Cheltenham International Film Festival is organised on behalf of Cheltenham International Film Trust; it is the Trust’s flagship event. 

The Trust is a charity created in 2019, dedicated to translate artistic and creative values into social and economic benefits for the town; and to position Cheltenham as a centre of film excellence.  What does that mean? 

It means more and more people visiting the film festival as it grows in size and stature; it means attracting young people to the culture of cinema; it means encouraging students of film to attend college and university here, to study film; it means promoting the town and surrounding areas as a location for film and television production, to help boost the local economy; it means promoting opportunity.

The Trust recognises the power of film to bridge social divides and by engaging with young people in the community – diverse in makeup and inclusive of all - it seeks to inspire the next generation of cinema audience and the next generation of filmmaker, using film-related events – workshops, masterclasses, career panels, film screenings and more.

US President Lyndon Johnson once said: “The arts and the humanities belong to the people, for it is, after all, the people who create them”.  A sentiment which sits well with Cheltenham International Film Trust.  We want our film festival to be a gathering of people, who will enjoy, take part in, share, learn and be informed about film and through film about the world we live in.