Bolton International Film Festival

Bolton, Greater Manchester BL1, United Kingdom, Europe

29 Sep, 2020 - 01 Oct, 2020

Category

Short

Bolton International Film Festival logo
Bolton International Film Festival

Bolton, Greater Manchester BL1, United Kingdom, Europe

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General Information

edition

5th

Contact details

Light Cinema Bolton, Market Place Shopping Centre, Unit X4A Bolton, Greater Manchester BL1 2AR United Kingdom

12

info@boltonfilmfestival.com

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Web & social

About the festival

Bolton International Film Festival screens 200 short films across a five day event in venues including the Light Cinema complex, it is a BAFTA qualifying short film festival. This means British short films programmed at the festival and one other festival from Section B of the Qualifying Festivals List are eligible to enter BAFTA’s British Short Film award (presented at the BAFTA Film Awards).

The festival has been consistently voted a "Top 100 reviewed" festival from over 9500+ film festivals worldwide, it is listed as a "Top 12 UK Indie Film Festival" by FilmDaily and a #CE50 by Creative England (an award for the 50 most exciting, innovative and disruptive creative companies across film, games and digital media in the UK).

Our previous editions have included BAFTA and OSCAR winning short films, crowd funded films, student films, passion projects and BFI and Creative England funded films. Our most notable success coming from "The Silent Child" which later went on to win the Academy Award for Best Short Action film.

The OSCAR winning director Chris Overton from "The Silent Child" said "Out of all the festivals I have been to this one was definitely up there as one of my favourites. They had their own unique touches which really made the festival special. It was amazing to see our film in front of such a big audience and on such a big screen, it was HUGE. This festival has so much heart and the festival organisers are super professional and really care about the filmmakers. There passion shines through. Oh and the awards are SO nice."

We're currently seeking innovative and ground breaking short films from independent film-makers for our next edition. Whether it’s fiction, documentary, animation, comedy, 360, experimental or artist moving image our aim is to showcase emerging and established talent to an audience of like-minded individuals, the general public and industry experts.

VOTED A "TOP 100" FESTIVAL IN 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020

Our juror panel is :

Producer Colin Pons (33 Features and 2 x BAFTA winner)
MarBelle (Co-Founder of Directors Notes)
Maggie Ellis (Producer/ Film London (FLAMIN) / Jarman Award)
David Thacker, Olivier award winning Theatre / TV / Film director
Alice Ramsey (Development Producer @ BBC Writers Room)
Stephanie Clark (Creative England)
Isabelle Croissant (Talent Developer @ HOME Manchester)
Rebecca Mark-Lawson (Producer at Tyke Films)
Mike Todd (Producer / Northern Docs / Riverhorse Films)
Paul Sapin (Documentary Producer & Director)
Rob Speranza (Producer/ SYFN / Programmer@Aesthetica Film Fest)
D J Clark Multi Media Journalist (National Geographic, Asian News)
Chris Lunt 2 x BAFTA nominated writer ("PREY", BBC, ITV, Canal +)
Loran Dunn (Producer at Delaval Films)
Animator Bridget Appleby BAFTA winner (& RTS Juror)
Animation Producer Aaron Wood (Slurpy Studios / Skwigly Magazine)
Animator Steve Boot
Animator Jon Turner (Kilogramme)
Animator Sarah Anne Kennedy (UCLAN Course Leader in Animation)
Actor/Producer Julie Foy (OSCAR Winner)
Actor Gerard Kearns (Shameless, Last Kingdom, Looking for Eric)
Actor Ian McKee ("Kingsman - The Golden Circle", "Car Share")
Music video director Ben Thornley of Sitcom Soldiers
Danilo Godoy - Brazil/Portugal - winner of Artist Film Aesthetica 2014

Supported by The Light Cinema Experience, Bolton Council, Bolton at Home, Holiday Inn, Bolton University and Bolton College.

*It is our firm intention to host a hybrid edition in 2021 but in light of the ongoing pandemic crisis we'd advise you to read our terms and conditions and contingency plans before entering the festival.

The festival will be competitive with awards presented on the night by sponsors and industry representatives.

