Holmlands Adventure Film Festival 2026: The London Line Up
Updated: Sep 3
13 Films. 2 Nights. 9 UK Premieres. One World Premiere.
Holmlands Adventure Film Festival comes to London this September, bringing 13 extraordinary adventure films to the big screen across two special evenings — including nine UK Premieres and the World Premiere of Birdlife.
Taking place in the beautiful screening room at Charlotte Street Hotel, the festival brings together independent filmmakers from around the world for two carefully curated evenings celebrating adventure, exploration, wildlife and the natural world.
From skiing and mountaineering to climbing, wingsuit flying, trail running, kayaking, freediving and adaptive mountain biking, expect remarkable journeys, extraordinary characters, wild places and stories that capture the true spirit of adventure.
Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th September feature completely different programmes, giving you the chance to experience a new collection of films each night — or join us for both evenings and save £10 with a Festival Pass.
With nine UK Premieres, including Birdlife making its World Premiere, this is a chance to discover films appearing on UK screens for the first time, experience outstanding outdoor storytelling and meet some of the filmmakers behind the films.
And we're pleased to welcome audiences with some incredible live music before the films each evening with special performances from the hugely talented Sam Horan on Thursday and We Are All Fossils on Friday. Each musician will be performing a 30 minute set between 7:30pm & 8:00pm, so please be sure to arrive early.
Discover more details for each film in the London line-up notes below.
Thursday 3rd & Friday 4th September 2026
Charlotte Street Hotel, London
Doors 7:30pm · Films 8:00pm
Best Day Ever
Directed by Ben Knight & Berne Broudy
Runtime: 47:56
Thursday September 3rd
Best Day Ever follows the stories of adaptive mountain bikers Greg Durso and Allie Bianchi as they navigate the relentless challenges of their disabilities and embrace the tremendous support, friendship and joy they find in their rural Vermont riding community. Allie and Greg navigate disability and regain independence with humour, attitude, and grit on mountain bike trails that dismantle ableism, build community, and become a blueprint for trails anywhere.
We Wild Camp
Directed by Mark Vaughan
Runtime: 26:44
Thursday September 3rd
Following three very different protagonists across a range of landscape, this short film explores what it means to go wild camping. Who does it, why, where, and what confrontations lie ahead?
Who has the right to belong in our landscapes, and what's so wrong about pitching a tent?
Hunter's Moon (UK Premiere)
Directed by Christina Lusti & Gee Pierrel
Runtime: 14:11
Thursday September 3rd
Ski mountaineers Christina “Lusti” Lustenberger and Guillaume “Gee” Pierrel carve a first ski descent on New Zealand’s Aoraki / Mt. Cook in 'Hunter's Moon'.
One Breath (UK Premiere)
Directed by Alexandre Mendonça
Runtime: 12:58
Thursday September 3rd
In crystal-clear waters, this short documentary dives into Bonito’s underwater world through Paula’s experience. Between the quiet of freediving and the technical immersion of cave scuba diving, the film reveals different ways of inhabiting the submerged world, where body, breath, and awareness align. Subtly, fragments of her life story weave through the narrative, suggesting an active, healthy way of living guided by the rhythm of water.
Volver a mí (UK Premiere)
Directed by Max Jabs
Runtime: 09:54
Thursday September 3rd
Gonzalo’s life changed in an instant after a climbing accident led to the loss of his leg. But his story does not end there. Told through Gonzalo’s own voice, Volver a mí follows his journey back to sport, confidence and joy. An intimate portrait of resilience, identity and returning to yourself after life has changed completely.
The Itinerant (UK Premiere)
Directed by Arkan Zakharov
Runtime: 05:35
Thursday September 3rd
The first in trail poetry series by Arkan Zakharov, 'The Itinerant' follows athlete and writer Inma Naïma Zanoguera on a spiritual journey as she contemplates the act of movement, specifically trail running, as it speaks to the sense of her personal and our collective identity - a contemplative visual exploration of what it means to belong. Starring Inma Naïma Zanoguera and featuring her essay "The Itinerant" narrated by Gina DeMay.
A Baffin Vacation, Love on Ice
Directed by Rush Sturges & Skip Armstrong
Runtime: 26:15
Friday September 4th
Join adventures Erik and Sarah on yet another epic Baffin Vacation as they kite ski north along the remote coastline of Baffin. Over their 69 day holiday they ski mountains, climb an epic big wall, and cross a glacier in search of new rivers to white water kayak.
