T H E  S H O R T  F I L M  C O N T E X T 

P A R T  V:

E X H I B I T I O N:  F E S T I V A L S

      U K  P R E - E M I N E N T  F I L M        F E S T I V A L S

UK Pre-eminent Film Festivals

According to Raindance's list of the world's top short films, notable UK Film Festivals are as follows:

• Raindance Film Festival

• London Short Film Festival

• Edinburgh International Film Festival

• Manchester International Film Festival

• Encounters International Short Film Festival

• Leeds International Film Festival

• Aesthetica Short Film Festival

Film Network no longer exists as a part of the BBC, and so they have launched their website which no longer has a guide to film festivals. Their website functions more as a platform to upload and share films. However, the Film Network is partnered with several film festivals, including Encounters Festival, which is preeminent in the UK.

UK Pre-eminent Film Festivals

Raindance Film Festival 

Raindance accepts feature films, short films and music videos, comprising of either narrative, animation or documentary. Filmmakers even have the option to submit a virtual reality film. Shorts and virtual reality for this festival are accepted to be under 45 minutes, whilst features are longer than this.

Submissions are required through withabox.com or filmfreeway.com, which are both websites in which the user registers their details, and can upload their film ready to send off to the festival.

Raindance is competitive, as those with films that are screened are in with the chance of winning one of the following:

- Best Film

- Best Director

- Best Screenplay

- Best Actor

- Best Actress

- Best UK Feature

- Best Documentary Feature

- Discovery Award

- Best Short

- Best UK Short

- Best Music Video

 

Shorts that are featured within the festival go on to

become eligible for Oscar, BAFTA and BIFA nominations.

London Short Film Festival

UK applicants for the London Short Film Festival may submit their films on Flock, which is an online platform for submitting films, created in association with Shooting People, whilst those outside of the UK can apply using filmfreeway.com.

 

The London Short Film Festival is a competitive one, as awards are given to the short films that come under the following categories:

- The British Council Best British Short Film

- ShortsTV Best International Short Film

- Encounters Short Film & Animation Festival Best Animated Short Film

- The Institute of Contemporary Art Best Experimental Short Film

- Kodak Best Cinematography

- LOCO London Comedy Film Festival Best Comedy Short Film

- Lomography Best Lo-Budget Short Film

- Londonist Best London Short Film 

- Open City Docs Best Documentary Short Film

- MMBF LSFF Rising Star

- Shooting People Best Student Short Film

-Women In Film & Television UK Best Woman Director

 

The winner of each award gets a prize from its sponsor, for example, the Best Cinematography wins 4000ft of 166mm/35mm Kodak Motion Picture film.

 

 

Edinburgh International Film Festival

Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) accepts a short film as anything under 30 minutes, and takes submissions through withoutabox.com.

 

The festival is competitive in that it offers awards for notable films. “Awards at EIFF include Best International Feature Film, Best International Documentary Feature, the Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film, the Student Critics Jury Award and the Audience Award. EIFF also gives awards in the categories of animation and short film.”(n.d)

Manchester International Film Festival

Filmmakers have the option to submit their film to the Manchester International Film Festival (MANIFF) through withoutabox.com, freeway.com, or filmfestivallife.com. Manchester accepts a short film as anything under one hour in length.

 

Manchester’s categories for films include:

- UK Narrative Features

- International Narrative Features

- Documentary Features

- UK Narrative Shorts

- International Narrative Shorts

- Student Films

- Documentary Shorts

- Experimental Films

- Animation

- Music Videos

- Uncommissioned Screenplay

 

MANIFF is a competitive festival as there are winners for each of these categories.

Encounters International Short Film Festival

The Encounters International Short Film Festival accepts short films through their website, as it is known as the UK’s leading short film and animation festival, and therefore is well known and has been established long enough to have a platform in itself to submit short films.

 

Encounters is a competitive festival with the following awards:

- Brief Grand Prix

- Animated Grand Prix

- UWE European New Talent Short Film Award

- UWE European New Talent Animation Award

- Chris Collins Best of British Award- Live Action

- NextGen Skills Academy Best of British Award- Animation

- Music Video Award

- Documentary Award

- Children’s Award

- Audience Award

- DepicT! Awards (films under 90 seconds)

 

Encounters is a film festival dedicated exclusively to short film, as well as animation, as is what is suggested by the description on the website, and the awards that are given. 

Leeds International Film Festival

Leeds International Film Festival (LIFF) accepts submissions for short and feature length animations, documentary and narrative films. Submissions are received through withoutabox.com and/or filmfreeway.com.

