Making Waves Film Festival
Portsmouth’s film festival for innovative and inclusive cinema
Making Waves Film Festival is Portsmouth’s film festival returning in 2027 to deliver innovative, accessible and bold cinema experiences.
The festival has been running for twenty years, delivering cinema experience beyond traditional venues and often combining film with live performance, music, food and participation to reach wider and more diverse audiences.
However with film, streaming, gaming, TikTok, YouTube, AI… the way we watch and share stories is changing fast. So we are taking time to listen to audiences, filmmakers, partners and local communities to help create a new vision and three-year plan for the festival.
A festival rooted in place
By presenting film in non‑traditional and community settings, the festival:
- increases access to cultural activity
- animates under‑used spaces
- connects film with local communities
This place‑based approach supports Portsmouth’s ambition to be recognised as a creative and cultural city and Making Waves Film Festival is supporting Portsmouth City Of Culture BID
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Our supporters
Our supporters include No.6 Cinema, Guildhall Trust, University of Portsmouth, Film Hub Southwest, BFI Film Audience Network, and Portsmouth Creates.
Our community partners are Playland-Artswork, Motiv8, Action Asylum, Portsmouth City of Sanctuary and Gosport Community Cinema.
