Our Story
Oska Bright Film Festival is the world’s leading festival for films made by or featuring people with learning disabilities or autism.
With less than 5% of disabled people working in the UK film industry, Oska Bright Film Festival, is driven to make change happen. Working internationally with industry partners and funded by the BFI, our team produces the BAFTA qualifying Oska Bright Film Festival, promotes accessible screenings, runs training for venues and develops skills for aspiring filmmakers.
“Collaborations with …Oska Bright…recognise the power of film to create change and highlight injustices and inequalities within the industry and society as a whole.” Rich Warren, Encounters Film
Oska Bright Film Festival puts people with learning disabilities, autism or Aspergers where they should be, on the big screen. We show bold, exciting and different work from voices you might not have heard before.
Oska Bright Film Festival was founded in 2004 by a group of learning disabled filmmakers frustrated at having nowhere to show their work. Starting as a one day celebration of work, the festival has since grown hugely in size and impact.
At the most recent festival in March 2022 we showed 99 films from 19 different countries and welcomed 3,500 people through our doors. Audiences grow stronger each year and we’re excited to see demand increase for these stories.
Oska Bright Film Festival tours the UK and abroad in non-festival years sharing award-winning films and features, running workshops and hosting seminars. We have previously partnered with Barnes Film Festival, Bristol Encounters Film Festival, Norwich Film Festival, Aesthetica, Tate Modern, Glasgow Short Film Festival and more.
The festival is managed and delivered by a team of ten learning disabled artists, all passionate about film and exhibition. It is presented by the award winning learning disability art organisation Carousel, which brings learning disability arts to the front.