Welcome to
Hastings Rocks
indepedent & horror cinema
HASTINGS ROCKS celebrates films that challenges the conversation about horror and independent cinema - works that are unafraid to push the parameters of risk-taking and that reflect on the ever-changing world in which we live. Alongside horror, we embrace drama, comedy and genre films steeped in dystopian, esoteric and noir visions. The festival also screens films made in and around Hastings, with a particular focus on young and emerging filmmakers.
Director's Message
"HASTINGS is an extraordinary coven of creatives, filmmakers and musicians from all walks of life and is fast becoming one of the premier sites in the UK for film and television production. The town’s unique identity has been forged over the course of more than a thousand years of history. As every schoolchild knows, the Battle of Hastings in 1066 saw the demise of King Harold and the birth of modern England.
Gangs of smugglers have inhabited a maze of ancient cliffside caves since the Middle Ages. The town was made into a bustling resort by the Victorians, who built splendid – now decaying – Gothic buildings, while sadly allowing poverty and disease to run riot. The occultist Aleister Crowley spent his final year here, allegedly casting a spell on the town prohibiting those born in Hastings from leaving. Today, Hastings is famed for its vibrant festivities: Jack in the Green, Fat Tuesday, Bonfire Night, etc – now joined, with great pride, by the Hastings Rocks International Film Festival. We're sure you'll find this wonderful town the perfect backdrop to share your film with fellow artists."
Stephanie De Palma
Festival Director
The Festival:
30 Oct - 1 Nov 2026
The next edition of the festival will take place over the Hallowe'en weekend at the gothic art deco The Electric Palace and The Printworks, located in the town’s cyberpunk-esque Gotham Alley. Hastings Rocks has screened films to thousands of attendees since its creation in 2021. Our jury has been presided over by an array of award-winning film and television personalities including Madeline Smith (Live and Let Die, Hammer Horror films), Jo Brand, cult experimental filmmaker Andrew Kotting and writer-directors David Caffrey and Bindu De Stoppani. Please see festival screenings for more information.
