Last week marked the return of Film London’s annual Distributor Slate Days, connecting distributors and exhibitors to showcase upcoming theatrical releases and help bring the best cinema the world has to offer to UK audiences.

Now in its 12^th year, this critical two-day event for film culture attracted its biggest-ever attendance. Day one was Presentation Day, with distributors screening trailers and presenting their upcoming release slates and marketing plans – detailing awards, audience comps (comparable past titles to show demand and target markets), and publicity, such as appearances on the Graham Norton or One Show sofas or talent availability for Q&As. Day two was given over to 1:1 meetings.

Boomtime at the box office

Rentrak’s upbeat presentation set the tone for the event: cinema really is back, with Summer 2026 securing the second biggest play week of all time thanks to Spider-Man:Brand New Day and The Odyssey. Music films, family films and original titles all fared well across the year, with France, Germany and Italy out-performing most other territories due to buoyant domestic titles.

There were insights on cinemagoing and gender too – mums are more likely to take kids to the cinema than dads; women are more likely to visit the cinema in a group.

Coming soon to a cinema near you…

Grab your popcorn and settle in for a wild ride! The sheer variety of films on offer shines through – from Nigeria to Norway by way of Kazakhstan, Tibet, and Argentina to name but a few – across just about every genre imaginable. Think offbeat and quirky or big-budget and mainstream, feel-good comedies and emotional big hitters, single set locations and expansive landscapes, plus 4K re-releases, festive titles, anime and animation, horror, documentaries, and stage and literary adaptations aplenty…

If cinema mirrors the concerns of the day, it’s no surprise that stories exploring AI and big tech abound, as well as recurring themes of identity, place and belonging. Youth and family dynamics feature heavily, along with sport (darts, open water swimming, extreme ski-ing), the Cold War, and two very different titles which play out in a taxi.

Music fans are in for a treat, with films about music in the movies, the London Jazz scene, and the story of how Madness got together, a Damon Albarn score for Artificial, and George Michael in spectacular form, in footage from his 1988 arena concert tour.

Spending a day watching trailers in semi-darkness is a slightly disorientating experience. Trailers are designed for impact, with quick cuts and loud soundtracks; effects compounded when viewed at scale. But respect for the form emerges too – capturing the essence of a title in minutes, while enticing viewers to see the full film, is an under-celebrated art.

Catch a selection of Slate Days films at the BFI London Festival (7-18 October 2026), before they roll out on general or selected release.

Special thanks to our supporters the Film Distributors’ Association, our headline partner TAPOS, our partners Filmbankmedia, Rentrak, Showtime Analytics and usheru, our drinks partner Park Circus, and our venue partner BFI IMAX.

Attendees said:

“Slate Days is an invaluable way of meeting exhibitors from all around the UK and letting them know about the fantastic films we have on offer. We always see an increase in bookings after the event and it’s great to finally put faces to emails!”

Bryony Forde, Altitude

“Attending Distributor Slate Days is a critical point in the calendar for Tull Stories. Sometimes as a smaller distributor releasing independent films you’re more overlooked by exhibitors. This brilliant event gives me as equal a platform as the multinationals to let exhibitors know about our films, and that’s an amazing opportunity that has an immediate impact. For my work in exhibition, it’s very handy to see the sheer volume of forthcoming releases, and I always come away with a massive list of titles to consider. I look forward to Slate Days each year.”

Jonny Tull, Founder, Tull Stories

“The Slate Days are now an important date in the calendar for us, we know that come September, we will have the opportunity to showcase our slate for the next 6 months to key exhibitors. It is also a great opportunity to catch up with everyone post Summer and to meet with regional sites!”

Matt Smith, Lionsgate

“Slate Days is a fantastic way to connect with distributors and plan for the upcoming quarters. It was great to be able to put a face to the name of people I have been booking with previously as well as meet new distributors. I found it really useful to discuss with other exhibitors what titles they were excited about and hear about programming across the UK.”

Nicola Scott, Glasgow Film Theatre