2020 film festivals you can watch from home

Still don’t fancy the potentially toxic miasma of enclosed spaces in 2020? Here are some online options to satisfy your craving for fresh film.

Locarno 2020, 5-15 August 2020

Locarno Film Fest has been running since 1946. The Piazza Grande won’t be full of eager art house film enthusiasts this year, but there are still six sections, three competitions, and a busy online programme.

Hip Hop Film Festival, 6-9 August 2020

Five years old, this festival caters to writers, directors and producers who grew up in the hip hop culture. Now, it’s catering to online moviegoers too. The site has an interactive festival campus to complete the experience.

Blackstar Film Festival, 20-26 August 2020

A film festival focussing on the African diaspora, as well as indigenous and other communities of colour. This year, its featured documentary, “Through The Night,” looks at the cost of the current economic system through the lives of three working class Americans.

Outfest, 20-30 August 2020

Running since 1982, the most well-known festival of LGBT+ film in the world is online for 2020. See the programme here.

BFI Film Festival, 7-18 October 2020

Fifty virtual premiers, online Q&As, and twelve days of film. Here’s the BFI’s blog post on festival details at the moment, but visit their main site for further updates closer to the time. They also run regular online events under their “BFI at home” YouTube Channel.

Nosferatu Film Festival, Oct-Nov 2020 and ongoing

An independent horror festival in its first year.

Raindance Film Festival, 28 Oct – 7 Nov 2020

Only the films in the UK selection will be limited, via geo-blocking, to the UK; the rest will be available to view internationally. The festival programme will be announced in September.