 

LIFF has a range of jury awards and audience awards. The Jury Awards are comprised of:

- Louis le Prince Short Film Competition

- World Animation Competition

- British Short Film Competition

- Yorkshire Short Film Competition

- Leeds International Screendance Competition

- Leeds International Music Video Competition

 

Audience Awards:

- Leeds Audience Award for best Fiction Feature

- Leeds Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature

- Leeds Short Film Audience Award

- Dark Owl International Fantasy Short Film Audience Award

- Dead Shorts Audience Award

 

There are cash rewards for the jury awards, which ensures that the festival is a competitive one, in terms of prizes as well as the recognition that each winning film receives. Each short film selected by LIFF is then made eligible to be sent to be considered for nominations for the BAFTAs.

Aesthetica Short Film Festival

Aesthetica Short Film Festival (ASFF) accepts short film submissions through their website, after the purchase of an order number. Details must be sent on an online application form, along with a link to the video that the filmmaker wishes them to view. Application is also possible in the post.

ASFF is competitive, as there are several awards that each short film is eligible to win:

 

- Best in Category

• Advertising
• Animation
• Artist’s Film
• Comedy
• Dance
• Documentary
• Drama
• Experimental
• Fashion
• Music Video
• Thriller

- Festival Winner

- People’s Choice

- York Youth Award- 11-14 year olds are invited to critic and vote for their favourite out of a small range of the Official Selection

- Northern Film School for Best Screenplay

 

Winners receive eligibility to enter for the BAFTA awards and an editorial in Aesthetica’s magazine, and promotion through their online media channels.

       F E S T I V A L S:  F U R T H E R        R E S E A R C H

London Short Film Festival- Further Research 

The London Short Film Festival is specifically for short films, and 6th January -15th January 2017, it will be in its 14th year.

 

The London Short Film Festival has its own website, blog and social media profiles- Facebook, Flickr, Twitter and Vimeo. The LSFF also appears on pages such as visitlondon.com, which would appeal to tourists. 

London Short Film Festival- Further Research 

The structure and the style of the website and the blog make the festival come across as fairly informal for an organisation, and not too serious. The blog is a large feature of the website, as well as a mini timeline of their tweets along the side. This might suggest their audience can be open to those who enjoy film, but aren’t as film literate as perhaps some other film festival audiences.

 

 

 

The logo and font on the website adds to the casual look, and almost a little childish. This might imply that they are aiming to draw in new, younger audiences to interest and get newer generations of people thinking and becoming interested in film and the industry, therefore triggering an influx in emerging talent from potential filmmakers.

 

 

 

At the bottom of the webpage, a ‘Donate to LSFF’ button is visible, where viewers and supporters of the festival can go to help fund and make the next festival even better. In 2015 to 2016, The London Short Film Festival has also benefitted from a one year partnership with Shooting People.

Edinburgh International Film Festival- Further Research

As there are awards for feature films as well, this implies that this festival is not exclusively for short films, yet just accepts short films as a separate type of submission.

 

EIFF also has several social media accounts, a blog and a website. Similarly to the London Short Film Festival, it has a Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. However, instead of Vimeo, they have a YouTube channel, which is also integrated with Google+.

Edinburgh International Film Festival- Further Research

Also like London Short Film Festival, the logo for EIFF appears hand drawn, although it doesn’t look as much like a doodle. This might suggest that their audience is a little more serious about finding good quality film.

 

 

 

 

 The language used on their ‘About’ page and on their blog suggests a higher reading age, and perhaps a more film literate, or generally educated audience. They also boast being able to promote the ‘very best in international cinema - and for heralding and debating changes in global filmmaking’. This might suggest modern approaches to film as the festivals proceed each year, which may invite younger audiences and talent also. The student jury for one of the awards may also promote an interest in film and gaining experience in the industry. The style and structure of the website overall suggests that even the younger audiences would be more film literate than the average cinema goer.

 

 

 

EIFF is supported by Creative Scotland, the City of Edinburgh Council, EventScotland, the Scottish Government through the Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund and the BFI. Edinburgh International Film Festival is also a part of ‘Year of Creative Scotland’, which is a government organised initiative to celebrate Scotland’s cultural and creative strengths worldwide. This is run in partnership with EventScotland, VisitScotland, Creative Scotland and VOCAL.

Encounters International Short Film Festival- Further Research

Encounters is a film festival dedicated exclusively to short film, as well as animation, as is what is suggested by the description on the website, and the awards that are given.

 

Encounters can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo and YouTube. The fact that the festival has both a Vimeo and a YouTube account might suggest that they are appealing to a vaster audience range. 

