FEATURE FILMS
THE ICE TOWER
7:30 PM | MONDAY 17.11.25 | THE POLY
A hypnotic new fairytale from Lucile Hadžihalilović (Innocence, Evolution). In her most fantastical feature yet, The Ice Tower follows Jeanne (newcomer Clara Pacini), a teenager who escapes her secluded orphanage and slips onto the set of a lavish Snow Queen adaptation. There she encounters the film’s magnetic star Cristina (Academy Award-winner Marion Cotillard), and together they embark on a spellbinding journey that drifts towards a chilling finale.
Dir. Lucile Hadžihalilović | 2025 | 1h 58m | French (with English subtitles) | Fantasy | CFF 18
Film gala followed by a Zoom Q&A
with the director.
SENTIMENTAL VALUE
7:30 PM | WED 19.11.25 | THE POLY | (CS)
A father's seemingly autobiographical script tests his family bonds to breaking point in this sweeping drama, directed by Joachim Trier, starring Stellan Skarsgård. WINNER OF THE CANNES GRAND PRIX 2025
Dir. Joachim Trier | 2025 | 2h 13m | Norwegian (with English subtitles) | Drama | CFF 15 Captioned subtitle screening
THE STRANGER
4.15 PM | FRIDAY 21.11.25 | THE POLY
François Ozon return to CFF with this beautiful adaptation of Albert Camus’ landmark novel, L'Étranger, a gripping account of human absurdity in 1930s French-colonised Algeria.
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Dir François Ozon | 2025 | 2hrs | French
With English subtitles | CFF15
SIRAT
12:00 | SATURDAY 22.11.25 | THE POLY
As music and heat intensify, in the search for a daughter that becomes a reckoning with love, loss and endurance. Oliver Laxe’s film radiates raw, transcendent energy, a vision of devotion and desolation where sound and landscape merge into something sacred.
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Dir Oliver Laxe | 2025 | 1hr 55 mins Spanish, French, Arabic with English subtitles | CFF18
THE THING
WITH FEATHERS
7:45 PM | SATURDAY 22.11.25 | THE POLY
After a tragic loss, a grieving father struggles to raise his young sons while confronting an unlikely, unpredictable houseguest — Crow, a chaotic figure who bursts from the pages of a book to peck at open wounds and guide them through grief in his own unsettling way. Director Dylan Southern brings striking visual poetry to this soulful exploration of loss, chaos and redemption. Benedict Cumberbatch delivers a mesmerising performance in the highly anticipated screen adaptation of Max Porter’s award-winning novel Grief Is the Thing with Feathers — a haunting meditation on love, mourning and the strange beauty of survival.
The Thing With Feathers | Dir Dylan Southern | 2025 | 1h 44 mins | Drama | 12A
Film premiere | LIVE Q&A
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IF I HAD LEGS I'D KICK YOU
5 PM | WEDNESDAY 19.11.25 | THE POLY | (RS)
Linda (Rose Byrne) tries to navigate her daughter's mysterious illness, her absent husband, a missing person, and an increasingly hostile relationship with her therapist.
Dir Mary Bronstein | 2025 | 1h 53m | Comedy/Drama | CFF15 | Relaxed Screening
PETER HUJAR'S DAY
5 PM | SATURDAY 22.11.25 | THE POLY | (CS)
A captivating reconstruction of a real conversation between writer Linda Rosenkrantz and celebrated photographer, snap shot in the New York art scene through the life & conversation, staring Ben Whishaw and Rebecca Hall
Dir Ira Sachs | 2025 | 1h 16 mins | Drama | CFF15
​Caption Subtitle screening
SMALL GODS
5PM | 17.11. 25 | THE POLY
While struggling to provide for her son, an indigenous single mother falls for a charismatic street performer. But when a crisis strikes, it threatens to rip their nascent family apart…
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Film premiere | LIVE Q&A
Dir Asher Rosen | 2025 | 1h 36 mins | Drama, International | CFF12A + LIVE Q&A
IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
2:30 PM | SATURDAY 22.11.25 | THE POLY
The incomparable Jafar Panahi returns with his Palme d’Or winner, an uproarious revenge story with a bitter sting. Haunted by his imprisonment by Iranian authorities, Vahid impulsively kidnaps a man he believes was one of his captors. As doubt over the man’s identity grows, he enlists a motley crew of fellow traumatised ex-prisoners. What follows is a darkly comic, extraordinary road trip through Tehran that is equal parts nail-biting thriller and madcap farce.
Dir. Jafar Panahi | 2025 | 1h 43h | Persian (with English subtitles) | Drama, Thriller | CFF15
Film premiere | Award Winner |
WINNER OF THE PALME D'OR 2025
OUR LAND
5:15 PM | THURSDAY 20.11.25 | THE POLY
Through organised ‘mass trespass’ events, the Right to Roam movement seeks to expand public access to nature — but soon finds itself in conflict with England’s powerful landowners.​
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OUR LAND | Dir Orban Wallace | 2025 | 1h 29 mins | English | Doc | 12A
+ LIVE Director Q&A
THE BIG SEA
7:30 PM | THURSDAY 27.11.25 | WTW LIGHTHOUSE CINEMA NEWQUAY
Surfing is killing it. This $10 billion global industry – built on the dream of carefree spirits, crystal clear waters and an even clearer connection to the natural world – has never been more popular. Surfing has set out its stall as the champion of environmental issues. But surfing has a dirty secret… and people are dying
Dir Lewis Arnold | 2024 | 1 hrs 15 mins | UK | Documentary | CFF12A
+ Director Q&A
H IS FOR HAWK
7:30 PM | FRIDAY 28.11.25 | WTW PLAZA CINEMA TRURO
Claire Foy stars alongside Brendan Gleeson in Philippa Lowthorpe’s beautifully realised and emotionally charged adaptation of Helen MacDonald’s award-winning memoir.
Dir Philippa Lowthorpe | 2025 | 1 hrs 45 mins | UK | Drama | 15
Preview
VOLVER
7:30 PM | TUESDAY 9.12.25 | THE SAVOY PENZANCE
After her death, a mother returns to her hometown to heal old wounds. Blending mystery, humour, and warmth, a rich, moving celebration of family, resilience, and the power of love.
Volver | Dir Pedro Almodóvar | 2006 | 2 hrs | Spain | Drama (Spanish Subtitles) | 15
+ Screen talk | Part of melodrama
SHORTS
THE BEST
SHORT FILMS
THE POLY
The Short Film Competition comprises the lineup of short films across seven competitive sections from local, national and international filmmaking talent. It features the most innovative and adventurous ideas from filmmakers whose short films demonstrate distinctive and genuine storytelling, stylistic boldness, strength of form, and the ambition to use the medium in a way that resists cliché
Dir. Various | 2025 | 20 mins | UK, National, International
Film premiere | Award Winners
INDUSTRY FOCUS 2025: PRODUCING
INDUSTRY
EXPLORING THE ART AND BUSINESS OF SCREEN PRODUCTION
At Cornwall Film Festival 2025, our annual Industry Focus shines a spotlight on the vital and often misunderstood role of the Producer. Whether you're working in short films, feature narratives, factual TV, or digital platforms, producing sits at the heart of the screen industry. ​ This year’s focus explores all facets of producing—from development and financing, to production logistics, distribution strategy, and creative leadership. Through talks, panels, roundtables, and networking, we’ll be lifting the curtain on what it really takes to get a story from script to screen.
STORIES FROM ALL CORNERS OF THE WORLD -
OUR FUNDERS & PARTNERS
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