Dick's-A-Thon (UK Premiere)
Directed by Dylan Young
Runtime: 18:06
Friday September 4th
26 Miles, 5 Meals, 1 Wild Tradition. Learn about Seattle's wackiest marathon and it's mission to honor a friend, and give back to the outdoors.
Birdlife (World Premiere)
Directed by Léopold le Grelle
Runtime: 34:52
Friday September 4th
Birdlife is an international documentary exploring the evolution of modern wingsuit flying through the stories of nine of the sport's most influential pioneers and athletes, spanning multiple generations and nationalities.
Born of Ice (UK Premiere)
Directed by Viktor Björnström & Erik Holmer
Runtime: 20:00
Friday September 4th
Sjoa. Among whitewater kayakers, the name carries something legendary, almost mythical. A river in Norway that today is associated with an entire region of extraordinary paddling waters. What few people know is that the source of this power is fading, just as it is in many other parts of Europe, making the future of whitewater kayaking increasingly uncertain.
We follow Erik, an Olympic kayaker, as he and his friends move through the landscape, floating between white mountain peaks and green valleys. Here, he rediscovers a joy for paddling that he has long been missing. But the retreating glaciers surrounding them stir emotions and raise questions within Erik, questions that seem best answered by nature itself.
Born of Ice is a visually striking film about water and reverence. From a small natural cycle to a planet out of balance.
Kids (UK Premiere)
Directed by Camille Armand
Runtime: 13:20
Friday September 4th
At the heart of the Japanese winter, where snow covers the world as we know it and turns it into a playground, three riders explore a dreamlike landscape.
Their journey unfolds to the rhythm of a child’s voice, questioning adults , what they forget as they grow up, the importance of play, mischief, and the simple pleasure of just being there. And these three skiers who, somehow, still seem to hold on to something of it.
Between reality and animation, the film drifts into a space where boundaries fade, and where childhood might not be so far away.
La Trace (UK Premiere)
Directed by Clément Lefer
Runtime: 11:46
Friday September 4th
Five months after falling thirty meters into an ice crevasse and being rescued by helicopter, Arnaud chose to return. La Trace follows his attempt at the Summum Mont Blanc: 3.8 km of cold-water swimming, 180 km of cycling with 3,000 meters of elevation gain, and the ascent of Mont Blanc from Saint-Gervais, nearly 4,000 meters of vertical climb. All in a single day.
Road 138
Directed by Sarah Warren
Runtime: 18:44
Friday September 4th
On June 10th, 2023, a man embarks on a journey to run 138 kilometers on Quebec’s Road 138, wishing to honor his sister’s resilience facing cancer. This odyssey becomes a brother’s love letter to his sister in the language he knows best: running.
Sam Horan, Live Music
Thursday September 3rd, 7:30pm to 8:00pm
Performing live before the films from 7:30pm on Thursday 3rd September, we are thrilled to be joined by Sam Horan.
Sam is a Cornish Alt Folk singer-songwriter based in London.
With a preference to play intricate, guitar oriented, and tuneful songs in the vein of Nick Drake, Elliot Smith, and Neil Young.
Sam has previously played on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio 6 & BBC Introducing.
Recently he performed at Rock Oyster festival in Cornwall and his debut album comes out in November.
We Are All Fossils, Live Music
Friday September 4th, 7:30pm to 8:00pm
Performing live before the films from 7:30pm on Friday 4th September, we are delighted to be joined by We Are All Fossils.
We Are All Fossils is the musical project of South African-born singer-songwriter Deist Oelofse, originally from Durban. Blending folk, ambient sounds, and deeply personal storytelling, his music emerges from the quiet spaces between time, nature, and self
reflection.
Inspired by landscapes from the shores of South Africa and the rolling hills of the Lake District, We Are All Fossils crafts songs that explore life’s most intimate moments: the delicate tension between stillness and change, the weight of memory, and the quiet resilience of the natural world.
With a sound that’s both intimate and expansive, We Are All Fossils layers acoustic guitars, atmospheric textures, and a voice that carries the weight of everything it has witnessed. His evocative lyrics often reflect on the enduring strength of nature and the human spirit, offering listeners a cinematic, reflective experience.
Each song invites you to pause, take in the beauty of the world around you, and consider the fleeting nature of time and the stories we carry with us.
