Presented by

Underscore Studios x BFI

2026

🎬 Submissions Now Closed | 🎟️ Tickets Available

Underscore Cinema returns for its second edition — a bold and proudly grassroots festival that champions working-class filmmakers across the UK.

Presented by Underscore Studios and supported by the BFI, this year we’re once again taking over the iconic Rio Cinema in Dalston for a one-day celebration of radical, heartfelt, and boundary-pushing cinema from working-class voices.

Underscore Cinema is one of the very few festivals in the UK that unapologetically and explicitly champions working-class voices.

We don’t just include them — we’re built for them.

February 7th, 2026 1pm to 3pm | 📍Rio Cinema, Dalston

Green gradient background with white text and logo that says 'Click to Submit on FilmFreeway.'
Logo for UnderScore Studios featuring the word 'UNDERCORE' in white capital letters with a feather replacing the letter 'O' and a black background.
Black and white graphic with four circles overlapping, each containing a letter spelling 'BFF' from top to bottom.
People sitting on stage and in audience in a movie theater, with the movie title "Undscore" on the screen behind them.
Marquee sign for the Rio Cinema showing the titles of movies, including 'The Wale', 'Santom', 'Blue Jean', and 'Under Score', with a cloudy sky background.
Three people standing on a stage, one speaking into a microphone, with a large screen behind them displaying the logo 'UNDERSCØRE Studios'.

Programme (2023)

Our last edition showcased bold, diverse work from emerging and established working-class filmmakers. Here’s a look back at our 2023 lineup:

An elderly person appears to be flying through the air above houses, with a cloudy sky in the background.
Neon sign on brick wall displaying the words 'FISH & CHIPS' in red, white, and blue lights.
An animated girl with long brown hair, wearing a pink dress, looks sad and is hugging a teddy bear in front of a window with a snowy scene outside.

FEATHERWEIGHT
Kayleigh Gibbons

HANGING ON
Alfie Barker

STAN
Ben Brown

Four people are having a conversation beside a broken wooden gate on a rural road with open fields in the background. One man is gesturing with his hands while talking, and the others listen.
Clapperboard with film details in front of a woman and two children sitting on outdoor stairs among flowers and greenery.
A man with long hair and a beard wearing a hat with a feather, looking out a window in an industrial-style building.

POP
Margo Roe

THE SKIN I MOVE IN
Christine Ubochi

NOWT
Ash Morris

A young woman with curly blonde hair wearing a black sleeveless top, looking upward with a serious expression, illuminated from behind against a dark background.

THESE STREETS
Tyler Richards