LONDON, 10 October 2026 — The Soho Film Awards, the annual festival that celebrates original British and international independent cinema, have announced the winners of their 2026 edition. The festival opens with an awards evening and short-film showcase at The Savile Club, Brook Street, Mayfair, on Friday 16 October 2026 from 6pm. It is the festival's first awards celebration in London.

Under the motto The Spirit of Independent Cinema, the Soho Film Awards seek out contemporary films with timeless qualities, judged on storytelling, performance, direction and artistic integrity. This year's submissions, received through FilmFreeway, spanned comedy, drama, romance, thriller, and fantasy, along with a striking number of arthouse, surreal, and experimental works.

The 2026 winners:

  • Best Feature Film: Last Supper (USA, 2026), directed by Sonny Corona III
  • Best Short Film: Something Pointless (UK, 2026), directed by Asa Bailey
  • Best Indie / Alternative / Arthouse Feature: Beyond Mamushi (UK, 2025), directed by Martin Daniels
  • Best Comedy Feature: Rest In Peace, If You Can (France, 2025), directed by Charly Ongolo and Michel Nogara
  • Best Leading Actor / Actress: Yekaterina Molostova, Bye-Bye, Sing Sing (USA, 2026), directed by Peter Valentino
  • Best Short Drama: Empathy Rehearsals (Italy, 2026), directed by Jacopo Cullin
  • Best Short Thriller: Drop Number 8 (USA, 2025), directed by Ryan and Chad Chamberlain
  • Best Short Romance: We Are Where We Are (UK, 2026), directed by Clara Planelles
  • Best Short Sci-Fi / Fantasy: Dead to Door (UK, 2026), directed by Kate Lloyd
  • Best Short Indie / Alternative / Art House Film: This Will Make You Sleep Instantly (Greece, Romania, UK, 2025), directed by Michalis Langas
  • Best Short Film Screenplay: The Race (Ireland, 2026), written and directed by Edelle Kenny
  • Best Short Film Cinematography: A Girl Called Alice (UK, 2026), directed by Tristan Loraine

The top prize goes to Last Supper, a Southern noir tragedy in which a grieving father's quest for vengeance becomes a reckoning over a single dinner. Best Short Film winner Something Pointless, from the Welsh virtual-production pioneer Asa Bailey, stars BAFTA winner Owen Teale and Olivier Award winner Sophie Thompson.

The opening night

Guests, filmmakers and members of the jury will gather from 6pm. From 6.30pm by a curated programme of short films and the presentation of the awards. The programme includes the world premiere of Theatre Royal Battersea Rise by Tim Heath and Tom Swash, Tania by Adam Bouabda, starring Stephen Tompkinson, and Muddled Meals by Christie Arnold, starring Rula Lenska, alongside several of this year's winners. Private screenings of the feature films will follow on dates to be announced.

A number of award-winning actors and legends of British cinema are expected to attend. Places are limited by the capacity of the venue.

Ima von Wenden, organiser of the Soho Film Awards and producer of Cinelion UK, said:

"Independent filmmakers are the conscience of cinema. They work on small budgets and big convictions, and they tell the stories nobody else will. This year's entries were braver and stranger than we dared hope, from Southern noir to surreal arthouse shorts, and every one of our winners deserves a far larger audience. That is why we need this festival, and why we are bringing it to the heart of London."

Partners

The Soho Film Awards 2026 are supported by SohoMag, the Soho magazine, and by the Eccentric Club, the historic London club with long-standing ties to the theatre and the acting profession.