Audience Award
Best International Short
Best UK Short
Best Made up North
Best Documentary
Best Comedy
Best Animation
Best Three Minute Quickie
Best LGBT short
Best VR/Immersive
Best Experimental
Best Sci-Fi
Best Women in Film
Best Horror
Best Culture in Motion (Dance/Fashion/Music)
Best Animation (Student)
Best Student Post Graduate (M.A)
Best Student Under Graduate (B.A)
Best Young Film-maker
Best Community
Best Film For Change

About

Bolton International Film Festival screens 200 short films across a five day event in venues including the Light Cinema complex, it is a BAFTA qualifying short film festival. This means British short films programmed at the festival and one other festival from Section B of the Qualifying Festivals List are eligible to enter BAFTA’s British Short Film award (presented at the BAFTA Film Awards).

The festival has been consistently voted a "Top 100 reviewed" festival from over 9500+ film festivals worldwide, it is listed as a "Top 12 UK Indie Film Festival" by FilmDaily and a #CE50 by Creative England (an award for the 50 most exciting, innovative and disruptive creative companies across film, games and digital media in the UK).

Our previous editions have included BAFTA and OSCAR winning short films, crowd funded films, student films, passion projects and BFI and Creative England funded films. Our most notable success coming from "The Silent Child" which later went on to win the Academy Award for Best Short Action film.

The OSCAR winning director Chris Overton from "The Silent Child" said "Out of all the festivals I have been to this one was definitely up there as one of my favourites. They had their own unique touches which really made the festival special. It was amazing to see our film in front of such a big audience and on such a big screen, it was HUGE. This festival has so much heart and the festival organisers are super professional and really care about the filmmakers. There passion shines through. Oh and the awards are SO nice."

We're currently seeking innovative and ground breaking short films from independent film-makers for our next edition. Whether it’s fiction, documentary, animation, comedy, 360, experimental or artist moving image our aim is to showcase emerging and established talent to an audience of like-minded individuals, the general public and industry experts.

VOTED A "TOP 100" FESTIVAL IN 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020

Our juror panel is :

Producer Colin Pons (33 Features and 2 x BAFTA winner)
MarBelle (Co-Founder of Directors Notes)
Maggie Ellis (Producer/ Film London (FLAMIN) / Jarman Award)
David Thacker, Olivier award winning Theatre / TV / Film director
Alice Ramsey (Development Producer @ BBC Writers Room)
Stephanie Clark (Creative England)
Isabelle Croissant (Talent Developer @ HOME Manchester)
Rebecca Mark-Lawson (Producer at Tyke Films)
Mike Todd (Producer / Northern Docs / Riverhorse Films)
Paul Sapin (Documentary Producer & Director)
Rob Speranza (Producer/ SYFN / Programmer@Aesthetica Film Fest)
D J Clark Multi Media Journalist (National Geographic, Asian News)
Chris Lunt 2 x BAFTA nominated writer ("PREY", BBC, ITV, Canal +)
Loran Dunn (Producer at Delaval Films)
Animator Bridget Appleby BAFTA winner (& RTS Juror)
Animation Producer Aaron Wood (Slurpy Studios / Skwigly Magazine)
Animator Steve Boot
Animator Jon Turner (Kilogramme)
Animator Sarah Anne Kennedy (UCLAN Course Leader in Animation)
Actor/Producer Julie Foy (OSCAR Winner)
Actor Gerard Kearns (Shameless, Last Kingdom, Looking for Eric)
Actor Ian McKee ("Kingsman - The Golden Circle", "Car Share")
Music video director Ben Thornley of Sitcom Soldiers
Danilo Godoy - Brazil/Portugal - winner of Artist Film Aesthetica 2014

Supported by The Light Cinema Experience, Bolton Council, Bolton at Home, Holiday Inn, Bolton University and Bolton College.

*It is our firm intention to host a hybrid edition in 2021 but in light of the ongoing pandemic crisis we'd advise you to read our terms and conditions and contingency plans before entering the festival.

The festival will be competitive with awards presented on the night by sponsors and industry representatives.

Audience Award
Best International Short
Best UK Short
Best Made up North
Best Documentary
Best Comedy
Best Animation
Best Three Minute Quickie
Best LGBT short
Best VR/Immersive
Best Experimental
Best Sci-Fi
Best Women in Film
Best Horror
Best Culture in Motion (Dance/Fashion/Music)
Best Animation (Student)
Best Student Post Graduate (M.A)
Best Student Under Graduate (B.A)
Best Young Film-maker
Best Community
Best Film For Change

Awards & Winners

There are no winners yet for this festival

Terms and rules

Terms:

1.) Entries in foreign languages must come with English subtitles.

