British Urban Film Festival (BUFF) will celebrate its 20th anniversary this October…
BUFF’s 2025 programme includes over 70 screenings, highlighting UK premieres across documentary, feature and short film categories. Notable titles include:
- Johnny Collins’ Inmates With Talent (featuring Ice-T).
- Teoman Sayin’s Tapped (starring Elijah Baker and Jessica Impiazzi).
- Letters to Goddo (dir. Harry Bentil).
- Kayla Johnson and Ashly Robinson’s Fatherless No More (based on the story of ex-Superbowl champion Tim Johnson).
- Nnamdi Kanaga’s Water Girl (starring Stella Damasus).
- Ugandan-German production Hope – Beyond Rape, Murder and War Crimes (supported by George Clooney’s NGO The Sentry).
- Van Alpert’s Skategoat.
The festival includes a dedicated industry programme at Margery Street Community Hall, Farringdon, featuring live script readings and networking events designed to support emerging writers and filmmakers.
This year’s BUFF Awards Ceremony will honour actor and filmmaker Femi Oyeniran with an honorary award presented by actor Aml Ameen, while the Best Actor Award will commemorate the late Anthony Adjekum, recognising outstanding contributions to urban cinema.
“Twenty years on, BUFF continues to provide a critical platform for urban independent filmmaking in the UK, driving visibility for diverse voices and connecting talent with industry leaders,” said Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe, BUFF founder and festival director.
Since 2020, the British Urban Film Festival has been a qualifying festival for British short films and British short animation films selected and screened at BUFF. As of 2025, BUFF is one of 86 qualifying festivals (including 31 British) which allow for films to be eligible for a BAFTA film award in the Best British short and/or Best British short animation category.
The festival opens at Odeon Greenwich on Friday 10th and Saturday 11th October, before moving to Rich Mix Shoreditch (17th–18th October) and Genesis Cinema, Mile End (20th–23rd October). The festival will conclude with the BUFF Awards Ceremony at Genesis Cinema on Friday 24th October.
The festival’s return to a full London programme underscores its position as a significant hub for investment, distribution and talent development within the UK film sector.