Seventy screenings and a star-studded awards ceremony will celebrate the UK’s flagship platform for diverse and independent storytelling.
The 2025 British Urban Film Festival (BUFF) will celebrate its 20th anniversary this autumn with a packed programme of screenings, premieres and industry events across four host venues in the capital.
The festival launches with a star-studded opening weekend at Odeon Greenwich on Friday 10 and Saturday 11 October, before moving to Rich Mix Shoreditch (17–18 October) and Genesis Cinema, Mile End (20–23 October). Genesis Cinema will also host the BUFF Awards Ceremony on Friday, 24 October.
Festival Highlights
The festival opens with the UK premiere of Inmates With Talent – a documentary which takes the tried-and-tested talent show format inside America’s prisons, with contributors including actor and hip-hop icon Ice-T.
Other London premieres include:
An Enemy Within (starring William Moseley, Harrison Daniels, Patrick Baladi & Tristan Gemmill)
Tapped (starring Elijah Baker, Jessica Impiazzi & Georgia Curtis)
Letters to Goddo (directed by Harry Bentil)
Fatherless No More (featuring former Super Bowl champion Tim Johnson)
Water Girl (starring Stella Damasus)
Hope – Beyond Rape, Murder and War Crimes (featuring George Clooney and his NGO, The Sentry)
Skategoat – a long-awaited feature following a boy’s dream of becoming a professional skateboarder, featuring Tyler, the Creator on the soundtrack and executive produced by Gwyneth Paltrow.
In total, more than 70 screenings will take place across the festival fortnight.
Awards & Tributes
The BUFF Awards Ceremony will return to Genesis Cinema for the third time on Friday, 24 October.
Actor & filmmaker Femi Oyeniran will receive this year’s honorary award, presented by actor Aml Ameen.
New for this year: The Best Actor Award will be named in honour of actor Anthony Adjekum, whose sudden passing last year shocked peers and colleagues across the industry.
Industry Programme
BUFF’s industry strand will run from Margery Street Community Hall, Farringdon, including the festival’s annual live script readings on 14 October – a flagship event for emerging writers.
Quotes
“The British Urban Film Festival is among the industry’s flagship events and BUFF is incredibly excited to welcome audiences back to London for the full programme for the first time since 2022 – to celebrate our 20th anniversary in all its glory,” said Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe, BUFF founder and returning festival director, with Annie Apakoh working her first year as festival manager.
“Launching BUFF on the 18th floor of the London Television Centre in 2005 was among my biggest career highlights. Twenty years on, I am delighted that audiences will again experience the emotion, excitement and joy of watching the best urban independent films from the UK and around the world, in the nation’s capital.”
Notes
Festival dates: 10–23 October 2025
Awards Ceremony: Friday 24 October, Genesis Cinema, Mile End
BUFF is a BAFTA-qualifying film festival, recognised as one of the UK’s leading platforms for diverse and independent storytelling.
Sponsors: Hennessy, Lime Pictures, Moxy Hotels, Mogul Magazine, Adrianna Papell, DCP Square