This year’s celebration of film saw record crowds with the most successful edition in 12 years
The twelfth edition of Manchester Film Festival came to a close over the weekend (Sunday 29 March), following 10 days of film showcases (52 feature films, including 9 UK premieres and 8 world premieres) at high profile cultural venues across the city.
Screenings took place across more venues than ever before, including HOME, Odeon Great Northern, Northern Light Cinema, Aviva Studios and Flix at the Treehouse Hotel Manchester, reflecting the continued growth and expanding reach of the festival. This year’s festival's lead partner was CUPRA City Garage, with further support from FILMD, Met Film School and Screen Manchester.
An award ceremony, which took place on Saturday 28 March, celebrated some of the best emerging talent in the world of cinema.
LIFEHACK, directed by Ronan Corrigan, took home the prestigious Golden Bee, while LITTERMATES, directed by Scott Tinkham and Michael Woloson, earned the Special Jury Prize. MISPER, directed by Harry Sherriff, won Best UK Feature, and SOPHIA, directed by Dhafer L'Abidine, claimed Best Director. Best Actress went to Nell Weik-Clark for MUTT CAT, with Best Actor awarded to Thomas Turgoose for SYNTHESIZED. See the full list of winners below.
This year’s festival saw a record-breaking milestone in audience attendance, with over 10,000 ticket sales, seeing pass sales doubling year-on-year.
Neil Jeram-Croft, Manchester Film Festival Director, said: “This has been our most successful edition yet and one we're incredibly proud of. Surpassing 10,000 ticket sales for the first time, opening with Kit Harington's world premiere and celebrating so many brilliant films and filmmakers has been a real highlight. The growth in our industry programme and the 30% rise in accreditations is further proof that Manchester is becoming a genuine destination for both film professionals and audiences alike."
In addition to stellar films, the festival also hosted a strong industry programme of inspiring talks and panel discussions from some of the film industry's most influential voices. These sessions provided invaluable insights for aspiring filmmakers and industry professionals alike. The appetite for the industry programme was reflected in a 30% rise in accreditations from 2025 - a testament to the festival's growing reputation as a must-attend destination for film professionals across the UK.
Full List of 2026 Winners
- Golden Bee - Feature - Lifehack
- Golden Bee - Short - Inflicted Kindness
- Special Jury Prize - Feature - LitterMates
- Special Jury Prize - Short - Uncle Artoo
- Best UK Feature - Misper
- Best Documentary Feature - The Oldham And The Sea
- Best International Feature - Maricel
- Best UK Short - The Truth About Space
- Best International Short - Whim Rules The Child And Weather The Field
- Best North West Short - Squeaky Bum
- Best Student Film - Earth
- Best Documentary Short - Something In The Air
- Best Animation - Yugen
- Best Experimental - I Hate Jack
- Best Music Video - Blue For You
- Best Director - Feature -Dhafer L’Abidine (Sophia)
- Best Director - Short - Dan Sloan (Good Behaviour)
- Best Actor - Feature - Thomas Turgoose (Synthesized)
- Best Actor - Short - William Fox (Don’t Worry About Me)
- Best Actress - Feature - Nell Weik-Clark (Mutt Cat)
- Best Actress - Short - Caron Henthorn (Jackie is Lost)
- Best Cinematography - Feature - Aphrodite
- Best Cinematography - Short - Largo
- Met Film Rising Star - Matthew Eyre (Safe Space)
- Screenplay Competition Winner - Kathryn Robinson (Stationery)
- Audience Award - Feature - Chatlines
- Audience Award - Short - From Sidney With Love
Get the latest news to your inbox
Get the latest food & drink news and exclusive offers by email by signing up to our mailing list. This is one of the ways that Confidentials remains free to our readers and by signing up you help support our high quality, impartial and knowledgable writers. Thank you!
Join our WhatsApp group
You can also get regular updates on news, exclusives and offers by joining the Manchester Confidential WhatsApp group.
