Creative Forces UK : The 2026 Festival Vision Unveiled

A look ahead at the upcoming festival program, celebrating the diverse cinematic voices of the UK Armed Forces community.

Dougie and Wendy at a screening of Everyone's Everest-When Life Gives You Lemons, a feature documentary directed and produced by Tom McShane, a veteran, looking into the restorative powers of the outdoors through the challenging times Sally Orange MBE experiences with her mental health and cancer diagnosis.

Creative Forces UK Film Festival 2026 is the inaugural showcase event for our latest venture - a new national film festival and short film competition celebrating the creativity, talent, stories and lived experiences of the UK's Armed Forces.

Our Armed Forces community includes not just those who have served/are serving in uniform but also those who are family members. This extends to those families who have suffered bereavement, they are still very much a part of our community and we are here to support where we can those who are seeking a career in the film and TV industry.

Taking place on Wednesday 4th November 2026, the inaugural festival will culminate in an evening highlighting the creativity of our Armed Forces community with a gala Awards ceremony.

The Curzon Cinema, Colchester, will host the public screenings of the films. As one of the UK's most significant garrison towns, Colchester is a location with a deep military heritage and a strong history of supporting independent film and cultural events.

Working with Essex Film Office has been an incredibly supportive process, and we're not there yet! Their local knowledge of the industry has been invaluable and tehir enthusiasm for our film festival has proven to be invigorating.

This concept is the first of its kind and to encourage everyone to 'give-it-a-go' the only technical rule is that the film must be submitted in MP4 format. This is to make life easier when we come to hte screenings. This means you can film on your SmartPhone, you don't need thousands of punds of equipment. If you feel you do need to have specilaist equipment don't forget you can hire it.

This is not a 'military-film' festival; although we accept that some films will reflect on military service - please check the sumbission page to make sure your film meets all the criteria. This is about showing the world the creativity within our community.

The aim is to show other communities the skills and talents we have which can support an ongoing military career, begin preparations for transition into a second career or maybe ignite that passion you haven't looked at for years.

This festival will provide a platform for filmmakers to showcase original short films to audiences online and in person, while building a greater understanding between military and civilian communities.

11 August 2026 - Wendy Faux