Ealing Film Festival is returning for its seventh year next month, with four days of independent films, talks and events at ActOne Cinema and Ealing Picturehouse.
Running from 15 to 18 October 2026, this year’s festival includes a Q&A with Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker and a masterclass from Emmy Award-winning cinematographer Michael Pitts.
The festival was founded in 2020 by Annemarie Flanagan, Alan Granley and the late Peter Gould. Organisers received 313 entries from 20 countries for this year’s event.
It opens at ActOne Cinema in Acton on Thursday 15 October with 17 films in its Homegrown programme, including work by at least seven directors from Ealing.
They include Marios Hamboulides with Mr Vertigo, Charlotte Peters with To Fly or Float and Oscar Tracey with the science-fiction student short Clarity/Peter.
Also representing Ealing are Richard Elson with Pawen, Xavier Grehan with A Night at Morgrave Manor, Ainhoa Garbalena with Two Creatures and Dhillon Shukla with Run Outs.
Peters and Shukla were among three Homegrown filmmakers invited to meet Prince William during his recent visit to ActOne Cinema, when the festival trailer was also shown.
The third was Theodore K Emile Rodney Chaa Ustaoglu, director of At This Moment, It’s Us, who lives outside the borough.
After its opening night in Acton, the festival continues at Ealing Picturehouse. Friday’s (16 October 2026) programme includes a Film Schools Showcase and an Influencing Your Film panel with Lucas Pelizaro, Amber Doig-Thorne and Jack Howard.
A Women in Film and Television panel, hosted by television presenter and writer Sharon Marshall, takes place on Saturday alongside four blocks of film screenings.
Charlie Brooker will appear later that day for a Q&A hosted by Andrew Sumner, followed by the festival’s awards ceremony.
On Sunday (17 October 2026), audiences can see the winning films before Michael Pitts, known for his natural history and underwater cinematography and his work with Sir David Attenborough, gives a masterclass.
Two new awards have been introduced this year. Short Cuts is for films of around three minutes or less, while a Best British Film award will recognise work reflecting modern Britain.
Ealing Film Festival director and co-founder Annemarie Flanagan said: “We had an amazing response this year, receiving 313 entries from 20 countries. The overall quality was significantly higher than in previous years, making the selection process both exciting and extremely challenging.
“Reaching our seventh year is an important milestone for the Ealing Film Festival. We are proud to provide a platform where filmmakers can share their work, meet audiences and build valuable connections within the industry.”