Encounters International Short Film Festival- Further Research

They promote themselves as being the ‘UK’s leading Short Film & Animation Festival’. The website is fairly neat and easy to navigate in the way it is laid out. The language used is moderately simple and suggests that it is open to targeting younger and less educated audiences. The website advertises being able to volunteer, which asks enthusiastic and film loving people to help. This might appeal more to young adults, who are somewhat film literate, and have more time on their hands than their older peers. They also have an option for student group bookings, which also implies that their target audiences range from the cinema loving student, to the film literate enthusiast graduated from higher education.  The fact that they have a children’s award also opens the festival up to much younger audiences, compared to some other film festivals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A final point that implies the vast range of audiences that Encounters is targeting is their ‘about’ page, which states that ‘the festival discovers, supports and develops new talent in filmmaking, providing a platform for emerging and established filmmakers from around the world’. The range of experience is the talent may encourage people that are newer to the industry, or those who had never thought about filmmaking to give it a go.

 

 

 

The main funders of Encounters include the BFI, Bristol City Council, and Creative Europe Media through the EU. They are also sponsored by the University of the West of England, iMDB.com, and Aardman Animations.

Leeds International Film Festival - Further Research

LIFF is a feature film festival that accepts and caters for short films too, with several awards being given for shorts.

 

LIFF markets and promotes itself, like other festivals, through social media. They have an account for Facebook and Twitter, like most other film festivals, yet also have an Instagram account, which is a newer platform compared to others and may be associated with a younger audience. They also have the option to sign up to a newsletter to keep people informed of their festival.

Leeds International Film Festival - Further Research

The style of the website is quite simple, although the writing is fairly small which might suggest and older and more mature audience, especially through the fairly monochromatic colour scheme. Red is sometimes suggested as a corporate colour, which makes the festival look a little more professional compared to, for example, London Short Film Festival, which has a free hand drawing look for a logo, and a font that looks handwritten.

 

 

Leeds also prides itself on the fact that the first moving images were shot in the city in the 19th century. This might draw more educated and intellectual audiences who would visit based on the history of filmmaking in Leeds. However, their ‘about’ page states that it is: ‘a portal for discovery of the real world of filmmaking that exists beyond regular film exhibition. LIFF primarily supports outstanding new talent and established talent that has not received deserved exposure in the UK.’

 

This might encourage some younger audiences, although the layout of the website primarily suggests that it is aiming to target a film literate and intellectual audience, which is likely to be fairly mature compared to some other audiences. Despite this, their website has a ‘Leeds Young Film’, which leads to the ‘Leeds Young Film Festival’ website. Therefore, this implies that the LIFF is more aimed towards older audiences.

 

 

LIFF is primarily supported financially through the BFI, and the Creative Europe Media organisation which is run through the European Union. They are also supported by many local and national companies, such as Leeds Town Hall, Hyde Park Picturehouse, Everyman Cinema and Vue Cinemas.

O T H E R  F E S T I  V A L S

BFI London Film Festival

The BFI London Film Festival accepts a mixture of short films and features- the former being less than 30 minutes, and the latter being longer.

 

Visitors to the BFI and their events are able to connect with them through the widest range of social media compared to other festivals. They offer communication through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Pinterest, Tumblr and Google+. This already suggests that they are appealing to the masses. They also have a ‘festival live blog’, which is fairly informal in the way that it is written. It suggests a lower reading age and therefore invites the younger audience member to engage and form an interest in the filmmaking industry.

BFI London Film Festival

The website was the most difficult to navigate out of all of them, however, it provides all the information needed once the correct webpage can be found. There aren’t many exciting pictures or colours, and so it suggests that the festival aims to target older audiences that are intellectual, film literate and more familiar with the BFI. Despite this, they do mention supporting up and coming filmmakers that are newer to the industry.  This year’s festival has introduced a bursary award, which will reward £50,000 to a new or emerging filmmaker to help them in their endeavour to create film. This may encourage some younger participants, although not as much as other festivals

 

 

 

BFI London Film Festival’s principal partner is American Express, although it is also sponsored by Accenture, the Royal Bank of Canada, and Virgin Atlantic.

Soho Shorts

As is suggested by the name, the sole purpose for Soho Shorts is to screen and raise recognition exclusively for short films.

 

Soho Shorts markets themselves as trying to boost the recognition and support that short filmmakers receive. The layout and language used is somewhat informal, like a blog, with the organisation’s tweets down the side. They promote themselves through the use of Twitter and Facebook. The use of just a small range of social media might suggest that they are an organisation that caters for the desires of a smaller, niche audience.

Soho Shorts

The style and structure of the website is fairly basic, and looks very similar to a blog format. There is only one colourful aspect of the entire page, which is in the header of the webpage. There are a few pictures, but they aren’t very attention grabbing. This might suggest that their audience is best accessed elsewhere, suggesting again, that it is niche. There also isn’t much information about the festival itself on the website. This might also imply that their audience isn’t as active online as some other festivals. 

