The opening film of the 26th Belfast Film Festival starts out on the city’s streets: in Lost City, a boxer played by Martin McCann is drawn back into Belfast’s criminal underworld. The closing film changes setting. It follows five childhood friends in Birmingham, as the housing crisis disrupts their adult lives. From one film to the next, the festival demonstrates what it does best: starting with stories rooted in a city and setting them against other ways of filming urban life.
The Belfast Film Festival brings feature films, documentaries and short films to several parts of Belfast. The Queen’s Film Theatre, in the university area, and the Black Box, in the Cathedral Quarter, provide two good entry points to the programme. The Irish short-film screenings offer the chance to discover several filmmakers at once; the NI Independents section is a useful place to start if you are primarily looking for films made in Northern Ireland.
The 26th edition runs from 29 October to 7 November 2026. The festival opened with the world premiere of Lost City, Seán Murray’s first fiction feature, having already made his name with the documentary Unquiet Graves. On closing Saturday, the Cineworld at the Odyssey hosts the Irish premiere of I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning. Clio Barnard adapts a novel by Keiron Goddard from a screenplay by Enda Walsh, with Belfast actors Lola Petticrew and Anthony Boyle among the cast.
The same Saturday, the Queen’s Film Theatre screens All of a Sudden by Ryūsuke Hamaguchi, starring Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto. Later, the same venue hosts Rose, led by Sandra Hüller. These two screenings offer another way to round off the festival. If you are planning to attend the closing event at the Odyssey, check the running times and route before adding a second screening: the Queen’s Film Theatre and the Cineworld are not in the same part of the city.
The official programme lists screenings by day. For a short stay, choose one screening you particularly want to see, then look at what is showing in the same venue. For international films, check the stated language and subtitles: an original-language screening does not guarantee French subtitles.
The accessibility guide identifies screenings with audio description, adapted subtitles or relaxed sensory conditions. The organiser advises contacting the box office before booking a companion ticket or if you require an accessible seat. For the closing event, the Cineworld is at Odyssey Place, on Queen’s Quay, on the first floor, accessible by lift.
Essential information to help you plan your visit, including key landmarks, access information, and booking options.
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