Written by Chris Swan
November 6, 2026
Fantastic Premieres at the 2026 Russell Hobbs British Film Festival
The 2026 Russell Hobbs British Film Festival has arrived at cinemas across Australia!
Dive into the star-studded line up of this year’s festival, which includes heartfelt dramas, hilarious comedies and inspiring documentaries featuring some of the greats of British film and television, from both in front of and behind the camera.
This year Madman are proud to bring a selection of fantastic films to the festival, including an exclusive world premiere and three brand new Australian premieres.
Parky
World Premiere
How did a miner’s son from working-class Yorkshire become Britain’s most celebrated interviewer, beloved by millions and knighted by the Queen, yet never truly believe he belonged?
From the producers of Academy Award nominated documentary Porcelain War comes this revelatory portrait of Sir Michael Parkinson, the brilliant and complicated man behind ‘Parky’, Britain’s greatest interviewer. Told through Sir Michael Parkinson’s own words and revelatory testimony from those closest to him, this intimate portrait looks beyond the beloved ‘Parky’ icon to reveal a brilliant and complicated man who spent a lifetime drawing the truth from others while keeping his own carefully hidden.
Introduction and Q&As from members of the filmmaking team the world premiere on Sunday Nov 8th, at Palace Norton Street Cinema.
Book Tickets
Onwards and Sideways
Australian Premiere
Tony Evans is deputy head of a primary school. Emma Dretzin is a musician and composer, and single mother of two daughters. Neither knows the other. Until a startling encounter changes the course of their lives. On the same morning, these two are simultaneously confronted with a diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease.
A powerful, life-affirming drama from Academy Award nominated director John Madden (Shakespeare in Love, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), ONWARDS AND SIDEWAYS is a story of a friendship which unfolds unexpectedly. A story of humour and emotion, of challenge and bravado, of music and dance – transcending the assumptions of a little understood condition, and triumphing over the odds to find joy, release and love. Starring BAFTA Award winner Rhys Ifans and Academy Award nominee Laura Linney.
Book Tickets
A Long Winter
Australian Premiere
Based on the short story by Colm Tóibín, A LONG WINTER is the new drama from acclaimed director Andrew Haigh (45 Years, All of us Strangers), featuring an all-star cast including Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Caitríona Balfe, Fred Hechinger and Martin Freeman.
In 1951, high in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, Mike’s world is thrown into uncertainty when his mother vanishes into the wilderness. Alongside his complicated father, and with their small mountain community rallying together against the unforgiving winter, Mike embarks on a search that leads him toward an unexpected journey of self-discover.
Book Tickets
Virginia Woolf's Night & Day
Based on Virginia Woolf’s funniest novel, NIGHT & DAY is an un-romantic comedy about a passionate astronomer Katharine Hilbery who does everything she can to avoid romantic love and marriage. Fun and contemporary in tone, this refreshing film showcases an ensemble of humorous performances from an all-star cast including Haley Bennett, Jennifer Saunders, Lily Allen, Jack Whitehall and Timothy Spall.
Virginia’s story is as relevant to today as it ever was: women balancing romantic love with careers!
Book Tickets
Extra Geography
EXTRA GEOGRAPHY is a story of growing pains and teenage nostalgia that is as intimate as it is universal. The film takes women back to that formative best friend and the magical time of life when anything seemed possible.
This funny, authentic coming-of-age story is an intimate snapshot of the challenges and joys of teenage girlhood. Flic and Minna are best friends and high achievers at a British girls’ boarding school. Their intimate friendship and universe are challenged when they decide to become more “worldly” and embark on their big summer project: to fall in love with the first person they see, who happens to be their geography teacher Miss Delavigne.
Book Tickets
The 2026 Russell Hobbs British Film Festival runs in cinemas across Australia, October 28 – December 6.
More information and the full program are available here: https://britishfilmfestival.com.au/
