The British Urban Film Festival (BUFF) is moving from its traditional October slot to May 4-9 2026, and has named film critic Kelechi Ehenulo as its artistic director.
Festival founder Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe told Screen the shift, which now places the UK festival after awards season and just ahead of Cannes, aims to position the festival ”at a point where conversations around recognition, legacy, and next-stage opportunity are active, rather than still speculative.
”October increasingly places festivals in a congested launch window, whereas early May allows BUFF to operate as a moment of reflection and forward momentum - celebrating achievement while also spotlighting work that is moving into its next phase.
”In terms of Cannes, we’re conscious it’s a busy period, but BUFF isn’t designed to compete with the market side of Cannes. The May dates allow us to sit adjacent to that global conversation without overlapping it directly, offering a London-based cultural and industry moment that complements rather than collides with Cannes activity. It also gives filmmakers, talent and partners clearer visibility earlier in the year.”
Ehenulo has written for UK film magazine Empire and has worked as a production manager at Renaissance Studios, on shows including ITV’s The ReStore and Channel 4’s The Dating Pool.
The festival, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2025, has been without a dedicated artistic director for the past few editions, with Anyiam-Osigwe steering the ship with the help of festival manager Annie Araba, and Emmanuel’s wife Clare Anyiam-Osigwe as co-chair.
“I’m delighted to become BUFF’s artistic director for their 2026 season,” Ehenulo said. “Film has always been a passionate love for me, and this role presents an exciting opportunity to usher in the next generation of filmmakers from our community.
Dreaming Whilst Black actor Jo Martin will receive the festival’s honorary award at the next edition.
Filmmaker revenue model
Starting from the 2026 edition, BUFF is introducing a new box office revenue share and post-festival reporting model for selected feature films screening in-person at the festival.
Under the initiative, participating filmmakers will receive 70% of the net box office from qualifying screenings after the cinema split, with BUFF retaining the balance to support festival delivery.
BUFF said it will provide a guaranteed post-festival sales report for each participating film, detailing verified ticket sales and audience performance data.
The report “is designed to support future distribution, funding and exhibition conversations by offering clear, credible evidence of audience demand. This initiative reflects BUFF’s ongoing commitment to filmmaker sustainability, transparency and long-term creative viability,” according to a BUFF statement.
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