Following the success of 2026's festival , we are delighted to announce the 10th RAINBOW UMBRELLA Film Festival, which will take place at THE HEN & CHICKENS THEATRE in January 2027. The programme will be announced in December 2026 and tickets will go on sale at unrestrictedview.co.uk & uvff.co.uk

The festival is run by filmmakers and aims to celebrate the very best in indie and encourage all aspects of independent LGBT film making.

As well as live screenings, there will also be various networking events to be announced shortly.

The Festival is at The Hen & Chickens Theatre, an independent cinema in Islington, North London and the pub below will be the networking and meeting place.

Festival Director Mark Lyminister has worked with Unrestricted View and been Theatre Manager of The Hen & Chickens Theatre for many years. He has also worked extensively as an actor in theatre, film and TV.

" Rainbow umbrella has been set up to encourage actors and film makers from the LGBT community to have a platform to express their hopes, fears, desires and experiences and share them with new audiences. We aim to allow anyone with a voice, an opinion, a vision, a calling, to be free to write, act, direct and be free to express themselves through the medium of film. From first time film makers with little or no budget to the films with more experience and financial clout, they are all welcome under our umbrella!
We want to share films that show every emotion of someone experiencing life as an LGBT person."

Awards & Prizes

Best Short
Best Director
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Cinematography
Best Screenplay
Special mentions

Rules & Terms

1. No films completed before Jan 2024
2. Non-English films must have subtitles Embedded.
Please note that Judges are not able to give feedback
24 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Isabela Lisboa

    We were delighted to present Dinner for Six in the UK for the first time during the 9th edition of Rainbow Umbrella. Although I couldn't attend, I appreciated the cozy atmosphere of the festival. Thank you!

    March 2026
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  • Darren Stewart-Jones

    We had a wonderful time at this festival in London. It was a great opportunity to chat with audiences and other filmmakers. Really glad we attended in person from Canada.

    February 2026
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  • Tom Paul Martin

    A small festival not to be underestimated - the quality of films in our block was top-tier and it was an honour for our film, 'WHERE ARE ALL THE GAY SUPERHEROES?' to be among them.

    Mark was very communicative throughout the process and the screening itself was a true pleasure. An intimate screening over a pub in the heart of Islington that feels very much like what festivals should be about: quality films with an invested audience.

    Winning 'Best Actor' for our wonderful lead Rory Fleck-Byrne was the cherry on top. Thank you RUFF - we hope to be back soon.

    April 2025
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  • Henry Baker

    RUFF is one of the most amazing film festivals ever. What an important festival for our community. To be included with these important LGBT+ filmmakers touches our hearts. There's no better quality, no festival with better communication, networking and publicity across so many social media platforms. Great festival, great team.

    January 2025
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  • Ryan Paige

    We were thrilled to be selected for RUFF - from the very beginning, communication was clear, regular and very friendly and accessible. We were lucky enough to attend the festival and had an amazing time - the experience was fantastic. We loved the venue - The Hen & Chickens Theatre where we had a very warm welcome and each detail had been considered. All of the films that were screened were of brilliant quality and it was wonderful to see the space packed with such a generous audiences who were very supportive and encouraging with their responses to each film - it was lovely to walk in and see how well received each short was. It is no small feat to pull off a festival so meticulously, smoothly and with so much love at the centre of it. The cherry on the cake was our short, Making Up winning The Festival Director's Award. Thank you for a brilliant experience, Mark and the entire RUFF Team!

    January 2025
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