Belfast Film Festival 2026: tickets, films and venues
Belfast Film Festival runs October 29-November 7, 2026, across several city venues. Start with one film or event you want to see, check its individual booking page, then build a route around it. Most events use Pay What You Will pricing, but the opening and closing galas have fixed prices.
The October 6 programme announcement introduces the 26th edition, with Seán Murray's *Lost City* opening the festival and Clio Barnard's *I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning* closing it. There are international features, local debuts, shorts and conversations with filmmakers. You can attend a single screening without making a ten-day commitment.
For visitors, the useful decisions are which ticket to buy and how much time to leave between cinemas. Queen's Film Theatre, Black Box and Cineworld are separate destinations. A short interval in the programme is not necessarily a workable transfer.
Belfast Film Festival dates: choose a day around your interests
Use the current What's On schedule to build a shortlist. These examples give different ways into the festival rather than a complete timetable.
| Interest | A starting point | Listed date and venue |
|---|---|---|
| An actor conversation | Réalta Award: Stephen Rea | October 29, QFT |
| A new Belfast crime drama | Lost City | October 29, Cineworld |
| Horror filmmaking | Damian McCarthy masterclass and Hokum live commentary | October 30, Black Box |
| Competition short films | Four Competition Shorts programmes | October 31, QFT |
| New Irish shorts | Four New Irish Shorts programmes | November 1, Black Box |
| A local feature debut | Our House | November 2, ODEON |
| Closing night | I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning | November 7, Cineworld |
The main festival's advertised closing date is November 7. The live schedule also lists The Librarians at QFT on November 8, 12:30. Check that separate listing if you are staying on Sunday; do not assume every festival venue continues for an extra day.
Lost City: book the correct opening-night screening
The live Lost City event page lists October 29 at 19:30, Cineworld, and says the director and cast members will attend. Murray's first fiction feature stars Martin McCann as a boxer pulled into a criminal conflict.
There is also a separately ticketed additional screening at 20:00. That page does not make the same cast-attendance promise. Choose the showing you intend to attend rather than assuming the two tickets describe an identical gala experience.
Older programme material has shown a 19:00 time for the first screening. At our October 17 check, the live event page and daily schedule both said 19:30. Review the current booking details and your confirmation before arranging dinner or a transfer. Contact the box office if your ticket shows a different time.
The location is Cineworld at Odyssey Place, 2 Queens Quay, not a city-centre cinema with a similar name. Save the venue with the ticket so you do not have to search for it on arrival.
Pay What You Will tickets and fixed-price galas
The 2026 ticketing information sets most Pay What You Will tickets between £6 and £14. You choose the amount you can afford. Opening and closing gala tickets are £14, or £12 concession, before any applicable booking fee. The festival says it shares ticketing fees equally with the customer.
Check the selected event's price and concession eligibility before paying. A film appearing in the festival does not mean it uses flexible pricing. Nor should you assume that an ordinary cinema membership or subscription covers a festival booking.
The published policy says tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable, with refunds offered if a film is cancelled. Buy a route you can attend. If a booking problem arises, contact the festival rather than arranging an unofficial transfer.
Tickets arrive through an email link and can be downloaded or printed. Events have unallocated seating; venue box offices open 30 minutes before the event. Arrive with time to find your seat, especially when visiting with someone you want to sit beside.
Is a 2026 festival pass available?
We have not verified a current festival-wide pass price or its inclusions. Older pass information refers to previous editions and should not be used to budget this year's visit.
Book through the current 2026 event listings, or ask the box office about a pass before committing to several screenings. If a pass becomes available, compare the events you can realistically attend, its exclusions and the reservation process. A pass is not useful if it does not cover your chosen screening or you cannot reserve a place.
Stephen Rea and the short-film weekend
QFT's own listing places the Stephen Rea conversation and Réalta Award presentation on October 29 at 17:00. It describes the event as recommended for ages 18 and over. This is an in-person conversation listing, not a promise that every screening of a Rea film includes a live appearance.
For someone more interested in discovering filmmakers than attending a gala, the short-film programmes provide another route into the festival. Choose one programme whose descriptions interest you, then add another if the timing works. You do not need to see every block to enjoy the day.
Keep discussions and introductions in mind when planning the next booking. A film's running time alone may not describe the full event. Leave time for a meal and a break rather than spending every interval in a queue.
