Hastings Rocks 5th Edition
30 October - 1 November 2026
HRIFF is proud to present its 5th Annual Festival!
★ 66 Films ★ Hallowe’en Horror Special ★ Films from Hastings and Beyond ★ Fantastic Feature Films LUNA & WRATH OF THE GODS ★ Special guests David Quantick & Franny Armstrong ★ Showcases from Palestine, Iran and Across the Middle East ★ Bold Storytelling that Questions, Provokes and Inspires Change ★ Come Imagine a Better Future Together! ★
The 5th Edition of Hastings International Film Festival will take place at The Printworks and the Observer Building. We are sure that you will find Hastings to be a charming and friendly setting to showcase your film.
The Printworks is a unique arts venue formally housing the Hastings Observer print press. It is housed inside a Venetian-Gothic style building that originally formed part of the Brassey Institute, a centre of secretive Victorian science experiments. It is accessed through Hastings' cyperpunk-esque Gotham Alley, which is frequently used today in film productions. The upper levels, adjacent to the town library, are industrial-chic hotel rooms.
DID YOU KNOW THAT HASTINGS IS ..?
• Home to infamous occultist Aleister Crowley, nicknamed by the British tabloids as "the wickedest man in the world" & to serial killer George Chapman, prime suspect in the Jack the Ripper investigations
• Site of plague, lootings, fires and many strange unexplained deaths
• Inspiration for Tressell's novel "The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists", known for being the most Marxist novel in English literature
HASTINGS IS ALSO FAMED FOR BEING . . .
• The gateway to the Norman Conquest of 1066
• A bustling seaside resort in East Sussex 60 miles from London
• The birthplace of television (John Logie Baird)
• A vibrant music hub from the 1950s onwards, hosting among many others the Rolling Stones, Who, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Sex Pistols and Clash
• A hub for artists, writers (Robert Tressell, Lewis Carroll, Catherine Cookson) and inventors (John Logie Baird & Alan Turing)
• A lively festival town hosting annual Jack in the Green, Pirate Day, Fat Tuesday and Bonfire celebrations
