Representatives from Adfam joined Recovery Street Film Festival (RSFF) volunteers and Turning Point at Leicester’s Riverside Festival on Saturday 6 June 2026, helping to raise awareness of this year’s competition, which will be hosted in Leicester for the first time.
The Riverside Festival, Leicester’s largest free family and arts festival, provided the perfect opportunity to introduce RSFF to the local community ahead of its arrival in the city later this year. Hosted by Turning Point, Leicester’s local drug and alcohol treatment provider, the team was based in the festival’s Live Well Zone, an interactive space encouraging people to get active and learn about health and wellbeing.
They spent the day engaging with festival-goers, sharing information about RSFF and encouraging them to get involved in this unique celebration of recovery, resilience and lived experience through film.
Adfam’s Policy & Communications Lead Rob Stebbings at the Riverside Festival in Leicester
RSFF uses the power of film to bring people together, challenge stigma and build understanding around the experiences of people affected by substance use and those close to them. Created for people affected by substance use and their families and loved ones, RSFF is a community-led film festival that champions bold storytelling and emerging voices from across the UK.
2026 marks RSFF’s 12th year, with the festival culminating in a live event at the Phoenix Cinema and Art Centre on Saturday 26 September 2026. RSFF is being brought to Leicester thanks to funding from Leicester City Council’s Public Health team. RSFF has also received funding from The National Lottery Community Fund to deliver a participatory filmmaking programme, which will include six workshops across England to support participants in developing filmmaking skills and creating powerful lived-experience films.
Led by Sobriety Films UK CIC, Adfam is a member of the RSFF steering group alongside Freed Up, Phoenix Futures, Project 6, Turning Point and Waythrough.
This year’s theme, Rewriting the Script, explores transformation, turning points, fresh choices, and the power of film to challenge stigma and open up new perspectives. Filmmakers are invited to share honest, inventive, and life-affirming stories in any genre, including documentary, drama, comedy, animation, spoken word, music, and experimental
film. Submissions for this year’s competition are open until 23 August 2026 for short films between 1–3 minutes in length. New for 2026 is the Best Young People’s Film award for filmmakers aged 16–25.
Following a successful day at the Riverside Festival, Adfam and the RSFF team are looking forward to welcoming local audiences, filmmakers and supporters to the Phoenix Cinema in September for what promises to be an inspiring and powerful event.
- Visit filmfreeway.com/RecoveryStreetFF2026 to find out more and enter this year’s competition.
- Visit rsff.co.uk/2026-theme for more information about this year’s theme, Rewriting the Script.
- See RSFF’s ‘how to make a short film’ page for helpful tips and ideas.