03 Feb 26
Celebrate the future of film with the Picturehouse Create Short Film Showcase, bringing the finalists for our short film competition together on the big screen. Up to ten shortlisted films will screen in the festival showcase on its closing night, Saturday 18 April - on Picturehouse Central's famous Screen 1. After the showcase, we'll award two winners – the Jury Prize, and an Audience Award as voted for by you!
Our Jury Prize is once again supported by Company 3, who have generously donated $10,000 USD in post-production color in sound services. The winner will also receive a £1000 cash prize courtesy of Picturehouse, and a year of Picturehouse West End Membership.
Our Audience Award, voted by attendees on the night, comes with a £500 cash prize and a year of Picturehouse West End Membership.
Submissions are now open, and close Monday 16 March. Submissions are free for Picturehouse Create passholders, and £25 for non-passholders.
Find the full competition terms on FilmFreeway.
Myles Wheeler and Charlotte Capitelli, last year's Jury Prize winners for 'hi from a mayfly'
For last year's inaugural competition, our Jury Prize was generously donated by Company 3, who provided a $10,000 prize in the form of in-kind services for colour and sound post-production. The jury for the 2025 competition featured Nowness Managing Director Gavin Humphries; script editor Kate Leys; and presenter, actor and writer/director Reggie Yates (Pirates).
Watch this space for announcements on our 2026 jury and prizes.
A festival for contemporary filmmakers, producers, writers, performers and film industry pros to interact with the next wave of British talent, Picturehouse Create aims to unite the country's creative community. The programme blends the art and craft of filmmaking with the business skills necessary to make it happen – and offers a launchpad for new voices with its annual short film competition.
Our second edition commences on 15 April with an opening night screening of Rebuilding, with director Max Walker-Silverman (A Love Song) in attendance. Having premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2025, Rebuilding stars Josh O'Connor in a ruminative, moving portrait of resilience and human connection, filmed against the rapturous backdrop of southern Colorado. The film will be released by Picturehouse Entertainment in UK cinemas on 17 April 2026.
On 18 April the festival closes with a special screening of Rose of Nevada, followed by a Q&A with director Mark Jenkin and producer Denzil Monk hosted by filmmaker Ben Sharrock. Rose of Nevada follows Jenkin's BAFTA award-winning debut Bait (2019) and Enys Men (2022), and stars George MacKay and Callum Turner. The film will be released in UK and Irish cinemas by the BFI on 24 April 2026.
True to the festival's ethos of championing homegrown talent, we're also looking back at two great British films of the last decade. On 16 April, celebrate God's Own Country with a screening introduced by filmmaker Francis Lee. On 17 April, Censor marks its fifth anniversary with a screening and Q&A, with filmmaker Prano Bailey-Bond in attendance alongside the film's cast and crew.
Highlights of the programme also include a day of events focused on the horror genre, including a panel featuring Bailey-Bond and filmmaker Alice Lowe, chaired by The Evolution of Horror's Mike Muncer.
Also on offer is a masterclass on screenwriting hosted by Script Apart's Al Horner; a discussion on film festivals hosted by Mark Brennan of Festival Formula, featuring representatives from Edinburgh International Film Festival, Cambridge Film Festival and the BFI; and the return of daily networking brunches and the incredibly popular Agents' Speed Meeting event.
Full details on the Picturehouse Create 2026 schedule will be unveiled soon. We can't wait to bring you a new line-up of screenings, panels, workshops, and chances to connect. As always, no experience is necessary.
Find passes, announcements and more at picturehouses.com/create.
