We're delighted to open this year's festival with the latest film from Academy Award-winning director Orlando von Einsiedel.
In 1977, PK, a 23-year-old Delhi street artist from a poor, 'untouchable' family, picked up a handful of paintbrushes and a second-hand bicycle and set off on a 6,000-mile journey to find Lotta, the Swedish woman who had captured his heart. A love story like no other, The Cycle of Love is a heart-warming true story and an epic adventure about courage, self-belief and risking everything to follow what your heart tells you.
The screening will be followed by an in-person Q&A with Director Orlando von Einsiedel:
“I hope the film reminds us that everyone deserves love and that any societal forces that tell us differently need to be interrogated and challenged.”
Orlando von Einsiedel / 2026 / 94 mins / 12A / Sweden, UK / English
Opening Night Party @ 6pm
Join the festival team at Roni & Rita’s (opposite Silver Screen) with a special Doc Lover cocktail, delicious veggie and vegan nibbles and a specially composed playlist. The Opening Night Party starts at 6pm and is free to Festival Pass holders and ticket holders for the opening night film.
Filmmaker Orlando von Einsiedel
Orlando is an academy award-winning director and the founder of award-winning UK creative house grain media. His work includes academy award-winning the white helmets; academy award-nominated Virunga; Bifa-winning Evelyn; Emmy nominated Lost and Found; Emmy nominated Convergence: courage in a crisis; Platino-nominated The Lost Children and critically acclaimed Netflix series Heart of Invictus.
Other work includes academy award-winning Learning To Skateboard in a War Zone (if you’re a girl); emmy-nominated Scouts Honor; and Emmy-winning Buy Now! All of which he executively produced.
Riding Time
Horse-obsessed Jaleal comes of age in the West Yorkshire Moors while carrying forward the ancient colonial-era pastime of Neza bazi - an ancient South Asian cavalry sport adopted by British colonial officers that has two distinct scenes in today’s UK. There is the national team (posh, tweed-wearing) and a quickly growing Pakistani British circuit at the heart of this film. Then there is Jaleal, a dual-heritage competitor who braids manes and sharpens lances while quietly dreaming of show jumping.
Filmed over three summers, this joyful portrait blows the dust off traditional tales of Empire, migration and belonging, alternating between young riders messing around in the stables and the pounding hooves and fine kurtas of competition.
Roopa Gogineni and Farhaan Mumtaz / 2026 / PG / 19 mins / UK, France / English