O T H E R  K E Y  N A T I O N A L  F E S T I V A L S  F O R  S H O R T  F I L M  

Other Key National Festivals for Short Film

-Glasgow Short Film Festival

- Pen9 Film Festival

- Cambridge Film Festival

- Colchester Film Festival

- British Urban Film Festival

- Cornwall Film Festival

- Norwich Film Festival

- Underwire Festival

- Into Film Festival

- Foyle Film Festival

 

 

                         OTHER K E Y                                        I N T E R N A T I O N A L                 F E S T I V A L S  F O R  S H O R T F I L M   

Other Key International Festivals for Short Film

- Cannes Film Festival

- Sundance Film Festival

- Telluride Film Festival

- Toronto International Film Festival

- Tribeca Film Festival

- Berlin International Film Festival

- Sarasota Film Festival

- International Family Film Festival

- Durban International Film Festival

 

                       N A T I O N A L /                     I N T E R N A T I O N A L  S T U D E N T  F I L M  F E S T I V A L S 

National/International Student Film Festivals

National Student Film Festivals: 

- Screentest: The National Student Film Festival

 

 

 

International Student Film Festivals:

- Watersprite Film Festival

- Calgary International Film Festival: Youth by Youth Cinema Program

           O N L I N E  S H O R T  F I L M                  F E S T I V A L S

Future Shorts

Future Shorts is a film festival dedicated solely to screening shorts online, as opposed to a mix of film of different lengths.

 

Future Shorts is an online screening service in which partners can set up their own screening event independently from a regular festival. Therefore, the marketing and promotion is really up to the Future Short partners. A licence to screen the Future Shorts programme selection is not costly, as it varies according the audience that is being catered for. All the organiser needs with a license is a space to screen, and a projector. 

Future Shorts

The audience for Future Shorts can be suggested to be extremely wide, because this doubles up as a social and/ or community event once someone has organised it. This would attract a different audience to a regular film festival, as it would attract friends and followers of the organiser, as opposed to the general, film literate enthusiast.

Future Shorts is supported by all of its partners who have purchased a license.

 

The structure and style of the website is very simple, yet uses large stills that feature some of their selection and award winners. There is minimal writing, as the concept of future shorts is easy to explain, and is easy to understand. This suggests that the potential audience for this could be anyone, as it is a simple service to use. 

Manhattan Short

 

Manhattan Short is a festival that shows shorts at a simultaneous time all over the world. It often occurs in local cinemas, universities, and museums.

 

Manhattan Shorts promotes itself through Facebook and Twitter, which may create more of an interest. They also have a mailing list to keep those who are interested up to date.  The event is extremely interactive as the voting is done by the audience for the best film and actor. Each venue counts the votes and sends them to the headquarters, in which they are added up and the winner is announced. This makes the festival more interesting, as well as a little more comfortable, as it is all in one place. 

Manhattan Short

The website is very simple to navigate, which is useful for those that would want to find out about a screening near them. Potential audiences can also nominate a venue that they feel would be appropriate for a screening. It is simple in its layout, although it is likely that audiences would be more likely to find out about the screening from the venue in which it would be screened and how it advertises the event there.

 

Manhattan Short is open to anyone sponsoring them; potential sponsors can enquire through their website.

The Short List

The Short List is an online film festival dedicated to showing short films exclusively.

 

The marketing and promotion occur through their use of Facebook and Twitter, and also through the company that presents it: the Wrap. The Wrap is an online film news website, and so this festival might attract mostly the audience of this company. 

The Short List

The style of the website is again, very simple. This might suggest that the readers of the Wrap are often film enthusiastic, but don’t need the highest reading age. This is implied to be a festival that is accessible to many. The fact that their official selection is comprised of short films screened at festivals in the previous year ensures that those who watch online know that they are getting good quality.  

 

The Short List is mainly supported by Creators League Studio, and the YouTube Space LA. 

W H Y  I S  I T  I M P O R T A N T  T O

B E  S C R E E N E D  A T  A  F I L M 

F E S T I V A L?

Why is it Important to be Screened at a Film Festival?

First and foremost, the short film industry is difficult to make money from because of the platforms that they are uploaded onto, and the views that it receives. The popularity and audience that visits film festivals immediately means that any film screened at a festival is gaining the correct attention and audience. Festival screenings not only boost the view count for the film, but gives the filmmaker recognition. This might spur on interest from other filmmakers, and open up more opportunities for their career in the film industry, as short film is not always worthwhile in terms of making a living.

 

 

Furthermore, competitive festivals offer rewards for the best films. Benefits from being a part of the official selection is the chance of winning. Depending on the festival's affiliations and sponsors, this could make the film eligible for more prestigious awards, such as BAFTAs or even Oscars. Prizes are also sometimes given to winners of festival award winners, which helps emerging filmmakers to continue with their career success. Winning films get the most recognition, and so it would be worth screening a film at a festival just for this chance.