2026
Cambridge Connections
Discover short films from across Cambridgeshire, celebrating local stories, fresh talent and the people and places that connect our region.
Shorts: Unbroken
Across borders, generations and identities, five short films tell stories that refuse to be silenced and stand their ground.
Shorts: Love That Remains
From sisters to fractured marriages, love rarely disappears entirely. Six short films explore how it changes shape.
Shorts: Turning Tides
Identity, tradition and loss meet the courage to embrace change. Six short films explore resilience and transformation.
Shorts: Power Play
Who holds the power, who pays the price, and what happens when the balance shifts? Five short films explore the tensions beneath the surface.
Shorts: Friendly Encounters
A pigeon, needy neighbours, statues and a psychedelic toad. Four short films find unlikely friendships where we need them most.
Shorts: The Ties That Bind
The bonds we build, the people we find and the unexpected places we call home. Six short films explore the ties that bring us together.
Wild Horse Nine
Chile, 1973. Two CIA agents detour to Easter Island, where political conspiracies and personal secrets collide in a tangle of triple-crossings and paranoia.
Wicked
Sing along to Elphaba’s story as her arrival at Shiz University sets her on an adventure through Oz, full of magic, mischief and unlikely friendship.
Viva
After breast cancer, a woman’s hunger for desire and freedom unsettles the life she has built. Aina Clotet directs and stars in this fearless, intimate debut.
Truly Naked
Alec films porn for his father’s business. Falling for classmate Nina opens up a different kind of intimacy in this tender story of teenage vulnerability.
Tricontinental, letter to open in case of
An archival tribute to filmmaker and activist Michèle Firk, whose commitment to liberation took her from Algeria’s underground networks to Guatemala’s guerrilla struggle.
The Selfish Giant
Two Bradford lads chase quick cash through copper theft, scrapyard politics and horse-cart racing. Clio Barnard’s moving fable puts their friendship to the test.
The Secret Garden
A lonely girl, a Yorkshire mansion and a magical garden. Mary Lennox discovers friendship and hope in this timeless family favourite.
The Peace Particle
Science for peace, in a time of war. Inside CERN, researchers confront the politics of international cooperation after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Lodger
London fog and a serial killer: Hitchcock’s suspenseful early classic turns 100. Join us for a centenary screening with an introduction from Henry K. Miller.
The Dreamed Adventure
In rural Bulgaria, archaeologist Veska tries to keep the peace between opposing gangs. A simmering thriller about buried secrets, violence and patriarchy.
The Debut
Julianne Moore plays a shy housewife drawn into community theatre. As rehearsals take their toll, the line between artistic vision and cruelty begins to blur.
The Blood Countess
Isabelle Huppert’s Countess Báthory hunts a mystical book across Vienna and Bohemia in Ulrike Ottinger’s camp, comic vampire romp.
La Bola Negra
Three gay men, three eras, and histories too often silenced. Los Javis place Federico García Lorca at the heart of a sweeping story of desire and repression.
The Beauty of the Donkey
After six decades in exile, Asslan returns to Kosova with his daughter Dea. Together, they rebuild his childhood memories in a moving encounter with the past.
Sad Girlz
Two teenage swimmers are fierce rivals and best friends. When Paula is assaulted, La Maestra’s attempt to avenge her sends their lives spiralling.
Ron's Gone Wrong
Barney finally gets a robot best friend. Unfortunately, Ron is faulty. A funny, heartfelt adventure about friendship in a world obsessed with popularity.
Rocks
When her mother disappears, 15-year-old Rocks hides the truth to keep herself and her little brother out of care. A moving celebration of girlhood and friendship.
Rocket Girl
Eleni loves building rockets, despite being told she cannot match her male peers. An affectionate documentary about girlhood, engineering and perseverance.
Placido
As respectable citizens put their Christmas charity on show, Plácido scrambles to save his three-wheeler. A merciless comedy of generosity and hypocrisy.
Papaya
A restless papaya seed refuses to put down roots. A Brazilian jungle adventure about finding home and learning to grow on your own terms.
Nuisance Bear
See Churchill, Canada, through a polar bear’s eyes. As the ice recedes, an ancient migration route brings the worlds of bears and humans into closer contact.
Nina Roza
A Montreal art dealer returns to rural Bulgaria in search of a six-year-old painting prodigy. Is her extraordinary talent all it seems?
My Father and Qaddafi
Jihan’s father travelled to Cairo in 1993 and never returned. Through family and state archives, she retraces the disappearance of a Libyan opposition leader.
