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Festival coverage

Cheltenham International Film Festival

30 October – 8 November 2026

The 2026 Cheltenham International Film Festival includes a spcific focus on AI, and presents lighthearted family entertainment alongside a dedicated strand on cult films.

The festival runs from 30 October to 8 November.

Other years (6)

Latest reviews

  • La Bola Negra
    Review preview for La Bola Negra

    La Bola Negra was an unfinished work in a life cut short but the film named (variously) for it is extension and tribute and triumph.

    Andrew Robertson · 4.5 out of 5
    Drama exploring the inter-connected lives of three gay men.
  • Elsinore
    Review preview for Elsinore

    Scott’s beacon of light is swallowed up by Stone and Beresford’s heavy-handedness.

    Paul Risker · 3 out of 5
    Account of Ian Charleson’s life, capturing the moment when he faced his own mortality as he prepared to play Hamlet at the Royal National Theatre.
  • The Debut
    Review preview for The Debut

    Eisenberg’s obvious love of amateur dramatics provides The Debut with a foundation that feels akin to a warm hug.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    A shy housewife is unexpectedly cast in a local am-dram original musical. Under the spell of the strong-willed and enigmatic director, she loses herself in the role.
  • Tender Loving Care
    Review preview for Tender Loving Care

    Tender Loving Care is all about the little bits of conversation that make the world a bit more comfy for others.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
    In contemporary London, social workers Amy and Rosie navigate the stressors and joys of life together, be that work, family or messy dating lives.
  • Ink
    Review preview for Ink

    Danny Boyle brings his customary energy to James Graham’s adaptation of his own stage play, which flies along quicker than paper through a printing press.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    Drama charting Rupert Murdoch's acquisition of The Sun newspaper and its upturning of the landscape under editor Larry Lamb in 1969.
  • La Place
    Review preview for La Place

    Violence is always lurking at the edge of the narrative.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    A quarrel over a parking space pulls a couple into an unexpected confrontation with a stranger.
  • Fjord
    Review preview for Fjord

    Mungiu’s eye moves between the juggernaut and the barely visible.

    Edin Custo · 3.5 out of 5
    Mihai and Lisbet Gheorghiu, a devout Romanian Norwegian couple, move from Romania to Norway with their children to be closer to Lisbet’s family. But tension mounts when one of the children arrives at school with bruises.
  • All That's Left Of You
    Review preview for All That's Left Of You

    Dabis controls revelation with discipline, letting meaning accumulate rather than announcing itself, so that what finally emerges feels earned rather than engineered.

    Edin Custo · 4 out of 5
    After a Palestinian teen confronts Israeli soldiers at a West Bank protest, his mother recounts the series of events that led him to that fateful moment, starting with his grandfather’s forced displacement.
  • Brian And Charles
    Review preview for Brian And Charles

    Its droll charm feels in touch with the slow, go-nowhere vibe of the Welsh countryside setting.

    Jeremy Mathews · 3 out of 5
    A story of friendship, love, and letting go. And a 7ft tall robot that eats cabbages. A comedy shot in documentary format.
  • Following
    Review preview for Following

    Shot in handheld black and white with an obviously-low budget, it might seem rough – but what we’re watching is still pure Nolan.

    Stephen Carty · 4 out of 5
    A writer hooks up with a thief in a tale of cross and double-cross.

A–Z of Cheltenham International Film Festival 2026 reviews

Features

  • Care and community
    Mike Leigh and the Tender Loving Care cast on humanity and looking out for one another