Film Festivals

UK Student Film Festivals

Please note: Some of the information below may be out of date. A new site will be available from Summer 2015

Film festivals are a great way of getting your film out there and seen by other filmmakers and film enthusiasts. Student film festivals are a good place to start and there are lots of student festivals across the country where you can have your film screened. Submissions for student film festivals are usually free or very small and if they are offering awards then most student festivals have industry professional judging some or all of their categories which is good way of getting professional critique on your film.

The following information was found on the UK film council website: www.britfilms.com/festivals/. Included are the Cambridge Film Festival and the London Short Film Festival which are not student film festivals but festivals where you could also send your films to get screened.


UNITED KINGDOM | Aberystwyth | February

Ffresh - Student Moving Image Festival of Wales

Friday 12th February 2010 - Ffresh Awards Ceremony

Deadline: October
Categories: Fiction, Factual, Games & Interactive Media, Animation, Music Media, TV, Motion Graphics, Welsh Language, and Short Shorts - for work under 3 minutes in length.
Requirements: DVD
Awards: Ffresh Awards for the aforementioned categories as well Best International Film Award
Fees: £5
Administrative address: Ffresh - the Student Moving Image Festival of Wales, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Aberystwyth SY23 3DE, UK
Tel: +44 (0)2920 232746
Email address: james@ffresh.com
Director: James Nee
Website: http://www.ffresh.com


UNITED KINGDOM | Appledore | May

Appledore Visual Arts Festival

2010 dates haven't been announced

Deadline: February
Categories: Open Category, Young People under 18, Film Makers based in the South West, Films on theme of 'Fire & Fury'
Requirements: Maximum 15 minutes - see website for details
Awards: See website for details
Fees: None
Administrative address: Appledore Arts, 3 Marine Parade, Appledore, Devon EX39 1PJ
Tel: +44 (0)7900 212747
Email address: info@appledorearts.org
Director: Fiona Fraser-Smith
Website: http://www.appledorearts.org


UNITED KINGDOM | Belfast | November/December

Cinemagic World Screen Film Festival for Young People

Wednesday 18th November - Friday 4th December

Deadline: July
Categories: Full length feature and short films aimed at 4-18 year-olds. Additional activities include workshops in various aspects of film-making, discussions with international directors
Requirements: 16mm, 35mm. All films in competition must have been produced during the two years before festival
Awards: Best feature and best short films. Also assorted awards for young film-makers from UK and Ireland
Fees: None (except conference)
Festival and administrative address: Cinemagic Ltd, 1st Floor, 49 Botanic Avenue, Belfast BT7 1JL, Northern Ireland, UK
Tel: +44 (0)28 9031 1900
Fax: +44 (0)28 9031 9709
Email address: info@cinemagic.org.uk
Director: Joan Burney Keatings
Festival Programmer: Chris Shaw
Website: http://www.cinemagic.org.uk


UNITED KINGDOM | Birmingham | May

Young Independent Film and Television awards

2010 dates haven't been announced

Deadline: Contact festival for details
Categories: Shorts; documentaries; animation; editing; lighting; visual effects; sound
Requirements: DV tape
Awards: Rising Talent Award
Fees: None
Award Entry address: YIFTA Awards,, Andy Paton FCET, Staffordshire University, Beaconside, Stafford, ST18 0AD
Tel: +44 (0)7731 446905
Email address: yifta2009@Hotmail.co.uk
Director: Anita Kaur
Website: http://www.yifta.co.uk


UNITED KINGDOM | Bradford | October

Co-operative Young Film-Makers Festival

Thursday 8th and Friday 9th October 2009

Deadline: June
Categories: All work considered from individuals or groups under 19 years of age
Requirements: DVD only. Entries must be under six minutes duration.
Awards: Non-competitive
Fees: None
Administrative address: Co-operative Young Film-Makers, 5th Floor New Century House, Manchester M60 4ES
Tel: +44 (0)16 1246 2216
Fax: +44 (0)16 1246 2232
Email address: info@youngfilm-makers.coop
Festival Manager: Debbie Kendal
Festival Co-ordinator: Terry Mcleod
Website: http://www.youngfilm-makers.coop


