Outlander and Heartstopper favourites' emotional and snowbound new film finally gets UK release date confirmed

A UK release date for the highly anticipated drama A Long Winter has finally been announced.

The movie, which is directed by Andrew Haigh (All of Us Strangers, 45 Years) and is based on a story by Colm Toíbín, will have its UK premiere at the 70th London Film Festival on 14 October 2026, and will then be on general release in cinemas from 15 January 2027.

Filmed on location in Alberta, Canada, the movie stars Fred Hechinger (Gladiator II), Caitriona Balfe (Outlander, Belfast), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear), Kit Connor (Heartstopper) and D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (Reservation Dogs).

The official synopsis reads:

"In 1951, high in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, Mike’s (Hechinger) world is thrown into uncertainty when his mother vanishes into the wilderness. Alongside his complicated father, and with their small mountain community rallying together against the unforgiving winter, Mike embarks on a search that leads him toward an unexpected journey of self-discovery, belonging and the quiet strength required to carry on."

The film has already been shown at the Telluride Film Festival in early September, as well as the Toronto Film Festival, where it received high praise.

Director Andrew Haigh is best known for the 2023 LGBTQ+ love story All of Us Strangers, which starred Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Claire Foy and Jamie Bell and was nominated for six BAFTAs including best film, best director and best screenplay.

Previously, Haigh earned acclaim for his 2011 drama Weekend, the LGBTQ+ series Looking, the period drama series The North Water, which starred Colin Farrell, Jack O'Connell and Stephen Graham, and the movie 45 Years, starring Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay.

Speaking about his new movie to The Hollywood Reporter, Haigh said: "I think of this film as a bookend to a lot of things I’ve been exploring over the last 15 years of making films."

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He continued: "As I’ve grown up and my life has changed — all of these stories that have been me trying to understand my own background, my life, my childhood, absences in my own life and certain losses — I’ve come to terms with a lot. So I feel like this is an endpoint."

Haigh's latest film is one of many British debuts heading to the BFI London Film Festival 2026, with the full line-up including such anticipated releases as Mike Leigh's Tender Loving Care, Carol Morley's 7 Miles Out and Clio Barnard's I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning.

A Long Winter will be released in the UK on 15 January 2027.

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