Chester International Film Festival (CIFF) is returning to Storyhouse this spring with a hotly anticipated selection of movies and shorts from across the world.
The 2026 festival takes place from Friday 13 – Sunday 22 March 2026 and tickets are on sale now, with movie buffs offered savings if they book two or more events at the same time.
The annual festival, now in its 39th year, is a partnership between Storyhouse, Chester Film Society and the University of Chester, and has been held at the Hunter Street cultural centre since 2018.
It aims to celebrate the very best in contemporary independent cinema from across the globe, with film fans promised a wide range of fantastic screen outings from countries including Italy, Japan, North Macedonia and Brazil as well as the United Kingdom.
The event includes a hand-picked selection of international film previews, locally curated short film programmes and expert guest speakers.
The CIFF Official Selection brings together 14 preview screenings which are in competition for a special Audience Award which will be announced at the end of the festival. Some screenings will be introduced by a guest speaker from the University of Chester.
There will also be two films with post-screening Q&A sessions, a Short Film Programme, Chester Animation Festival, Northern Exposure – a selection of the best short films from the North of England, a Student Showcase and a pair of Festival Classics.
The festival officially opens on Friday 13 March with a drink’s reception and a screening of DJ Ahmet. The film is a crowd-pleasing comedy set in North Macedonia, it concerns a 15-year-old boy who finds a refuge in music while attempting to navigate family and community expectations.
Chester Animation Festival celebrates its 12th edition highlighting outstanding animated shorts from filmmakers from across the world on Saturday 14 March. This year’s shortlisted films come from six countries including Canada, the Netherlands and Iran.
Also on 14 March, film lovers can catch Cornish filmmaker Mark Jenkin’s critically acclaimed new work Rose of Nevada, and the Italian film Primavera, set in 19th Century Venice where violinist Cecilia’s life is changed when she meets her orphanage’s new music instructor – Antonio Vivaldi.
Game, a gripping thriller set against the backdrop of the British rave scene, will be screened on Sunday 15 March followed by a Q&A with director John Minton and his co-writer Rob Williams.
Meanwhile La Grazia, also on 15 March, is a sweeping exploration of love, duty and personal freedom from award-winning director Paolo Sorrentino.
Albert Camus’ enigmatic 1962 novella The Stranger comes to the big screen on Monday 16 March, while on Tuesday 17 March Film Hub North presents Northern Exposure – its short film showcase – at Storyhouse. And later in the evening, film fans can see Orphan, set in Budapest in the wake of the 1956 Hungarian uprising.
Anna Clayfield, senior lecturer in Spanish and Latin American Studies at the University of Chester, will introduce Carla Simon’s Romeria on Wednesday 18 March. It will be followed by a 40th anniversary screening of David Lynch’s classic Blue Velvet, presented by Reel Talk.
On Thursday 19 March the festival programme continues with a free screening of Oscar-winning British film Chariots of Fire in honour of Chester Film Society founding member Derek Smith who died last September.
There will also be a screening of acclaimed director Raoul Peck’s Orwell 2+2=5, a tribute to the visionary author, and German film Miroir No.3.
The Blue Trail, set in the Brazilian Amazon, will be shown on Friday 20 March.
Then later the same evening, enjoy Japanese film Exit 8, based on the eponymous global hit video game devised by Kotake Create.
Saturday 21 March sees a special Student Showcase featuring a hand-picked selection of eight short films created by young filmmakers from the North West of England and North Wales. It will be followed by British director Orban Wallace’s Our Land which looks at the clash between private ownership and public access to nature, and Colours of Time – a French/Belgian collaboration whose intertwining story takes place in both 1895 and 2024.
The 2026 festival draws to a close on Sunday 22 March with a special screening of 1984 Miners’ Strike documentary Iron Ladies – followed by a live Q&A with its director and one of the women featured in the film, and Jim Jarmusch’s funny and tender Father Mother Sister Brother which was awarded the coveted Golden Lion at the 2025 Venice Film Festival.
Chester Film Society was founded in 1970 and is committed to offering the best of world cinema to the local area of Chester. It champions global storytelling through films which explore diverse cultures, perspectives and themes.
Susanne Hodder, of Chester Film Society, said: “We’re delighted to bring the Chester International Film Festival back for another year, hosted at Storyhouse and in partnership with the University of Chester.
“The festival is a fundamental part of our commitment to bring world cinema to Chester, inviting audiences to discover inspiring films from diverse cultures and voices from across the world. We can’t wait to share these unique stories with audiences and create an experience that connects our community through film.”
Storyhouse head of cinema Nicky Beaumont added: “We’ve been honoured to work with Chester Film Society to host the annual international film festival at Storyhouse since 2018, and more recently to partner with the University of Chester on this long running festival.
“Chester International Film Festival is a highlight in our calendar, spotlighting films from around the world and bringing them to audiences at Storyhouse.”
Storyhouse Cinema is supported by Film Hub North with National Lottery funding on behalf of the BFI Film Audience Network.
For more details on Storyhouse visit www.storyhouse.com
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