Encounters Film Festival has unveiled the programme for its 31st edition, bringing 140 films, 18 world premieres and a major spotlight on breakthrough talent to the city from 23 to 27 September 2026.
Leading the charge is the UK premiere of Paper Plane, the directorial and screenwriting debut of Academy Award-nominated actor Saoirse Ronan. Also making its English premiere is Mission, directed by Paul Wright and produced by Bristol’s independent film and motion picture production company Early Day Films, with Wright and actor Rosy McEwen set to attend.
Encounters executive director Dave Taylor-Matthews shared, “This year’s programme is the clearest expression yet of what Encounters is. The UK’s longest running international short film competition sits at the heart of the festival, and around it we’re building a festival of breakthrough and discovery in every form, from a pulsating live performance reimagining last year’s phenomenal Cannes breakthrough Sirāt, to new partnerships with Crack, Mubi, Invada and Warp Records, to the creators redefining how films get made and seen, from a 360 dome screening to a nano budget British feature that stormed SXSW. With a strengthened board behind us and half this year’s programme never before seen in the UK, if you want to see where cinema is heading, Bristol in September is the place to be.”
The programme also includes UK premieres from heavyweight filmmakers Joshua Oppenheimer (The Revolution Against Death), Bill Morrison (Sawyer Avenue, Sunday Afternoon) and Jérémy Comte (Brute). Of the 140 films selected, 18 are world premieres, eight international premieres, one European premiere and 43 UK premieres, meaning half the programme will be entirely new to UK audiences. Opening night, meanwhile, goes full circle with a special 360-degree dome screening at We The Curious’ planetarium.
Animation gets a particularly muscular showing this year, with 45 animated films competing for the Animated Encounters Grand Prix award, including two world premieres and 13 UK premieres.
The Animated Encounters strand returns with a showcase from cult US network Adult Swim, anchoring a day of talks, workshops and masterclasses exploring storytelling and the changing craft of animation.
Lucy Stone, founder and executive director of Climate Spring, opens the strand with a keynote, followed by a visual storytelling masterclass from Wes Anderson’s lead storyboard artist Jay Clarke. The animation line-up includes Anna Mantzaris’ Please, Theodore Ushev’s Life with an Idiot, Anna Ginsburg’s Hag, Emma Calder and Coco Cripps’ House of Love, and Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski’s The Girl Who Cried Pearls.
Documentary titles include Maryam Tafakory’s Daria’s Night Flowers and Elham Ehsas’ Forgotten Spaceman, while viral filmmaker Wesley Wang brings the international festival premiere of Violet and Marlowe Rob a Bank. BFI Network South West will also showcase its latest cohort of regional animation writers.
Collaborations with Animinspo and Bristol Animation Meetup (BAM) add further weight to the day. Aardman will also bring its new Shaun the Sheep film, The Beast of Mossy Bottom, for a special screening introduced by Bafta -winning producer Richard Beek. Blue Zoo co-founder Tom Box will present the studio’s new manifesto for healthier, child-focused screen content.
The Industry Programme, running from 23 to 25 September across watershed and partner venues, will bring together filmmakers, producers, commissioners and executives for talks, masterclasses and sector-focused discussions.
Among the speakers are Bafta -winning casting director Isabella Odoffin, who will unpack her creative process; the Documentary Film Council CEO Mandy Chang, who will discuss the future of UK documentary; and Academy Award winner Aneil Karia, who joins Bafta -winning writer-director Nida Manzoor to reflect on his journey from shorts to features and high-end television.
The TV production company Bad Wolf will explore talent development and high-end TV production, while Bristol VFX studio Lux Aeterna breaks down the making of its sci-fi short Reno.
The festival will also spotlight the nano‑budget, audience‑first filmmaking with Peril at Pincer Point. This feature premiered at SXSW before travelling to major international film festivals, including Fantasia, Edinburgh, and FrightFest. Its young creators will discuss how they made the film outside the traditional funding system.
Future-facing sessions will tackle vertical drama, creator-to-filmmaker pathways and changing distribution models, featuring Jen Cooper, Marina Elderton, Noel Goodwin, Wesley Wang, David Levy and Haz.
Music, naturally, is also in the mix. Oliver Laxe will appear in conversation alongside the UK premiere of Sirāt Live, created with Kangding Ray as part of an independent, UK-based publication and a global curated film streaming platform and distributor- Crack Magazine and Mubi’s underscore series. Kangding Ray will also join Bristol musician Geoff Barrow for a conversation on electronic music and cinema.
Steven T. Hanley will curate warp records music videos for the megascreen, while Wake The Tiger, an amasement park will host a late-night party with special guest artists still under wraps.
Encounters is also expanding its global footprint. In partnership with the British Council and Unesco City of Film, the festival will connect Bristol and Quezon City through a creative exchange between the UK and the Philippines. London Film School’s 70th anniversary will also be celebrated.
New for 2026 is screenPlay, a youth-focused strand promoting positive screen experiences across gaming, filmmaking, animation and digital creativity.
Supported by BFI Film Audience Network, the University of Bristol, UWE Bristol, Eventive, Mubi, the British Council and Aardman Animations, the festival takes over Watershed, Prospect Building, We The Curious and Wake The Tiger from 23 to 27 September. At 31, Encounters is not slowing down. If anything, it is pressing play on what comes next.
