OffBeat Folk Film Festival are looking for the best films about folk and working culture in Britain. We welcome emerging and established filmmakers and artists to apply and are looking for documentary, narrative, experimental or music videos that take a closer look at the lesser known aspects of British culture. This could be a film about the Mari Lywd to a profile of your local pub. If you’ve been to one of our screenings in Walthamstow you know we love archival documentaries, so we welcome old films as well as new.

If selected for the festival, you will be part of a large programme of screenings and events which will take place across London from the 2nd to the 14th May 2026 at venues such as Cecil Sharp House, The Mildmay Club, The Walthamstow Trades Hall and The Moth Club, with many more to be announced. Included in the programming will be a filmmaker social so you will have the chance to meet others in the festival.

At the end of the festival we hold an awards ceremony, with the winners being selected by jury members from across the folk scene in the UK. Last year the jury was Maxine Peake, Lally MacBeth, Laura Venning, Angeline Morrison and Nick Duffy.