UNITED KINGDOM | Brighton | October 2010

Student Film Festival Awards

Friday 15th - Sunday 17th October

Deadline: 15th August 2010
Categories: Best Short Film, Best Animated Film, Best Documentary Film. Best Music video. Best Feature Film
Requirements: DV-CAM (PAL-NTSC), MINI-DV (PAL-NTSC) or DVD (PAL-NTSC) only
Awards: SFFA Film Awards
Fees: £15
Administrative address: SFFA Film Festival - 64 Westbourne street, Hove, East Sussex BN3 5PH
Email Address: info@studentfilmfestivalawards.co.uk
Festival Coordinator: Gus Heimsberg Sigurdsson
Website: www.studentfilmfestivalawards.co.uk

UNITED KINGDOM | Bristol | February/March

Screentest: The National Student Film Festival

Friday 26th - Sunday 28th February 2010

Deadline: Monday 4th January
Categories: Films made whilst the filmmaker attended a institution of higher education. 20 minutes maximum. 30 minutes for documentaries.
Awards: Previous awards have been a work placement with Leopold Films and a free entry into the European Film Festival.
Fees: None
Administrative address: Bristol University Students' Union, Queens Road, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 1LN
Tel: +44(0)7743894980
Email address: info@screentestfest.org.uk
Festival Co-ordinator: Holly Wells
Website: www.screentestfest.org.uk


UNITED KINGDOM | Manchester | November

Exposures: new talent in moving image

Tuesday 17th - Thursday 19th November 2009

Deadline: July
Categories: See festival website
Requirements: Student and recent graduate work, made in the UK
Awards: Audience Award, Grand Jury Award, Best of the Northwest more tbc
Fees: None
Administrative address: exposures: new talent in moving image, Cornerhouse, 70 Oxford Street, Manchester M1 5NH
Tel: +44 (0)16 1228 7621
Fax: +44 (0)16 1200 1504
Email address: exposures@cornerhouse.org
Contact: Isabelle Croissant
Website: http://www.exposuresfestival.co.uk


UNITED KINGDOM | Winchester | October

Winchester University Film Festival

Friday 9th - Sunday 11th October

Deadline: Friday 28th August
Categories: see website for details
Requirements: see website for details
Awards: see website for details.
Fees: £5.00, (£10 after submissions close)
Administrative address: Winchester Film Festival 2009, The University of Winchester, Sparkford road, Winchester, Hampshire, SO22 4NR
Email address: Nicola@winchesterfilmfest.com
Contact: Nicola Scott
Website: www.winchesterfilmfest.com


UNITED KINGDOM | Cambridge | September

Cambridge Film Festival

Thursday 17th - Sunday 27th September 2009

*Not a student festival but accepts submission from everyone, although there is a fee involved and a harsher selection process.
Deadline: See festival website for details
Categories: Features, shorts, feature-length documentary
Requirements: 16mm, 35mm, Digibeta, Beta SP, DVD, BluRay and, in the case of features, HDCAM and HDCAM SR.
Awards: Non-competitive
Fees: See festival website for details
Administrative address: Cambridge Film Festival, Arts Picturehouse, 38-39 St Andrew's Street, Cambridge CB2 3AR
Tel: +44 (0)1223 500 082
Fax: +44 (0)1223 462 555
Email address: info@cambridgefilmfestival.org.uk
Website: http://www.cambridgefilmfestival.org.uk


UNITED KINGDOM | London | January

The London Short Film Festival (Presented by Halloween)

Deadline: October
Categories: Short films of all genres
Requirements: BetaSP, Digi-Beta , Mini-DV
Awards: various individual awards, plus Best Film of Festival
Fees: None
Submissions Address: London Short Film Festival, c/o Branchage, Hollybush Place, London E2 9QX, UK
Email address: info@shortfilms.org.uk
Director: Philip Ilson
Producer: Carla MacKinnon
Website: http://www.shortfilms.org.uk


UNITED KINGDOM | Cambridge | June

Cam*Era- The Cambridge International Student Film Festival

Friday the 18th to Sunday the 20th June 2010

Deadline: 20th May
Requirements: made by a student, under 30 minutes
Awards: Regional Award, Excellence Award, Screenplay Award, Best use of resources, Special Award (to be confirmed)
Fees: £5/£10
Administrative address: Cam*Era, 14 Holbroock Road, Cambridge, CB1 7ST
Tel: +44 (0)7950929963
Email address: info@cam-era.org
Director: Franziska Florack
Producer: Carla MacKinnon
Website: http://www.cam-era.org

UNITED KINGDOM | St Andrews | April

Half Cut Film Festival

22nd April 2010

Deadline: 12th April
Requirements: produced by a student registered at a Scottish university and under 20 minutes
Fees: None
Email address: ontherocks@st-andrews.ac.uk
Website: http://www.ontherocksfestival.com