HOW IT WORKS
You can attend the festival in one of three ways:
by attending in person, watching online,
or opting for a hybrid experience that combines both aspects.
WHAT'S ON
The Bolton Film Festival offers in-person, virtual and hybrid experiences. From Wed 2nd to Sun 6th October, there are cinema screenings and a wide range of live events - including masterclasses, workshops, and networking opportunities - all held at the Light Cinema, located in the Market Place Shopping Centre in Bolton.
Additionally, our online platform will feature on-demand film programmes available from Wed 9th to Sun 22nd October, easily accessible on your phone, tablet, computer, or smart TV.
The festival is not just for industry, the public can come and enjoy the films (and drop into the industry sessions too). There's all sorts of genres on offer, check out the timetable and schedule to delve into the programme.
Is the film festival for the public or industry?
Our film festival is for everybody, not just for industry. There is something on the table for everyone in what we describe as a "Buffet of Film". Whether it's drama, documentary, animation, comedy, horror, sci-fi & fantasy or more specialist genres such as dance, music, experimental or fashion films you can be confident you'll find something to wet your appetite. We only show short films, but rest assured they are the best in the world. We are BAFTA & BIFA accredited, which means the films we screen might go on to win BAFTA's. In fact we've had several that did, and a couple of OSCAR winners too!
You can buy a ticket for just one programme of short films (60 - 90 mins) or you can buy one of our festival passes. If you buy a pass it's very similar to being at a music festival. You can go where you want and enter each screen to watch as many films as you like without paying anything more. You just need to show your pass (on your phone) to someone on the door. If you want to be certain you get a seat in a screening you can reserve a seat in advance through the Tickets area.
You can also attend some of our industry talks and events too if you are interested in gaining insights to a career in the creative industries.
Take a look our ticketing page to learn more about our festival passes and our price ranges and the access we offer. You can even watch online from home too!
IN PERSON
Join us in Bolton at the Light Cinema and immerse yourself in the magic of film on the big screen. These tickets and passes are for in-venue experiences only, giving you the chance to dive into as many screenings, masterclasses, and events as you wish. Enjoy conversations with other film goers in the Green Room bar, or network at the KUDOS gallery, where you'll find all the posters for the films in the competition.
Don’t forget to pre-register for the sessions you don’t want to miss. Choose from one-day, three-day, or the full five-day passes, or grab a Single Screening ticket to support a filmmaker, or just to get a taste of the festival.
Get ready for an unforgettable cinematic experience!
HYBRID
Experience the best of both worlds with our ultimate film festival pass! Enjoy watching films on the big screen and access all the masterclasses, talks and networking events in person, while also having the flexibility to catch up on the film programme at your own pace online.
Our Full Festival Pass grants you access to all the in-venue screenings and talks during the five-day event, as well as On Demand access to the selected films. You can attend as many in-person events as you wish, but be sure to pre-register to secure your spot.
The official film programme will be available online until 22nd October, accessible from any device. Your online platform access will instantly be provided when you book your Full Festival pass.
ONLINE
With an Online Pass, you can experience all of our films from the comfort of your home. It’s the ideal choice if you can’t make it to Bolton but still want to dive into the world of cinema. Our platform works on phones, tablets, laptops and smart TV's.
To be part of this year’s festival, simply head to our website and purchase your online pass. You’ll receive an email with instructions on how to log in and stream films On Demand from Wednesday 9th October, to Sunday, October 22nd.