2026 Film Festival now live

FilmChelt is an independent film festival, run by a not for profit charity bringing an exciting programme of films and events to the heart of Cheltenham.

The FilmChelt team brings a wealth of experience and passion for film programme curation, film making and all things cinema, coming together over the last few years as volunteers while working on a previous film festival in Cheltenham.

The new Cheltenham Film Festival keeps the offer of independent films and events alive in the town. Set up in 2025, the charitable organisation FilmChelt, will take the film festival forward in a new direction, with the aim of giving Cheltonians the chance to see the best films of the year.

We are now planning for the 2026 festival, which will take place from Friday 30 October to Sunday 8 November.

Celebrating Cinema
in Cheltenham

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER

The People Behind Film Chelt

Micheal

Michael Ratcliffe

Chair of the board of Trustees

Michael Ratcliffe MBE is the chair of the board of trustees of the new FilmChelt charitable organisation delivering Cheltenham’s independent film festival. He is the managing director of insurance brokers MR Ratcliffe Consultants Ltd, CEO of Cheltenham Chamber of Commerce and is involved in a range of charities and organisations in Gloucestershire, including a previous film festival in Cheltenham.

simon-sheldon

Simon Sheldon

Trustee

Simon is an accountant and director of a local accounts practice that he jointly founded in 2002. Having stepped back from the day to day running of the practice he is now involved in a number of other businesses as well as originally helping to set up the charitable trust.

freddie

Freddie Holding

Partnerships & FilmChelt Academy

Freddie has a background in photography and spent two years living and working in Hollywood gaining a grounding in the industry and movie classics. Years later, with family fully fledged, she enjoys the buzz of working with the film festival team as it prepares for the next exciting programme about to unfurl. She brings a focus on sponsorship and development to the team.

Laurie Bell

Laurie Bell

Trustee

Laurie has supported the delivery of previous film festivals and events in Cheltenham, including hosting Dame Judi Dench at Pittville Pump Room.

Laurie has extensive experience in providing cultural events and activities, and the promotion of heritage and culture as art that’s accessible for all. As former CEO of The Cheltenham Trust, and director of communications and communities for one of the UK’s largest unitary councils, she brings a wealth of knowledge, expertise and experience in transforming organisations to ensure future sustainability and success.

Chris Hall

Chris Hall

Chief Operating Officer

Chris has extensive commercial leadership and management consultancy experience at companies including Halfords PLC, Redland PLC, Lafarge, and Lucent Technologies. He brings experience in product development, legal compliance, risk management, quality management, and working in commercial supply chain, procurement, and sourcing operations.

Patrick-Bliss

Patrick Bliss

Head of Programming

Patrick has more than 20 years experience of film exhibition in venue, festival and multi arts environments. He has programmed films for The Roses, Tewkesbury since 2007, and also worked as a freelance programmer and consultant bringing the big screen experience to many locations and venues. He has been a member of the British Film Institute Film Hub Southwest strategy group, and was instrumental in developing a previous international film festival in Cheltenham.

David Saitch

Programming, Technology & FilmChelt Cinerama

David is a self employed Project Manager working in the financial industry. An inveterate lover of cinema, he set up a community cinema in Sussex in 2011 which won awards for programming and marketing every year at the Community Cinema of the Year conference. In 2012 he was awarded the Outstanding Contribution by an Individual award at the Community Cinema of the Year awards and in 2017 he was awarded the Roebuck Cup, a special award presented to someone who epitomises the spirit of the community cinema movement and has worked to benefit the movement as a whole. He ran the cinema for over 10 years before moving to Cheltenham in 2022 where he became involved with Cheltenham Film Society and the film festival. He has since been involved in film programming, ticketing, producing newsletters and film delivery.

Fiona Robertson

Producer

To follow...

Veronique Olver

Events & Community

With a scientific and publishing background, I was a founding Trustee of the Curzon Cinema in Clevedon, which we saved from insolvency; we turned it around, and it remains a great Art venue and is commercially successful today. After relocating to Singapore, I started a black-and-white film club that screened over 100 films.
On moving back to the UK, I was a Committee member and on the viewing panel for the Cheltenham Film Society, and I am now looking forward to helping make the Film Chelt Festival a resounding success.

Belinda Hunt

Marketing Co-ordinator

To follow...

Roz Jones

Roz Jones

Community Ambassador

Roz spent over 35 years living in a number of countries and while overseas was always involved in the arts. After moving back to Cheltenham she volunteered with a previous film festival and enjoyed being part of a team. As a sociable person, she enjoys bringing people together through a shared passion for art, music and all things creative.

Julius Marstrand

Concert Organiser

Julius Marstrand is a retired manufacturing and construction manager who has been involved as a volunteer for three years.  He was asked to step in to assist with organising the concert of film music, the Echoes of the Oscars gala night, this year’s new film festival.