Bristol’s Encounters Film Festival (23-27 September) has unveiled its 2026 programme, led by the UK premiere of Paper Plane, the directorial and screenwriting debut of Academy Award‑nominated actor Saoirse Ronan, and the English premiere of Mission, directed by Paul Wright and produced by Bristol’s own Early Day Films, with Wright and stars George MacKay and Rosy McEwen set to attend. Amongst the packed programme’s many highlights is a special creative exchange with Bristol’s fellow UNESCO City of Film, Quezon City (the Philippines).

A new 16-minute documentary tells the story of the West of England’s Citizens’ Assembly for Culture through the people who took part – and invites more people to be part of what happens next. 

Bristol City Council and the University of Bristol have signed an official Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cement the strategic partnership between Bristol’s UNESCO City of Film designation and the University’s Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Sciences.

A new campaign and digital platform, Explore UNESCO South West Trails, has been launched by the South West of England’s 8 UNESCO sites – including Bristol City of Film.

Surviving Earth, the debut feature from writer/director Thea Gajic, arrives in UK cinemas on 24th April 2026. We take a closer look at the creative team and cultural influences behind this striking indie feature, as well as the significance of Bristol as the film’s backdrop, described by Gajic as “the city that holds the spirit of our film within its streets, culture and landmarks.”

It was our pleasure to welcome BAFTA albert to Bristol earlier this month for Bristol Production Power, a special event at Watershed presented in association with Bristol City Council’s Film Services, the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority and industry partners.

West of England creatives looking to step into a film/TV career behind the camera are invited to apply for a new round of All Set West Training, which is open for applications until 11th January 2026.

All Set West, our BFI National Lottery-funded skills package supporting diverse West of England talent into careers behind the camera, has been named Best Industry Skills Initiative at the 2025 Broadcast Tech Innovation Awards!

We’re delighted to share the good news that the city of Bristol is set to lead the world in the powering of major public events by establishing a clean power hub for its summer programme that guarantees renewable energy for music festivals, high attendance cultural events – and film & television productions.

This month marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in London. As one of the UK’s 13 Creative Cities, we’re taking a look at UNESCO’s origins, its importance on the international stage today, and the leading role the UK continues to play across its global programmes and networks.

We caught up with the Bristolian director about the growing momentum of his latest film, the career that took him from Long Ashton to Hollywood – and what it’s like to be back in his hometown after 40 years away.

To mark World Cities Day 2025 on 31st October, 58 cities were added to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network – including 4 new Cities of Film that we are delighted to welcome to our Subnetwork!