Bath Film Festival has unveiled the first part of its 2026 programme, with films paired with everything from football and roller skating to food, live music and a nightclub-style afterparty.
Returning from 16-25 October for its 36th edition, the festival will bring ten days of cinema, events and creative opportunities to venues across Bath.
Its newly announced Beyond the Screen programme aims to take films outside the traditional cinema experience, combining screenings with some of the city’s best-known venues, community organisations, food, music, sport and live performance.
Among the highlights is Bend It Like Beckham at Bath City Football Club, accompanied by a new short documentary celebrating Bath City Women’s Team and a post-screening discussion.
Whip It will see Bath Roller Derby join the festival for demonstrations and skating before a post-film roller disco, while Polite Society explores martial arts, family, friendship and British South Asian identity.
The three events form part of Rebel Moves, a new festival strand supported by the BFI Film Audience Network’s Rip It Up Fund, celebrating youth, identity and self-expression through film, sport and community.
Food lovers can take part in Supper Club: Tampopo, created with Bath Community Kitchen. The evening starts with a welcome drink and film-inspired canapés before a screening of Jûzô Itami’s Japanese comedy, followed by a shared vegetarian ramen supper inspired by the film.
The Holburne Museum’s Picture Gallery will provide the setting for a centenary screening of Buster Keaton’s silent comedy The General, complete with live piano accompaniment from silent film musician Dominic Irving.
Music and nightlife take centre stage with Human Traffic at Roseberry Road Studios, presented in partnership with Leap & Dance. Following the screening, audiences can stay for a DJ-led afterparty celebrating the soundtrack and club culture of the British film.
There will also be a suitably atmospheric setting for a special 60th anniversary screening of Carry On Screaming, presented by Reel Life Monsters and Project the Dolls in the Servants’ Quarters at No.1 Royal Crescent. A panel discussion will follow exploring British horror-comedy, 1960s camp and the Carry On series.
Festival Director Jasmine Barker said, “Beyond the Screen is exactly what it says: we want to take you beyond the traditional cinema experience and find new ways to bring the films to life.
“We’re working with some brilliant organisations across Bath to build on what’s happening on screen, whether that’s through food, music, sport or something completely unexpected. I love that we can experiment with the festival and try things that you wouldn’t normally get from a trip to the cinema.”
Alongside the public programme, Behind the Lens will focus on filmmakers and emerging creatives, with networking, career development opportunities, the IMDb Awards, Industry Day and the South West Shorts Showcase.
New Festival Passes and Industry Passes have also been launched for 2026. The Festival Pass includes seven cinema screenings, including Opening and Closing Night, an exclusive festival tote bag and priority booking, while the Industry Pass provides access to filmmaking events and standby entry to cinema screenings.
Many events will be available through Bath Film Festival’s Flexible Pricing scheme.
The full Bath Film Festival 2026 cinema programme will be announced on 7 September, including exclusive previews, international features, documentaries, filmmaker Q&As and special guests.
Bath Film Festival runs from 16-25 October 2026 at venues across the city. Tickets for Beyond the Screen and Behind the Lens events, together with Festival and Industry Passes, are on sale now at www.filmbath.org.uk.
