The full programme has been revealed for the 12th edition of Scotland’s Folk Film Gathering (FFG26). Mixing new and archive folk cinema from Scotland and across the world with unique one-off live musical performances, the festival will run from 1-10 May 2026 at Cameo Cinema and the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh.
The festival also forms part of the programme of TradFest, Edinburgh’s annual celebration of the past, present and future of Scottish music.
Folk Film Gathering is produced by Transgressive North and funded by Screen Scotland.
FFG26 will open with the World Premiere of Trad Treasure: Jimmy Hutchison. How do songs shape the life of the person who sings them? This special evening of music and cinema will celebrate one of Scotland’s most invaluable tradition bearers, the bi-lingual Scots Gaelic singer and weaver Jimmy Hutchison. Alongside the world premiere of a new documentary exploring Jimmy’s life and work by Edinburgh filmmaker Joseph Matheson, the event will feature a special concert from Jimmy and his protegé Erika Douglas, followed by a discussion led by TRACS director, Steve Byrne.
The festival will then close with a screening of the newly-remastered 1954 Ukrainian classic Andriesh, introduced with a special concert from the Edinburgh Ukrainian Choir. The feature film debut from visionary director Sergei Parajanov now newly remastered by Kyiv’s Dovzhenko Centre, Andriesh follows the story of a young shepherd boy who comes into possession of an enchanted flute, which he must use to defeat the evil wizard known as the Black Whirlwind. An early glimpse of Parajanov’s gift for remarkable cinematic imagery, Andriesh is a magical cinematic folk tale and a classic of Ukrainian poetic cinema.
Learn more about the full programme on the Folk Film Gathering website.
Jamie Chambers, Folk Film Gathering producer, said: “We're excited to be back for another year, as the world's first folk film festival, exploring the many possibilities of what a folk cinema might be. As usual, our programme explores a core of rare Scottish films (including a chance to see some very rare work by the brilliant Bill Douglas) placed within a global context of the most exciting community-engaged filmmaking from across world cinema, with films from Lebanon/Palestine, Kurdistan, Ukraine, Peru and Italy. In particular, we're really proud of our special strand exploring some of the different ways in which Eastern European folk tales have been translated to screen…”
Sambrooke Scott, Head of Audience Development at Screen Scotland said: “Folk Film Gathering is a truly distinctive festival that explores the rich connections between cinema, music, storytelling and lived cultural traditions. By bringing together new films, rare archive works and live performance, the festival creates a unique space where audiences can experience folk cultures from Scotland and around the world in imaginative and inspiring ways. It’s fantastic to be able to support the festival’s continued exploration and sharing of film culture so audiences can experience global folk cinema and celebrate the depth and diversity of Scotland’s own traditions.”
More information
Image credits
Still from Canone courtesy of Folk Film Gathering