Getting between QFT, Black Box and Cineworld
The festival access guide identifies different arrival points for the venues:
- QFT: College Green bus stop and Botanic railway station are useful starting points. The cinema is at 20 University Square.
- Black Box and Beanbag Cinema: Lower Donegall Street is the listed nearby bus stop. Check the exact venue name, as these are separate spaces.
- Cineworld: Odyssey bus stop and Titanic Quarter railway station serve the area; the cinema is inside the Odyssey complex.
Compare the route from one entrance to the next, including the walk inside a building. Avoid buying two tickets simply because the first film ends shortly before the next listing starts. Add time for the audience to leave, toilets and any conversation after the screening.
If you are making a day trip, choose the last workable return service before adding an evening film. The outward timetable does not establish what runs after the credits. Save a fallback route to your accommodation and check it on the day.
Accessibility: reserve the support for your chosen screening
The festival's access guide identifies relaxed screenings, audio description, descriptive subtitles and BSL provision with different labels. Check the actual event: ordinary foreign-language subtitles do not necessarily provide descriptive captions, and a building's step-free entrance does not tell you which screening has audio description.
Wheelchair spaces are limited and can be reserved through the designated reservation ticket or the box office. The festival also provides a no-charge companion ticket for eligible d/Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent patrons; request it before booking.
At Black Box, the venue describes step-free access from the street but warns about Hill Street's cobblestones. Contact it if you need early entry or a reserved position. Do not assume an accessible interior means the whole approach has a smooth surface.
Ask about the complete route you will use, including toilets and the return journey. Nearby facilities may not keep cinema hours. Where an age limit, caption format or companion arrangement affects whether you can attend, get confirmation before paying.
Belfast airport transfers: check BHD or BFS first
Belfast City Airport (BHD) and Belfast International (BFS) are different airports. Check the code on your flight booking before choosing a bus or deciding how early you can reach a screening.
The City Airport public-transport page identifies Airport Express 600 to Belfast Grand Central Station. Its rail alternative uses Sydenham, but the airport warns that the footbridge involves steps and advises against it for passengers with reduced mobility or difficulty using stairs. Choose the route that meets your needs rather than treating rail and bus as interchangeable.
For Belfast International, look up Airport Express 300 through Translink. Check the actual date and direction, particularly for a late arrival or early flight. Leave time after landing for baggage and reaching the stop; do not use a scheduled landing time as the moment you can board a bus.
If you land late, consider keeping the first evening free rather than relying on a tight connection to a non-refundable screening. A city arrival still leaves the onward journey to the cinema.
Apps and saved tickets for Belfast cinema travel
Use Translink's journey planner for current connections and mLink for supported mobile tickets. The ticketing app separates active, ready-to-use and expired tickets. Make sure the ticket is activated before boarding and keep enough battery to display it throughout the journey.
Save the film ticket, exact cinema entrance and accommodation address before leaving Wi-Fi. Keep a screenshot of your planned return as a reference, then check for service changes online. A saved timetable is useful preparation, not proof that an altered service will run.
Download a Belfast map for walking directions and keep your phone silent during screenings. If you meet someone at a different event, choose a meeting point outside the auditorium so neither of you needs to interrupt the film to find the other.
Mobile data for a Belfast film trip
OpenSim's UK 3GB, 15-day plan was US$3 on October 17, with top-up support on that package. A fixed allowance can suit a short trip centered on maps, transport checks and messages, without buying a much larger data package. Compare your home carrier's included UK roaming first; if that already covers your needs, you may not need another plan.
Check current options on the UK eSIM plan page. For a trip that also includes Dublin or another Republic of Ireland stop, verify coverage for both countries in your selected plan. UK coverage does not establish Ireland coverage.
Use our travel data calculator, phone compatibility check and installation timing guide before buying. The Belfast International Arts Festival guide covers a separate festival; its tickets and booking terms are not interchangeable with this film programme.
Sources and updates
Checked October 17, 2026, against the current festival programme and event pages, QFT, Black Box, Belfast City Airport and Translink. We will update this 2026 guide for material screening-time, ticket, pass, venue, access or transport changes. Recheck your individual event and return journey before travelling.
The header shows Queen's Film Theatre in November 2021, not a 2026 festival event. Photograph by Mx. Granger, Wikimedia Commons, CC0, cropped, resized and compressed.
