Spirit of Independence Film Festival

Celebrating the best in cult and independent cinema.

25 - 27 September 2026

Spirit of Independence returns to The Light Sheffield for another successful year, bringing a hand-picked programme of bold, original, and unconventional films from Sheffield, across the UK, and around the world.

FEATURE FILMS

HAUNTED (UK PREMIERE)
A violent storm, a missing child, and a community haunted by a secret make this atmospheric Australian mystery a compelling festival opener.

WAKE IN FRIGHT (45TH ANNIVERSARY SCREENING)
Ted Kotcheff's celebrated Australian classic follows a stranded teacher into a brutal, booze-soaked nightmare in the outback.

THE LOCK IN (UK PREMIERE)
A disastrous pub date becomes a deadly fight for survival as one barman battles his way through an army of assassins in this Rotherham-set love-letter to old-school kung-fu movies.

GANGLAND
A returning tribal cop is drawn into a violent conflict between family, tradition and gang warfare on his indigenous reservation. Starring Lou Diamond Phillips and Nick Stahl.

THE OLD MAN
Two estranged brothers reunite for their father's final wish, forcing old family tensions and buried memories back to the surface.

SNAPSHOT
In 1888 Whitechapel, an all-female ghost-hunting society investigates a disappearance and uncovers increasingly disturbing supernatural evidence.

Á HULDU - THE HIDDEN ONES (UK PREMIERE)
Years after a news cameraman vanishes, an Icelandic documentary team retraces his investigation and discovers evidence that refuses to stay buried.

MUM, I'M ALIEN PREGNANT
An unexpectedly pregnant woman discovers that her baby is anything but human in this gloriously strange, funny, and goey New Zealand sci-fi comedy.

EIGHT FEATURES. THREE DAYS. ONE VERY INDEPENDENT FESTIVAL.

Discover the full 2026 programme, including film details, filmmakers, Q&As and festival events.

SHORT FILMS & SPECIAL EVENTS

Our short-film programme is divided into five distinct strands: Youthful Spirit celebrates student and young filmmakers, Rising Spirit showcases up and coming voices, Independent Spirit champions independently produced work, Emerging Spirit highlights new work from developing filmmakers and Northern Spirit celebrates filmmakers and stories from the North.

Alongside the screenings, the festival features filmmaker Q&As, filmmaker roundtable discussions, a relaxed networking session over pizza and drinks, and the Spirit of Independence Awards ceremony.