2.) All entries must have been completed between 10th June 2019 and 10th June 2021

3. Digital marketing materials should be made available to be used for our marketing purposes by 10th June 2021

4.) If you have entered your film previously please to BFF do not re-enter it.

5.) BFF has no premiere or exclusivity rule, we also consider work that is already online.

6.) Film-makers must include a brief synopsis of the film in no more than 150 words

7.) Provide at least one high resolution image (1920 x 1080 or higher) for the use of Bolton Film Festival promotional brochures or publicity. More images for print are recommended so we have a choice.

8.) All entries must obtain the appropriate copyright clearances (i.e. music, archive footage, images, etc). Failure to do so will result in the entry being disqualified from the competition.

9.) The selected entries will be screened during the Festival programme.

10.) Winners will be presented with their awards during the BFF Awards Ceremony, which will take place at the festival on October Tuesday 5th to Sunday 9th October 2020. There will be no prior notification of winners.

11.) If you are entering work that contains music into any category at Bolton Film Festival it is your responsibility to get clearance. By entering your short film to Bolton Film Festival you (or the artists who own the music and/or their representatives (such as PRS/MCPS) are waiving rights to claim royalties on the music from any monies generated by Bolton Film Festival.

12.) The selection and scheduling of all films screened at Bolton Film Festival is entirely at the discretion of the Festival Director and the programming team. In the event of unseen circumstances it may be necessary to reschedule the event to a later date but notification will be provided to all selected film-makers. No refunds (other than if we cancel the entire event ) are possible after entering your work into the festival submissions process.

13.) The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

14.) The deadline for entries shall be midnight GMT 10th June 2021.

15.) We reserve the right to change our event dates, if we do this it will be based on other film festivals date announcements. For example London Film Festival, Raindance and Encounters are all close to us in the calendar, it's makes sense not to overlap with other festivals if possible so we always look for a window.

Conditions

To be considered for the "Made up North" categories the filmmaker should reside within the area defined by the BFI Film Hub North: https://filmfreeway.com/BoltonFilmFestival/photos/4795479
.
To be considered for the "Community and Charity" category the film-maker and/or the group submitting the film should be part of a registered community group, a registered community enterprise group, a non profit or a registered charity group. Evidence supporting this claim should be provided in the form of a cover letter and supporting documents attached (if you have them).

I authorise Bolton Film Festival to exhibit my film if selected. I confirm that an exhibition copy will be made available in a required format for screening during the 2021 festival.

I certify that I hold all necessary rights for the submission of this film/video to Bolton Film Festival and that all rights and clearances have been made. This film is not subject to any litigation nor is threatened by any litigation.

***** Additional terms in relation to the Covid 19 situation. *****

Let us be very clear we have zero intention of cancelling our festival but with random people dieing each week we need to bear in mind this could happen to our key staff. Otherwise if we are alive and well we will definitely be going ahead with a 2021 festival.

Just in case, we've put some terms together to put your mind at rest...

1. If we cancel the 2021 edition before our final deadline of 10th June we will offer a 50% refund to all submission holders. We cannot give you a full refund because we have still have to pay staff to watch the films, have meetings with partners, arrange speakers, pay deposits on venues etc, etc. We recommend you take out the FilmFreeway cancellation insurance for full peace of mind and a full refund.

2. If we cancel our event during the selection process (11th June - 9th August) we will offer a 50% refund to all submission holders.

3. After our "Official Selections" notification (August 9th) we will send you an official laurel but still offer a 50% refund to the official selection submission holders if we have to cancel the event after this date. The submissions holders who are not selected will NOT be entitled to any refund from this point onward.

4. If we postpone the event from the 5th Oct to later dates we will inform the selected film-makers/submission holders of the new screening dates but offer no refunds.

5. If the film festival cannot deliver option 4 in a reasonable time frame we will look to an online screening. The film-maker will have the option to "opt in or out" to the online festival but we offer no refunds at this point.

