S.O.U.L. Fest, is a Black British Film Festival, in partnership with the American Black Film Festival (ABFF). Taking place over nine days over three cities and online, including film screenings, industry sessions and an awards night. It includes the UK first look at Children of Blood and Bone before it’s main UK release in January 2027. FromSaturday 5th September to Sunday 13th September 2026 at Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle, MAC Birmingham, and BFI Southbank in London.
At a Glance
- Headline moment: UK first look at Children of Blood and Bone, Saturday 12 September, 2:45pm, NFT1, BFI Southbank, followed by a live Q&A with director Gina Prince-Bythewood
- Official festival film: Black Is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story, screening in all three cities
- Industry programme: Two headline talks with Sony Pictures Entertainment, a four evening online programme (7th to 10th September, £7 a session), and a Channel 4 hosted networking breakfast
- Awards night: Sunday 13 September, BFI Southbank, seven categories, BAFTA and BIFA qualifying
- New this year: Selected festival films stream on BFI Player for a month after the festival closes
- Tickets: On sale now at soulfilmfest.co.uk
There’s only one place to be early this September. Whether you’re in London, Newcastle or Birmingham, S.O.U.L. Fest x ABFF have you covered.
Whether you’re a film professional or an enthusiast, this is your chance to have a seat at the table. The programme includes film screenings, including a preview of Children of Blood and Bone, due in cinemas in January 2027, alongside industry sessions to sharpen filmmaking skills and network with others in the industry, both online and in person. Here’s the lowdown.
Dates and Locations
- Saturday 5th September: Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle
- Sunday 6th September: MAC Birmingham
- Monday 7th to Thursday 10th September: Online industry programme
- Friday 11th to Sunday 13th September: BFI Southbank, London
Who’s making this possible:
We Are Parable, The British Blacklist and S.O.U.L. Film, in partnership with the American Black Film Festival (ABFF), supported by Founding Sponsor Sony Pictures Entertainment and Venue Partner BFI Southbank.
Since becoming an annual festival in 2019, S.O.U.L. Fest has filled more than 5,800 seats, screened 133 films and showcased 147 filmmakers. It is both BAFTA and BIFA qualifying, so audiences are eager to find out which films will go through to the awards circuit.
Iyare Igiehon, Founder and Festival Director of S.O.U.L. Fest, said: “We’re really proud of this year’s line up. The festival expands every year, and this year we’re reaching another city, and we’ve grown the programme in each of them into a full day and evening. We’ve got beautiful feature films, we’ve got an incredible first look, and we’ve got brilliant films from Black British filmmakers, some of whom we’ll be turning into award winning Black British filmmakers by the end of it. It’s another year where the festival has made real strides forward.”
The Headline Moment: Children of Blood and Bone Gets Its UK First Look
If there’s one reason to book the Saturday of the BFI Southbank weekend, it’s this. Gina Prince-Bythewood, director of The Woman King, brings exclusive footage from her adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi’s bestselling fantasy novel, Children of Blood and Bone, to NFT1 on Saturday 12 September at 2:45pm, followed by a live Q&A with Prince-Bythewood herself.
Set in the fantasy kingdom of Orïsha and co written with Adeyemi, the film’s cast reads like a masterclass in Black excellence on screen: Thuso Mbedu, Damson Idris, Amandla Stenberg, Tosin Cole, Cynthia Erivo, Lashana Lynch, Zackary Momoh, Richard Mofe Damijo, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Regina King, Idris Elba and Viola Davis. Paramount Pictures releases the film in January 2027, which makes this UK first look, months ahead of release, a genuinely rare one. Get your seat…
The Story Every Front Row Reader Needs to Know: Kwame Brathwaite
This is the one that speaks directly to who we are. Black Is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story (2025, 98 mins), directed by Yemi Bamiro, is this year’s official festival film. It screens in all three cities and opens both the Newcastle leg and the BFI Southbank weekend.
Kwame Brathwaite was a culture architect when it comes to hair, style and Black beauty. The Harlem photographer coined and visualised the phrase “Black Is Beautiful,” documenting the natural hair and Afro aesthetic movement of the 1960s alongside icons like Nina Simone, Muhammad Ali, Marvin Gaye and the Jackson Five, across a seventy year career and half a million images. This is the origin story of the Afro on the front row, literally.
The film features executive producers Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz, Gabrielle Union, Jesse Williams and Tyler Mitchell. The director, Yemi Bamiro, attends every single screening for post film Q&As:
- Newcastle: Saturday 5 September, Tyneside Cinema, hosted by broadcaster Ellen E. Jones
- Birmingham: Sunday 6 September, MAC Birmingham
- London: Friday 11 September, 8:25pm, NFT1, BFI Southbank (opening the London weekend)
Industry Access: Where the Next Generation Gets in the Room
Sony Pictures Entertainment leads two headline industry conversations this year.
Beyond the Screen: Black British Talent, Anime and the Future of Storytelling Saturday 12 September, 12:30pm, NFT2, presented with Crunchyroll. West Ham footballer Kyle Walker Peters and rapper and manga author Shao Dow join Crunchyroll’s LeAlec Murray to unpack how anime and adjacent storytelling are reshaping Black creative identity and fandom. More Information.
From Shadow to Set: Opening Doors for Emerging Directors Sunday 13 September, 3:30pm, NFT3, with BAFTA winning producer Simon Maloney (Time, I May Destroy You), director John Hayes (This City Is Ours, Nightsleeper) and writer director Dean Leon Anderson, a S.O.U.L. Fest alumnus, on how director shadowing opens real pathways into high end production. More Information.
Add a four evening online industry programme (7th to 10th September, £7 a session) with an agents’ session and a script surgery, plus a Channel 4 hosted networking breakfast on 10 September, and this year’s edition is as much a launchpad for careers as it is a celebration of finished work.
New for 2026, a selection of festival films will stream on BFI Player for a month after the festival closes, so if you can’t make a city in person, the work still reaches you.
The Awards
The 2026 S.O.U.L. Fest x ABFF London Awards close the festival on Sunday 13 September at BFI Southbank, across seven categories including Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay and the Impact Award. Selection alone already qualifies a film for BAFTA and BIFA consideration. The Awards are where the room finds out who’s next.
Why You Need to Be There
This isn’t a festival that needs an audience. It’s a festival that’s built one: 5,800 seats and counting since 2019. But growth like this, into a third city in a single week, only holds if the room keeps showing up and keeps filling. Every ticket bought is a vote for this to keep expanding.
“ABFF has always believed that great storytelling has the power to connect people, cultures and creative communities. Our collaboration with S.O.U.L. Fest reflects that shared vision, creating opportunities for artists, industry leaders and audiences to come together, exchange ideas and celebrate outstanding work from around the world. We’re excited to continue building bridges that expand opportunity and strengthen the global creative community.” Nicole Friday, Co Founder and Producer of the American Black Film Festival (ABFF) and President of NICE CROWD
Tickets went on sale 6th August 2026. Full programme, schedule and tickets at soulfilmfest.co.uk.
If Black storytelling belongs on the front row, this is the week to prove it. Get down there. Sell it out.
S.O.U.L. Fest x ABFF London runs 5th to 13th September 2026 across Tyneside Cinema Newcastle, MAC Birmingham and BFI Southbank London. Founding Sponsor: Sony Pictures Entertainment. Venue Partner: BFI Southbank.