‘A festival for everyone’: UNTHINKABLE film and art festival returns
NAIL-BITER: An audience enjoying Sofa Cinema at Humber Street Gallery last year
By Simon Bristow, Co-Editor
A festival of short filmmaking and contemporary art will return to the city this autumn.
Running from October 6 to 11, the UNTHINKABLE festival will partner with venues across the city to bring “bold cinema, abstract art, workshops, music and the unexpected”, organisers say.
Now in its fourth year, UNTHINKABLE has evolved from a volunteer-led celebration of short film into a festival where film “doesn’t sit placidly in the dark, but mixes with music, performance, installation, and the creative energy that defines Hull’s and the greater north’s underground scene”.
The festival is also said to be “rooted in the city’s grit, humour, and bold spirit”. It champions emerging voices, platforms innovative short films, and as a registered charity reinvests directly into Hull’s creative future.
It includes workshops for young people, exhibitions, live performance and community outreach..
Creative director Keaton BMcD said: “UNTHINKABLE has always been about discovery – new filmmakers, new ideas, new ways of seeing. These different perspectives come from inside the city, outside the city, and everywhere in between. And that’s what gives this festival its buzz.
“The arts aren’t an exclusive space. There’s no right way to ‘get’ them. If something speaks to you, that’s enough. We want UNTHINKABLE to feel like an open door. If you’re curious, you’re welcome. If money is tight, pay what you can afford and come anyway. This festival is for everyone.”
UNTHINKABLE 2026 will be produced by Hull-based theatre and filmmaker Andy Pearson, whose work across stage and screen have helped to shape the region’s creative identity. His appointment marks a new chapter of ambition and growth for the festival.
Andy said: “UNTHINKABLE has carved out a distinctive identity as a cultural crossroads – a place where cinema is influenced by the art forms surrounding it.
“This year’s festival will feature major city-wide exhibitions, a fully-funded solo show for a Hull-based artist, expanded youth workshops, interdisciplinary events, and a spotlight on filmmakers from Hull and East Yorkshire.”
Radio 6 DJ Mary Anne Hobbs and Hull-born artist and musician Richie Culver will be back supporting the festival this year through mentoring and curation.
For the second conseuctive year, UNTHINKABLE will be collaborating with Humber Street Gallery to showcase the works of legendary video artist John Smith in a new exhibition Unseen Images. The exhibition will include his most iconic work from the 1970s, Girl Chewing Gum, which will be screened alongside his latest film.
This year’s platformed solo artist is Amy Precious, who has been working with Westbourne House to create The Sound of Your Own Voice exhibition which will be preceded by a film later this summer.
UNTHINKABLE will also be expanding the successful workshops of previous years to provide continuous skill-building sessions to younger people in Hull, including making music videos from conception to production for a special screening.
The festival is also working with London arts organisation SET for the first time to bring a curated night of film, while continuing its long-standing relationship with music-label Industrial Coast for another evening of underground music in HARI, the Hull Artist Research Initiative, in its distinctive and atmospheric post-war industrial space on Francis Street in Hull.
Submissions for the 2026 festival are now open via FilmFreeway. Films must be under 35 minutes and can be submitted in any genre – narrative, documentary, animation, experimental, music video, student, silent, or local. All local filmmakers can access a 50 per cent-off discount code – HULL26 – and are guaranteed a screening at the festival. The deadline for submissions is July 31.