Oakhanger Film Festival brings together cinema, community, and the natural world in a carefully curated outdoor setting. Designed as an immersive one-day-and-night experience, the festival invites audiences to gather in a woodland clearing, share in independent short films, and experience live performance in a space shaped by rewilding and creative intention.

“Growing up on Great Barrier Island in New Zealand, I experienced community gatherings surrounded by some of the most breathtaking natural landscapes in the world. Years later, after moving to Liverpool in the UK, I found myself immersed in a vibrant and fast-growing arts scene that deeply influenced my creative outlook.

My journey eventually led me to a rural farm in Oakhanger, Cheshire. Inspired by the land, the journey began rewilding former grazing paddocks, planting over 700 trees and creating a woodland space centred around a ceremonial gathering point.

Whether through art, conversation, or simply sitting together in nature, the woodland was intended to be a space where community can be rebuilt, creativity can flourish, and a deeper connection to the natural world can be rediscovered.

Oakhanger Film Festival was born from this intersection of past and present, with a desire to bring together the power of nature and the arts. It is a celebration of storytelling, community, and our connection to the environment.”

— Festival Director TeAta Browne

Festival Film Programme Director Dr Bernadette McBride is carefully selecting an array of international films that evoke both shifting internal landscapes and the changing environments around us. Designed as an immersive, one-day-and-night experience, the festival invites audiences to connect with storytelling in nature, with overnight woodland camping available for those who wish to stay under the stars and fully embrace the atmosphere.

Bernadette brings a strong curatorial vision shaped by her academic and creative practice. Her PhD research explored how climate change is represented in the arts and in fiction, and her own work reflects this focus.

Her Irish-language short film Sea Monster, which explores rising sea levels, has been selected for ten international film festivals and screenings. Her programming for Oakhanger Film Festival reflects these themes, presenting films that engage deeply with both environmental change and human experience.