The Working Class Film Festival (1)

Festival start: 08 May 2026      Festival end: 10 May 2026

The 8th-10th of May 2026 will see the inaugural Working Class Film Festival take place at The Showroom, Sheffield. Submissions for film and moving image of all types and lengths are invited from producers, directors and writers that hail from a working class background.

The festival aims to highlight the talent of a wide and underrepresented demographic within the film industry; with only 8% of people working within the creative sector being born into a working class family. A key remit of the inaugural weekend is to highlight the many intersections of the working class paradigm, including gender, race and sexuality. The concluding aim of the first year is a will to recognise and journey beyond the kitchen sink into realms of the fantastic, horrifying and wonderful, with a strong encouragement for genre cinema to be submitted.

We welcome submissions in any and all languages.

We are keen to platform those in financial difficulties and waiver codes are available via email.

In the spirit of working class solidarity, no prizes will be given. All works included are presented as a lateral and vital part of the festival.

Work must only be submitted if the majority of the production team, writer or director are of a working class background. The definitions of this are wide and shifting, but for the purposes of this submission guidance, the following markers may be useful in you making a decision upon whether or not you would like to submit to the festival:

- Your parents had what would be classed as a working class job, such as a builder, cleaner, miner, nurse or postal worker.

- You currently or have previously been employed in a working class profession.

- You rely on a monthly salary from labour or freelance employment to survive.

- You have struggled or are struggling to purchase your own house.

- You were one of the first members of your family to attend university.

- You have or continue to receive benefits to subsidise your pay or you are in receipt of benefits because you are unable to/looking for work.

- You received free school dinners, milk or other subsidies whilst at school.

- You have at any point qualified for financial assistance, bursary or scholarship on financial grounds.

- Any film entered may be disqualified if inputted into the wrong category, so please choose carefully. Time sensitive categories take into account any titling or credits attached to the project.

- If you feel that your film fits into two categories, pick the one that is logistically of higher significance e.g. a 60 second documentary would be best submitted as a microfilm rather than a documentary.

- We reserve the right to close the entries early. In the spirit of working class solidarity, no prizes will be given, everyone included is presented as a lateral and vital part of the festival.

- Works must remain legal.

- All intellectual properties must be owned or licensed to the producers of the film, in keeping with UK copywrite law.

- If selected for the festival, the film must be submitted with hard-coded, legible English subtitles.

- Working Class Film Festival reserves the right to utilise stills and excerpts of any works submitted for publicity of the event