Learn more about the Film Festival by clicking the button below.
The 2026 Film Festival has been announced - 7 to 23 August.
The Chichester International Film Festival was launched in 1992 as the representation of the art of film at the Festival of Chichester, a summer programme of the arts in the city. Walter Francisco (pic left) took the helm in 2024 as Head of Programming, following 20 years of being the Festival's General Manager, as well as programming the seasonal programmes for Chichester Cinema at New Park.
Roger Gibson (pic right) programmed every edition from the Festival's inception until 2023, and saw the event grow from 29 films in one location, to 150 films in seven locations. These have included open air screenings in Priory Park, classic silent films with live musical accompaniment in the gothic St. John’s Chapel, 35mm screenings at Slindon Cinema, special screenings at Chichester Cathedral, and drive-in screenings in the city centre.
Film Directors, Actors, Writers, Composers and Critics have visited over the years and given talks during the Festival, raising both the profile of the event and of course, the quality. These include Sir Alec Guinness, Steven Poliakoff, Kathleen Turner, Ken Russell, Mike Leigh, Tony Palmer, Kerry Fox, Ronald Harwood, Daniel Brühl, Elaine Paige, Michael Winterbottom, John Lithgow, David Hare, Nick Moran, Derek Jacobi, Virginia MacKenna, Carl Davis, Steve Coogan, Phyllis Logan, Timothy Spall and Ralph Fiennes to name a few.
7TH TO 23RD AUGUST 2026
Each summer, the Chichester International Film Festival brings the best in cinema from the UK and abroad to the south coast of England. Featuring an outstanding variety of films and talks, including UK premieres and previews, retrospectives on the world’s best filmmakers, treasures from the archives, and an exciting array of special events such as filmmaker Q&A’s, open-air screenings and silent films accompanied by live music.
From the beginnings in 1992, through to the 2020's, the Chichester International Film Festival has grown from a representative of film in the Chichester Festivities, to a nationally renowned Film Festival, known for it's challenging and exciting programming.
We hope this archive will serve both to document the history of ‘our’ Film Festival, as well as to remind us of the wonderful moments the Festival has given us over the past years.
DISCOVER OUR HISTORY