Film

The Brighton International Animation Festival is set to take place for the fifth year running on Friday 24th, Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th April 2026. The festival is one of only 4 BAFTA qualifying animation festivals in the UK, putting Brighton on the map for animation! The festival is a fantastic celebration of contemporary animation, this year is expanding to Brighton’s iconic Brighton Dome venue. 2026 introduces new programme You’ve Got to Laugh and a VR Hub for the first time, allowing participants to experience animation in an interactive 360 setting. Other film programmes include New Generation the best of new grad talent and an annual LGBTQ+ programme, Brighton International Animation Festival being the only animation festival in the UK that encompasses queer themes. It is also the only UK festival to host an Augmented Reality exhibition alongside the programme - this year the theme is Revolution so expect to see a whole array of characters brought to life on the walls of Brighton Dome! All films are captioned with BSL interpreters at all screening events, making it fully accessible for deaf & hard of hearing.

Sama International Film Festival Brighton | New event during Refugee Week 2026 celebrates freedom of expression and displaced and underrepresented filmmakers 15th June at Lewes Depot 17:30 - 20:00 - "Sima's Song" 16th June at Pink Moon 19:00 - 22:00 "Short Film Night" 17th June at The Rose Hill 19:00 - 22:00 "Champions of the Golden Valley" 18th June at Duke's at Komedia 19:00 - 22:00 "My Childhood, My Country" 19th June at Fabrica 18:00 - 22:00 "Bauryna Salu" The Sama Brighton Film Festival is coming to venues across Brighton and Lewes from June 15-19. This is a first UK outing for the Sama International Film Festival which has taken place in Stockholm for the last 17 years, celebrating freedom of expression and providing a platform for underrepresented filmmakers and those living in exile. Sama Brighton will provide a rare opportunity to see feature, documentary and short films from Afghanistan, Iran and Kazakhstan. The festival is named after the Sufi spiritual practice of sama - deep listening and attentive presence as a path towards understanding. In the words of festival co-producer Sanjar Qiam: “We want Sama to be a space for Brightonians to encounter films and conversations that engage with […]