September 13, 2025 1pm to 3pm | đź“ŤRio Cinema, Dalston

Underscore Cinema returns!

đź“Ł Brought to you by Underscore Studios in partnership with the British Film Institute (BFI)

Underscore Cinema returns for its second edition — a bold and proudly grassroots festival that champions working-class filmmakers across the UK.
Presented by Underscore Studios and supported by the BFI, this year we’re once again taking over the iconic Rio Cinema in Dalston for a one-day celebration of radical, heartfelt, and boundary-pushing cinema from working-class voices.

Underscore Cinema is one of the very few festivals in the UK that unapologetically and explicitly champions working-class voices. We don’t just include them — we were built for them.

🎟 Free to Enter – On Purpose
Thanks to support from the BFI, submissions are 100% free. No hidden fees for filmmakers, no barriers. That’s the point. Class shouldn’t gatekeep creativity. This is your space.

🎯 Who Is This Festival For?
We welcome UK-based working-class directors, writers, and producers of short films (max. 20 minutes). Whether it’s your debut or your tenth project, whether your film is funny, raw, slow, loud, abstract — if it’s yours and it’s honest, we want to see it.

🌱 What We’re Trying to Do
Platform stories from working-class people
Build a pipeline for working-class talent in the UK film industry
Encourage collaboration, not competition
Make the industry better by making it more representative
Offer film-makers a community

Awards & Prizes

🚫 Why We Don’t Give Out Awards
There are no “winners” here — if your film is selected, you've already won.

In an industry obsessed with competition, we’re creating space for connection. There’s enough competition for working-class artists to get in the room let alone stay there.

No hierarchies, no prizes. Just a room full of people who get it — sharing work, building community, and making space.

Rules & Terms

đź’¬ At Underscore Cinema, we recognise that the definition of working-class is personal, nuanced, and shaped by social, economic, and cultural experiences.
For the purposes of our festival, we define "working-class" individuals as those who meet one or more of the following:
• Grew up in a low-income household with little or no access to wealth, savings, or private education.
• Qualified for free school meals or similar income-based educational support.
• Lived in social housing (council estate, housing association, or similar) during upbringing.
• Had parents or guardians whose jobs were classed as "routine," "semi-routine," or manual labour occupations (e.g., care worker, cleaner, shop worker, construction, driver).
• First generation to attend university or pursue creative careers without existing professional connections.
• Had limited access to cultural capital (i.e., unpaid internships, private tutoring, elite creative training).
We trust filmmakers to self-identify honestly and ask that you only submit under the Working-Class strand if your lived experience aligns with the spirit of these guidelines. For any questions please email info@underscorestudios.co.uk

âś… Entry Requirements
Open to UK-based filmmakers only
At least 50% of the film’s key creatives (Director, Writer, Producer) must identify as working-class.
Films must be 20 minutes or less
Films submitted must be completed after January 2023
All genres welcome (films don’t have to be about the topic working-class but can be)
English subtitles required for non-English dialogue
Films must be submitted via FilmFreeway — no email entries please