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Encounters Film Festival reveals 2025 competition line-up

Aug 27, 2025

How to Shoot a Ghost still showing two people walking in the street — A still from *How to Shoot a Ghost* (Credit: Kanopy)

Bristol’s Encounters Film Festival has unveiled its 2025 competition programme, featuring UK premieres from filmmakers including Charlie Kaufman, Mark Jenkin, Ida Melum, Georges Schwizgebel and Simon Ellis.

Taking place between Wednesday 24 and Sunday 28 September, the festival will boast 44 premieres in total, including 33 from the UK and global debuts for films from China, Kazakhstan, Poland, Norway and the US.

In total, Encounters will showcase films from over 50 countries, with the festival continuing its focus on spotlighting “bold new voices” as it celebrates its 30th edition.

Executive director Dave Taylor-Matthews said: “This programme represents everything Encounters stands for–bold new voices, exceptional storytelling and the continued vitality of both British filmmaking and cinema’s universal language.

“We’re thrilled to present UK premieres from Charlie Kaufman, Mark Jenkin, and many other celebrated auteurs alongside stunning new works from artists that will define the future of film.”

Ovary-Acting still showing a woman holding a baby as an older lady looks on — A still from *Ovary-Acting* (Credit: Jante Films)

These new works include Kaufman’s How to Shoot a Ghost, Jenkin’s I Saw the Face of God In the Jet Wash and Melum’s Ovary-Acting.

Audiences will also get the chance to see From One Painting… to Another, from director Schwizgebel, and Notes from Planet Three by Ellis, alongside Oscar-nominated works from Nina Gantz (Wander to Wonder) and Bill Morrison (Incident).

Bristol and the South West are also widely represented in competition with films from Paul Holbrook, Xenia Glen, Ellen Mcdougall, Laura Tofarides, Siôn Marshall-Waters, Edward Rowe, Penn Bálint, Ada Player and Bron Waugh, Karni and Saul, Matty Crawford, and Ross Harrison (whose The Alphabeticians will world premiere).

The 2025 official selection aims to “celebrate both the continued vitality of British filmmaking and cinema’s universal language through diverse international perspectives across live action, animated, documentary and experimental films”, Encounters added.

The full competition line-up is available on the Encounters website.