (Moscow, 1996), 'Miss Jobson', about Bob Marley's lawyer Diane Jobson, 'Memory Is A Wonderful Thing', an animated documentary on veterans, an exclusive UK screening of the Jonah Lomu documentary, 'This Is Your Captain Speaking', which takes in aeronautics research, and 'The Banjo Boys', following Malawian street musicians. A special screening of 'Kes' was shown at the launch party, which gave the programme an early nod.
One thing to flag before you book: all screenings are 16+, and the awards night is strictly 18+, so it is not a weekend for the younger crowd. The sessions run from roughly 10:30am to 9:30pm on the Friday and 10:30am to 11:30pm on the Saturday, and the whole thing builds to the BIFF Black Tie Awards Night and after-party.
Tickets are tiered depending on how much you want to see. A Day Pass is £24.99 and covers screenings and events from roughly 10:30am to 9:30pm on the Friday and 10:30am to 11:30pm on the Saturday. The Day Tripper, also £24.99, gives you at least five feature films, the short film showcase, documentaries, animation, live panels, workshops and debates. The Screen Fiend pass is £44.99 for all public screenings across both days, a limited-edition BIFF bag and a two-day pass that includes workshops and panels. At the top end, All Access is £75.00 for both days, the after-parties, a table at the Black Tie Awards Night, a BIFF bag with gifts and your name listed as a Patron in the official programme. You can book through Eventzilla.
The main venue is the Hilton Bournemouth on Terrace Road, a contemporary hotel built and renovated in 2015 with 177 guest rooms and seven meeting rooms. The festival is run by a registered Community Interest Company, a non-profit set up in 2025 that puts all its proceeds back into bursaries, training, education and community-led cultural initiatives. The team is led by festival director Steve McCarten, with Cherene Bracegirdle-Smith as head of programming and strategic relations, and the actor Christopher Eccleston has been named patron. Senior judges on the scripts and films include Dominika Scott-Jones, Stephanie Horsman, Alice D. Cooper and Kathryn Carmichael. If you want to support the cause beyond a ticket, donations can be made via easyfundraising, which covers more than 8,000 merchants including eBay, Argos, John Lewis & Partners, ASOS, Booking.com and M&S. It is a small festival with a big heart, and a good one to drop into if you fancy a couple of days of cinema without leaving town.
Published Date
29 September 2026
