kevin mcdonagh

The Birmingham Film Festival is the largest film and media event in the West Midlands and one of the most effective platforms in the UK for connecting independent filmmakers with audiences, industry professionals and commercial opportunity. Running for ten days each November (6–15 November 2026), it screens more than 200 films in a 350-seat auditorium at Millennium Point and across partner venues, while attracting over 5,500 guests. All public screenings are free. This model delivers measurable value to filmmakers, sponsors, the regional creative economy and the city itself. The Birmingham Film Festival is not a peripheral cultural event. It is a high-volume, low-barrier exhibition and networking platform that delivers audiences to films, credentials and contacts to filmmakers, and measurable exposure and footfall to the city and its partners. Its free-screening policy maximises reach; its awards, Q&As, Conference Day and Gala convert that reach into lasting professional value. For filmmakers seeking an effective UK platform, for sponsors seeking engaged audiences, and for Birmingham seeking to strengthen its position in the screen industries, the festival has proven both useful and important—and continues to grow in scale and impact.

Dean Williams, co-founder, CEO and a long time friend so it means a lot to run this festival with him. Dean has remained the organisational heart of the event ever we launched it. Together we keep pushing, growing and achieving everything the festival so far. Dean is the constant presence that makes the Birmingham Film Festival feel both ambitious and achievable. Lauren Simmonds has been a driving force a constant pillar of support. Without her, we wouldn't be where we are or able to get to where we want to go. Paul Angier, the Exhibition Manager handles the films the festival receives and ensures they are shown properly. Submissions arrive from dozens of countries. They must be reviewed, selected, technically prepared. Paul’s long experience in the industry means he understands the technic and has never let us down! Anna Piggot-Reeves joined the team in 2021 as Careers Liaison. She is an award winning producer in her own right. Her work with media outreach and social media is the voice of the BFF as we share the films with the largest audience possible, as they deserve to be. Joe Capella and Gary Amos are not only hard working and talented team members who ensure the Gala is the stunning night every one deserves, but they are also long lasting and fierce friends who have helped support me on too many occasions to remember. We couldn't do it without ant of these people... and we wouldn't want to.

I never set out to run a film festival. I started as someone who just wanted to make films and tell stories in Birmingham. Like a lot of people in this city, I began by trying to act. I quickly realised I loved writing and directing more, and spent years working on features, shorts, TV and music videos — often with very little support and no big platform in my own city to show the work. That frustration is what started everything. In 2016, after finishing a feature with my co-founder Dean Williams, we looked around and realised Birmingham still didn’t have its own proper film festival. If no one else was going to create a space for local and independent filmmakers, we decided we would. We launched the Birmingham Film Festival with limited resources, a lot of late nights, and the simple idea that the films deserved to be seen — and that audiences shouldn’t have to pay to see them. It took years of turning up when nobody was watching: chasing submissions, finding venues, convincing sponsors, programming hundreds of films, and building a community from the ground up. There were quiet years, tight budgets, and moments when it felt like it might not continue. What kept us going was the filmmakers who trusted us with their work and the audiences who filled the seats for free screenings. Now the festival is a 10-day international event showing over 200 films, welcoming thousands of people, and receiving submissions from dozens of countries. We’ve stayed true to the original idea — free screenings, a platform for talent that might otherwise be overlooked, and a proper celebration of the people who make the films, ending with our Gala Awards Ceremony. The journey has never been about awards or recognition. It’s been about creating something that didn’t exist and proving that Birmingham can be a serious home for film. Being nominated for President of the Year is a reminder that people have noticed the work. That means more than I can put into words.