EXPORE DRAMA AT CORNWALL FILM FESTIVAL 2026
DRAMA AT AT CORNWALL FILM FESTIVAL 2026
From Oscar-winning directors and internationally acclaimed filmmakers to extraordinary new voices, this year's drama programme brings some of the most exciting films of 2026 to Cornwall.
Expect unforgettable performances, complicated relationships, dark humour, unexpected twists and stories that stay with you long after the credits roll.
I SEE BUILDINGS FALL LIKE LIGHTNING
MONDAY 16 NOVEMBER | 7.30PM | THE POLY, FALMOUTH
Five friends. One estate. Dreams that didn't come true.
Patrick, Shiv, Rian, Oli and Conor grew up together on the same Birmingham estate, sharing friendships, trouble and dreams of the lives they would one day lead. Now approaching 30, reality looks very different.
Acclaimed British director Clio Barnard returns with her fifth feature, a moving portrait of friendship, class, ambition and the ties that bind us to the places we call home.
WILD HORSE NINE
MONDAY 16 NOVEMBER | 5PM | THE POLY, FALMOUTH
CIA agents, Easter Island and a mission going sideways.
Shortly before Chile's 1973 coup, two CIA agents are dispatched from Santiago to Easter Island. Among its iconic statues, old secrets, new conspiracies and an unexpected friendship begin to derail the mission.
From Oscar-winning writer-director Martin McDonagh, starring Sam Rockwell, John Malkovich and Steve Buscemi. A darkly comic thriller from the filmmaker behind The Banshees of Inisherin and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
JOSEPHINE
TUESDAY 17 NOVEMBER | 8PM | THE POLY, FALMOUTH
A child witnesses the unthinkable, and everything changes.
Eight-year-old Josephine witnesses a violent assault in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Unable to fully comprehend what she has seen, she begins acting out as she searches for a way to feel safe again.
Starring Gemma Chan and Channing Tatum, Beth de Araújo's gripping and emotionally powerful drama explores childhood trauma, family and the limits of parental protection.
LA BOLA NEGRA
TUESDAY 17 NOVEMBER | 5PM | THE POLY, FALMOUTH
Three men. Three eras. One extraordinary story of love and desire.
Spanning different generations, this sweeping drama explores the intertwined lives of three men connected by sexuality, longing, pain and legacy.
From Spanish filmmakers Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi comes an ambitious, visually striking story about identity, repression and the enduring connections between generations.
ONLY WHAT WE CARRY + Q&A
FRIDAY 20 NOVEMBER | 7.30PM | THE POLY, FALMOUTH
Old relationships. Buried truths. Six extraordinary days in Normandy.
When dancer Charlotte returns home to Normandy with her sister, a reunion with her former choreographer brings old insecurities and long-buried truths back to the surface.
Shot in just six days with a largely improvised screenplay, Jamie Adams' intimate drama stars Sofia Boutella and Simon Pegg.
A special festival gala screening with filmmaker Q&A.
THE DEBUT
SATURDAY 21 NOVEMBER | 2.30PM | THE POLY, FALMOUTH
A small part. A big transformation. And a whole lot of drama.
When shy housewife Mona lands a tiny part in a local musical, something unexpected happens. Drawn into the intense world of community theatre and under the spell of its formidable director, Mona becomes fiercely committed to her role, with increasingly hilarious consequences.
Jesse Eisenberg's witty and sharply observed comedy-drama explores ambition, identity and the irresistible pull of the spotlight.
GLORIOUS SUMMER
FRIDAY 20 NOVEMBER | 5PM | THE POLY, FALMOUTH
Three young women spend their days in the idyllic surroundings of a luxurious estate, where everything appears perfect. But beneath the sun-drenched beauty lies a strange and increasingly unsettling reality. Blending dark humour, surrealism and psychological drama, Glorious Summer explores freedom, conformity and the desire to escape a world where even paradise can become a prison. A visually striking and provocative debut that invites audiences to question what freedom really means. UK Premier
BOOK TICKETS
TENDER LOVING CARE
SATURDAY 21 NOVEMBER | 7.30PM | THE POLY, FALMOUTH
A complicated, quietly heartbreaking drama about friendship, ageing parents and the sadness of lives moving in different directions.
Amy spends her working life protecting vulnerable children. After the end of a relationship, she moves back in with her best friend Rosie, while her ageing parents face a crisis of their own.
Cornwall Film Festival Patron and legendary British filmmaker Mike Leigh returns with a funny, compassionate and deeply human portrait of friendship, family and the people whose lives are spent caring for others.
THE EDUCATION OF JANE CUMMING
SUNDAY 22 NOVEMBER | 7.15PM | THE POLY, FALMOUTH
Edinburgh, 1810. Two women dare to imagine a different future.
Two governesses realise their dream of opening a school for girls, offering them a rare chance at an independent life. But the arrival of a new pupil sets in motion a chain of events that threatens everything they have built.
Based on an extraordinary true story, Sophie Heldman's compelling period drama explores independence, reputation and the devastating power of accusation.
FATHERLAND
SATURDAY 21 NOVEMBER | 5PM | THE POLY, FALMOUTH
FROM OSCAR-WINNING DIRECTOR PAWEŁ PAWLIKOWSKI
From the acclaimed director of Ida and Cold War comes a stunning black-and-white drama starring Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall, The Zone of Interest).
In 1949, Nobel Prize-winning writer Thomas Mann returns to a Germany still reckoning with its recent past. A beautifully crafted, thought-provoking film exploring exile, identity and the complicated meaning of home.
COME FOR THE FILMS. STAY FOR THE CONVERSATION.
Some extraordinary storytellers on the big screen. Join us this November for stories, fresh perspectives and films that stay with you long after the credits roll.
Thank you for supporting the CORNWALL FILM FESTIVAL 2026
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