Manchester Film Festival 2026 rounded off its biggest ever edition this weekend with an awards ceremony recognising the best in independent cinema from across the UK and beyond.
The festival’s 12th edition took place 19-29 March in venues across the city, with eight world premieres, screenings of more than 50 feature films and its largest ever short film programming.
Roman Corrigan’s LifeHack, a screenlife action thriller following four teens attempting a cryptocurrency heist, took home the biggest award of the night: the Golden Bee for Best Feature.
Inflicted Kindness stood alongside it after receiving the Golden Bee for Best Short, and Tunisian director Dhafer L’Abidine won Best Director for his latest feature, Sophia.
It was an understandably big night for filmmaking talent from the North West, with festival favourite Chatlines, directed by Manchester’s Lloyd Eyre-Morgan and Neil Ely, voted the Audience Award for Best Feature.
This is England’s Thomas Turgoose was awarded Best Actor in a Feature for his performance in Synthesized, directed by Salford’s Chris Green.
The Oldham Man And The Sea was awarded Best Documentary Feature and Best UK Feature went to Misper, written and directed respectively by North West filmmaking duo Laurence Tratalos and Harry Sherriff.
Full list of 2026 MFF Award winners
Golden Bee Feature – LifeHack (dir. Roman Corrigan)
Golden Bee Short – Inflicted Kindness
Special Jury Prize Feature – Littermates
Special Jury Prize Short – Uncle Artoo
Best UK Feature – Misper
Best Documentary Feature – The Oldham Man And The Sea
Best International Feature – Maricel
Best UK Short – The Truth About Space
Best International Short – Whim Rules The Child, And Weather The Field
Best North West Short – Squeaky Bum
Best Student Film – Earth
Best Documentary Short – Something In The Air
Best Animation – Yugen
Best Experimental – I Hate Jack
Best Music Video – Blue For You
Best Director Feature – Dhafer L’Abidine (Sophia)
Best Director Short – Dan Sloan (Good Behaviour)
Best Actor Feature – Thomas Turgoose (Synthesized)
Best Actor Short – William Fox (Don’t Worry About Me)
Best Actress Feature – Nell Weik-Clark (Mutt Cat)
Best Actress Short – Karen Henthorn (Jackie is Lost)
Best Cinematography Feature – Afrodite
Best Cinematography Short – Largo
Met Film Rising Star – Matthew Eyre (Safe Space)
Screenplay Competition Winner – Kathryn Robinson (Stationery)
Audience Award Feature – Chatlines
Audience Award Short – From Sidney With Love
Featured image: Mancunian Matters
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