Following the Guardian's editors' picks of the year's best films, the paper invited readers to share their favourite cinema experiences from the first half of 2026. The resulting piece is a collection of short, personal testimonials, with contributors from London to Sydney describing the films that moved, thrilled or surprised them most.

The selections span genres and moods, from Kleber Mendonça Filho's thriller The Secret Agent and the sci-fi drama Disclosure Day to the horror debut Backrooms, whose sets reportedly covered more than 30,000 sq ft. Several readers singled out Jessie Buckley's performances in both The Bride! and Hamnet, while others praised The Drama, Nouvelle Vague, The Mandalorian and Grogu, Project Hail Mary and Song Sung Blue. One reader reported seeing Obsession seven times, saying the film is more enjoyable the fuller the cinema.