My Family and Other Clowns
As Piip and Tuut’s clowning fame grows, their eldest daughter cares for her siblings. An intimate documentary about family, ambition and the cost of chasing dreams.
Mouse
Arkansas, 2002. As graduation approaches and her closest friendship falls apart, shy Callie must discover who she is beyond someone else’s shadow.
Minotaur
Pressured to send employees to war, company director Gleb also discovers his wife’s infidelity. A tense thriller about personal betrayal and systemic corruption.
Little Women
While the Civil War rages, the March sisters pursue their dreams and find their own paths. A warm, moving tale of ambition, love and family.
I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning
Five friends grow up and drift apart after their council housing is demolished. Clio Barnard’s portrait of friendship opens the 45th Cambridge Film Festival.
I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming
As Russia invades Ukraine, Oleh’s gender transition collides with wartime expectations of masculinity. A tender portrait of queer love under pressure.
I Love Boosters
Three shoplifters take on a fashion empire in Boots Riley’s gleefully wacky heist satire, starring Keke Palmer and Demi Moore.
Hunky Jesus
San Francisco’s Hunky Jesus drag competition takes centre stage in a documentary celebrating the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, queer activism and community joy.
Harsh Land, Distant Sky
Haunted by war and guilt, Kurdish veteran Harun seeks a traditional tattooist to confess his darkest secrets. A story of the conflict that continues within.
Give Me the Ball!
From the Battle of the Sexes to the fight for women’s tennis, Billie Jean King changed sport. A witty, appreciative documentary celebrates her extraordinary legacy.
Freakier Friday
Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan reunite as a new round of body-swapping chaos turns wedding plans and a growing family upside down.
Fjord
Religious belief, social expectation and a family newly arrived in Norway. Cristian Mungiu puts contemporary prejudices under the microscope.
Filipiñana
At an exclusive Philippine country club, a teenage tee-girl follows a strange trail of signs beneath the surface of luxury and good manners.
Fatherland
Germany, 1949. Thomas Mann returns from exile with his children in a Cold War road trip that reflects on art, family and the shadows of war.
Elephants in the Fog
When one of her daughters disappears, Pirati must weigh her own dreams against her responsibilities to her chosen family in rural Nepal.
El Verdugo
To secure a flat, a timid man reluctantly takes his father-in-law’s job as an executioner. He is sure he’ll never have to carry out an execution.
Daughters of the Forest
Two young Indigenous scientists seek to protect Mexico’s ancestral mycelium knowledge. A poetic sci-fi documentary about preserving the past and reimagining the future.
Coward
In the trenches of the First World War, a reluctant soldier encounters vaudeville and a different idea of masculinity. Lukas Dhont explores freedom within discipline.
CFF 45th Screening: Portrait of a Lady On Fire
Adèle Haenel and Noémie Merlant star in an entrancing, slow-burning romance on the Brittany coast, chosen to celebrate CFF’s 45th anniversary.
Bend It Like Beckham
Football-mad Jess dreams of playing professionally. Secretly joining a women’s team, she finds friendship and the courage to challenge her family’s expectations.
Beauty and the Beast
Belle’s search for her missing father leads her to an enchanted castle. Celebrate 35 years of Disney’s beloved tale on the big screen.
BAAB
After her twin sister’s sudden death, Wahida is drawn by tinnitus into a surreal world where grief takes physical form. A dark fantasy scored by A.R. Rahman.
Artists in Residence
Three women in their nineties recall life, art and shared space in New York. Katie Jacobs’ documentary celebrates the messy beauty of creating a life together.
American Doctor
Three American doctors risk their lives in Gaza’s devastated hospitals. An intimate, unflinching documentary about healing, bearing witness and refusing indifference.
All of a Sudden
When health suddenly deteriorates, how do we care for each other? Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s gentle film explores illness, conversation and human connection.
Ali & Ava
A rainy-day lift brings Ali and Ava together over music and shared humour. Clio Barnard’s tender romance asks whether love can outlast the weight of the past.
Addams Family Values
A new baby, a cheerful summer camp and Uncle Fester’s suspicious romance. Celebrate Halloween with the Addams family’s gothic wit and wicked humour.
A Sweetness From Nowhere
A transphobic slur becomes the starting point for Ester Martin Bergsmark’s visually explosive exploration of violence, fear and finding a way back to desire.
A Long Winter
1950s Colorado. When his mother disappears in the season’s first blizzard, a young man faces an uncertain search in Andrew Haigh’s emotional drama.
24 Hour Party People
Steve Coogan’s Tony Wilson presides over Manchester’s musical chaos, from Factory Records to the Haçienda. Michael Winterbottom celebrates the DIY spirit.