CINECITY returns for its 23rd iteration - all you need to know.

Brighton's biggest film festival returns this week for its 23rd iteration.

CINECITY, the Brighton Film Festival, will feature early screenings, short films and documentaries across various independent venues in Brighton and Lewes, including the Duke of York's and Dukes at Komedia Picturehouses and the Depot. The festival will take place over an extended period of 18 days, compared to 10 days in previous iterations, following feedback from cinemagoers.

The festival, co-founded by Frank Gray and Tim Brown, will open today, Thursday, October 30, with a preview screening at the Duke of York's of Hamnet, more than two months before its UK release in January next year.

Photo of the Duke of York's Picturehouse, one of the oldest cinemas in the world. Photo: Fraser Simpon

It is directed by Academy Award winner Chloe Zhao and stars Academy Award nominees Jesse Buckley and Paul Mescal, and is based on Maggie O’Farrell’s bestselling novel, telling a story of love and loss that inspired the creation of Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Photo from Chloe Zhao's Hamnet, starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal. Photo: MUBI

Previous films that have opened Cinecity include The Favourite, The Lighthouse, and last year's A Real Pain.

The festival closes on Sunday, November 16, with a preview screening at the Duke of York's of Rental Family, starring Academy Award winner Brendan Fraser.

Cinecity's website describes there being lots to explore with their programme this year, "from previews of highly anticipated films (The Secret Agent, Pillion, It Was Just An Accident, Sentimental Value, to name a few) to the best of local filmmaking with Ben Wheatley’s BULK, an ultra-low budget feature shot in Brighton and our shorts showcases."

Sam Harris, the regional marketing executive for Brighton's Picturehouse cinemas, speaks highly of the relationship the venues share with Cinecity. He said: "One of Cinecity's main goals is to champion unique and diverse voices, which is something that the Duke of York's has historically also aimed for with its programming. As they go into their 23rd year, the Duke of York's is still one of the perfect places for them to host it. It's a match made in heaven."

Regarding Cinecity's appeal, Sam said: "What's great about Cinecity is that it's not just about the big previews coming up, but about the fact that they're putting a platform there for new filmmakers. You've got a series of short films that are showing at Dukes at Komedia, for instance, and all these other lesser-known films on the programme that you're not going to be able to find anywhere else. They've got some great features from all over the place, and some of the best new voices you need to check out."

Tim Brown, Cinecity's co-founder, is happy with the festival's lineup for this year. He said: "We still have that focus on the best international cinema from around the world and bringing it to East Sussex audiences for the first time. However, we always try and do a couple of new things or just change things slightly. In essence, the 23rd iteration is the same programming ethos, the same approach as it was in our first year back in 2003."

CINECITY co-founder Tim Brown. Photo: Tim Brown

Tim does hope that the future of the festival continues to be bright. He said, "I just hope we continue attracting the funding, the sponsorship and the audiences, so we can keep on presenting an annual festival. It is our choice of films that we're saying to the audiences, 'trust us, come and see these films'. As long as audiences keep coming to our selection, then all should be well."

For more information, visit www.cine-city.co.uk.

(Article originally written as part of a trial day at The Argus in Brighton)