Foyle Film Festival 2026

The 39th Foyle Film Festival runs from Wednesday, 18 November to Sunday, 29 November 2026, twelve days of international cinema in venues across Derry, with Nerve Centre on Magazine Street at the centre of it. Screening times vary by film, and the full programme is published on the festival’s own site.

What to expect

Foyle Film Festival was established in 1987 and is Northern Ireland’s longest running film festival. It is led by Nerve Centre, the Derry arts and media organisation that also runs Nerve Cinema, and it programmes a November festival of international cinema alongside screenings, events and workshops through the rest of the year, including the Reel Lives strand.

The competitive heart of the festival is Light In Motion, Northern Ireland’s only Oscar and BAFTA accredited short film competition. It is open to filmmakers and animators across the world, and its winners qualify for consideration in the Live Action and Animated Short Film categories of the Academy Awards and BAFTA. Submission deadlines for the 2026 competition ran to Monday 8 June for regular entries, Monday 10 August for late entries and Monday 7 September for extended entries, so the films in this year’s competition are already selected by the time the festival opens.

The festival has a long record of bringing filmmakers to Derry to talk about their work, with past guests including the editor Thelma Schoonmaker and the directors Wim Wenders and Jim Sheridan. It is funded by the Department for Communities, Northern Ireland Screen and Derry City and Strabane District Council, with further support from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Film Hub NI.

Getting there

Nerve Centre is at 7-8 Magazine Street in Derry city centre, inside the walls. Other festival screenings and events take place in venues across Derry, so check each listing in the programme for its location.

While you’re in Derry

Magazine Street is a few minutes from the walls, the Guildhall and the Peace Bridge, so festival days leave plenty of room either side of a screening. More on the area: the Derry hub and the Co. Derry hub.

Good to know

• Date and time: Wednesday, 18 November to Sunday, 29 November 2026. Times vary by screening.
• Venue and address: Nerve Centre, 7-8 Magazine Street, Derry, plus other venues across the city.
• Price: Check with the organiser. Ticket prices are published with the programme.
• Booking: Programme and booking at foylefilmfestival.org.
• Details from the Foyle Film Festival website, checked 14 September 2026.