London Breeze Film Festival

London Breeze bills itself as “a breath of fresh air on the international film festival circuit”, and describes what it does as “showcasing emerging filmmakers and award-winning films from the UK and around the world”. It started life in 2016 as the Barnes Film Festival, took the London Breeze name as it spread across the city, and won BIFA qualifying status in 2021 — so its award winners become eligible for the British Independent Film Awards.

The eleventh edition runs from 21 to 25 October 2026. It opens with a gala screening and reception at the Regent Street Cinema, spends its middle weekend at The Garden Cinema in Covent Garden, and closes with the awards at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith. The festival moves house from year to year rather than keeping a home screen: recent editions have also taken in the Olympic in Barnes, All is Joy in Soho, the Phoenix in East Finchley and the Cinema in the Power Station at Battersea.

A good part of the programme is not a screening at all. Industry roundtables, a festival marketplace and a networking session sit alongside the premieres, which is of a piece with a festival whose stated purpose is “nurturing the next generation of filmmakers – striving to engage with communities and young people to inspire creativity and confidence”: there are competitions for filmmakers under 25, year-round panels on women and LGBTQ+ filmmakers, and work with community organisations. Alongside the London screenings, Breeze Online streams a curated selection of the programme for a fortnight, so the festival carries on after the cinemas have gone dark.