By Agreeing to these Rules and Terms, I transfer to the Bolton Film Festival the right to use excerpts of the submitted film, its stills, and trailers, for the purposes of publicity and marketing of the film at the 2021 festival, and for other non-commercial uses related to the promotion of the 2021 festival.

I also acknowledges that the film submission fee does not guarantee acceptance and no refund will be provided if my film is not selected.

Upon acceptance, Bolton Film Festival will ask for my film:

1) DCP preferred
2) Pro Res preferred
3) Minimum 1920x1080 digital file Quicktime, MP4, AVI, H264

If the filmmaker does not comply with the deadline to receive the film, the film can be pulled from the festival line up and replaced by another film and film-maker.

Ratings & Reviews

Categories and fees

International Short
Early Bird (27th October, 2020) $20
Late (15th February, 2021) $25

Open to film-makers worldwide. Short films considered of up to 20 minutes in duration (including credits). If your film is longer then enter our "Long Shorts" category. If our judges think your short may also be suitable for another BFF category then they will recommend it to our programmers - you only need to submit once to Bolton Film Festival.

UK Short
Early Bird (27th October, 2020) $20
Late (15th February, 2021) $25

Film-makers are invited to submit short films of no more than 20 minutes long (including credits) for the general classification of "UK Short". If your film is longer then enter our "Long Shorts" category. If our judges think your short may also be suitable for another BFF category then they will recommend it to our programmers - you only need to submit once to Bolton Film Festival.

Long Shorts
Early Bird (27th October, 2020) $25
Late (15th February, 2021) $30

Open to film-makers worldwide. Our "Long Shorts" category is for films between 20 and 30 minutes (including credits). If your film is shorter please enter one of the other categories as it will be cheaper for you. Our Longs Shorts category encompasses all genres including (but not limited to) drama, documentary, animation, horror, sci-fi, comedy. If you are selected for the festival your film will be eligible for all awards and will play in the normal blocks. "Long Shorts" is simply to cover our time with a slightly more expensive entry fee. If our judges think your film may also be suitable for another BFF category then they will recommend it to our programmers - you only need to submit once to Bolton Film Festival.

Documentary
Early Bird (27th October, 2020) $20
Late (15th February, 2021) $25

Documentary Shorts of under 20 minutes (including credits), open to film-makers worldwide. If your film is longer then please enter our "Long Shorts" category. If our judges think your short may also be suitable for another BFF category then they will recommend it to our programmers - you only need to submit once to Bolton Film Festival.

Animation
Early Bird (27th October, 2020) $1,750
Late (15th February, 2021) $2,250

Animators are asked to submit any form of animation in shorts of up to 15 minutes in duration - open to film-makers worldwide. If our judges think your short may also be suitable for another BFF category then they will recommend it to our programmers - you only need to submit to once for Bolton Film Festival.

Made up North
Early Bird (27th October, 2020) $15
Late (15th February, 2021) $1,750

To be considered for the "Made up North" short category the filmmaker should reside within the FilmHub North defined region: https://filmfreeway.com/BoltonFilmFestival/photos/4795479 If our judges think your short may also be suitable for another BFF category then they will recommend it to our programmers - you only need to submit once for Bolton Film Festival.

Comedy
Early Bird (27th October, 2020) $20
Late (15th February, 2021) $25

Comedy Short Films of up to 20 minutes - open to film-makers worldwide. If our judges think your short may also be suitable for another BFF category then they will recommend it to our programmers - you only need to submit once for Bolton Film Festival.

LGBTQ+
Early Bird (27th October, 2020) $20
Late (15th February, 2021) $25

Bolton Film Festival accepts UK and International short films (under 20min long including credits), narrative or documentary, with a theme or story relating to the LGBT community. If your film is longer you should enter our "Long Shorts". We do not indicate films as "LGBT" in our programme as we feel this can spoil the "reveal of a film" in some cases. We also want LGBTQ+ films to reach new audiences and so they are included within our screenings alongside all our other films. We feel if we wish to see inclusivity in mainstream society then we should not create that division by putting LGBTQ+ films into a separate screening or putting a label on them. This is an ongoing conversation so we welcome your opinion if you think we've got it wrong: info@boltonfilmfestival.com If our judges think your LGBTQ+ short may also be suitable for another BFF category then they will recommend it to our programmers - you only need to submit once to Bolton Film Festival.

