Film distributor, streamer and production company MUBI will partner with arts charity Hay Festival to spotlight visionary filmmaking and the best of world cinema in 2025.
The partnership will centre on a new venue at Hay Festival 2025, 22 May–1 June with MUBI bringing audiences daily curated screenings in The MUBI Cinema, and a conversation on one of the main stages focused on the upcoming film adaptation of Deborah Levy’s Hot Milk.
This new partnership brings together two organisations on the frontline of contemporary storytelling, celebrating the blending of art forms and offering audiences access to innovative new projects from the world of filmmaking.
Hay Festival Global CEO Julie Finch said:
“As a charity, we work hard to build bridges of cultural exchange and offer our audiences a world of different experiences on site. Through this new partnership with MUBI, we are delighted to open the first-ever cinema space on site, offering a dynamic blend of screenings, conversations and drop-in events to engage and entertain festivalgoers.”
Tsari Paxton, Director of UK Marketing at MUBI said:
“We are excited to bring some of our very best MUBI Releases to Hay Festival, as we believe that great cinema transcends traditional spaces. We hope the thought-provoking films we champion inspire audiences and spark conversations in dialogue with Hay’s rich, culturally diverse programme.”
Hay Festival 2025 takes place 22 May–1 June in the world’s first booktown, Hay-on-Wye in Wales. Launching the best new fiction and non-fiction, the 2025 Festival will offer insights and conversation around big global issues along with a diverse programme of entertainment.
More than 40 earlybird events are out now, including appearances from writers Fflur Dafydd, Matt Haig, Susie Dent and Elif Shafak; explorer Levison Wood, Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood, historian Tom Holland, actor Tuppence Middleton, R&B legend Billy Ocean, songwriter Tim Rice; and comedians Al Murray and Katherine Ryan.
Events will take place across eight stages in the free-to-enter Festival site at Dairy Meadows in the Bannau Bryncheiniog National Park, offering a range of spaces for audiences to explore and enjoy, including the Bookshop, BBC Marquee, Wild Garden, Make & Take Tent, a host of exhibitors and market stalls, cafés, and the Family Garden – as well as venues around Hay-on-Wye, including St Mary’s Church and Hay Castle.
The MUBI Cinema invites attendees to experience some of the best and freshest MUBI Releases (including Luca Guadagnino’s Queer, Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days and Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun). Between ticketed feature screenings, the MUBI Cinema will be free to access, offering a sample of the platform’s eclectic programming in the form of a curated selection of short films.
Projects and themes woven through the Hay Festival programme will include the News Review each morning; the return of the Hay Festival Sports Day on Wednesday 28 May; South-to-South conversations; Hay Festival Green, prompting innovative solutions to the climate crisis; celebrations of 250 years of Jane Austen and 20 years of Hay Festival’s work abroad; global collaborations with NBO Litfest in Kenya and Lviv BookForum in Ukraine; and a vibrant programme for families and young people, beginning with the free Schools Programme, 22–23 May, and including events throughout the half-term week.
Late nights at the Festival are given over to great music, comedy and entertainment, while a host of free pop-up activities and performances around the site keeps audience entertained between sessions.
The full programme of 600+ events will be released on 11 March.