Horror
Early Bird (27th October, 2020) $20
Late (15th February, 2021) $25

Bolton Film Festival is looking for submissions of up to 20 mins for it's horror category (including credits). This category is open to film-makers worldwide. If your film is longer you should enter our "Long Shorts" category.

Dance
Early Bird (27th October, 2020) $15
Late (15th February, 2021) $1,750

Dance films of up to 10 mins in duration (if you film is longer please enter under UK or International shorts). If it is over 20 mins then enter our "Long Shorts).

Fashion
Early Bird (27th October, 2020) $15
Late (15th February, 2021) $20

Fashion films of up to 10 mins in duration (if you film is longer please enter under UK or International shorts).

Music
Early Bird (27th October, 2020) $15
Late (15th February, 2021) $20

Music videos of up to 10 minutes

VR/Immersive
Early Bird (27th October, 2020) $15
Late (15th February, 2021) $20

Bolton Film Festival is seeking projects of up to 20 minutes duration. Please note we use Oculus Quest & Rift headsets. Please make sure your project is compatible.

Experimental
Early Bird (27th October, 2020) $15
Late (15th February, 2021) $20

We are looking for innovative experimental videos of up to 15 mins - open to film-makers worldwide. If our judges think your short may also be suitable for another BFF programme then they will recommend it for further consideration - you only need to submit to one category for Bolton Film Festival. If our judges think your short may also be suitable for another BFF category then they will recommend it to our programmers - you only need to submit to one category for Bolton Film Festival.

Three Minute Quickie
Early Bird (27th October, 2020) $10
Late (15th February, 2021) $15

Entries for short films of no longer than 3 minutes and 59 seconds (including credits).

Animation (Student)
Early Bird (27th October, 2020) $15
Late (15th February, 2021) $15

Animation of up to 15 mins by students (International or UK) at any level of study. Evidence of study is required, upload a student I.D card (or similar) as an attachment to FilmFreeway. As a student you are still eligible for our main categories, if our judges think your short may also be suitable for another BFF category then they will recommend it to our programmers - you only need to submit to one category for Bolton Film Festival.

Student Films (UK & International) - M.A / Post Graduate
Early Bird (27th October, 2020) $15
Late (15th February, 2021) $15

Student short films of any genre are invited to enter with films of no longer than 20 minutes - open to film-makers in the UK and worldwide. In the case of the "Student International M.A / Postgraduate " category the director (and/or) the majority of those involved in the production must be/have been a registered student/s of an M.A course or post graduate course (such as Skillset) at the time of production. Proof must be provided with your entry, please upload a student I.D card or similar to FilmFreeway. As a student you are still eligible for our main categories, if our judges think your short may also be suitable for another BFF category then they will recommend it to our programmers - you only need to submit to one category for Bolton Film Festival.

Student Films (UK & Ireland) - B.A / Under Graduate
Early Bird (27th October, 2020) $15
Late (15th February, 2021) $15

UK Student short films of any genre are invited to enter with films of no longer than 15 minutes (including credits). In the case of the "B.A / Under Graduate " category the director (and/or) the majority of those involved in the production must be/have been a registered student/s of a University course at the time of production. Proof must be provided, upload a student I.D card or similar as an attachment with your project, if it is not clear inform us of the university so we can list it. As a student you are still eligible for our main categories, if our judges think your short may also be suitable for another BFF category then they will recommend it to our programmers - you only need to submit to one category for Bolton Film Festival.

Young Film-Maker award
Early Bird (27th October, 2020) $15
Late (15th February, 2021) $15

UK Student short films of any genre are invited to enter with films of no longer than 15 minutes. In the case of the "Young Film-Maker " category the director (and/or) the majority of those involved in the production must be under 18 years old. Proof may be necessary in some cases and must be made available on request. You are still eligible for our main categories, if our judges think your short may also be suitable for another BFF category then they will recommend it to our programmers - you only need to submit to one category for Bolton Film Festival.

Community or Charity
Early Bird (27th October, 2020) $10
Late (15th February, 2021) $10

Community and/or Charity groups are invited to enter films that celebrate the community, raise awareness or raise issues of up to 15 minutes in duration. Films must be produced, commissioned or filmed by the registered community group or charity, please provide evidence in the form of a cover letter if your credits do not clearly indicate the charitable status.

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