Welcome to the second Hellfire Short Film Festival by Hellfire Film Festival.
Hellfire Film Festival is an organisation devoted to showcasing the best and brightest of independent cinema from around the globe, advancing the careers of filmmakers through screenings, networking events, and various panels and forums. Hellfire Short Film Festival is our flagship event.
How we began
The idea for a film festival was first mooted in early 2014 by a group of creative individuals after realising that although Folkestone hosts many creative festivals throughout the year – including music, art, light, book, performance and not forgetting the internationally recognised Folkestone Triennial and the Strange Love Festival – there was no festival specifically dedicated to film.
Being a filmmaker himself and having been involved in the Meniscus Film Festival (the original, not the new Australian festival bearing the same name) in his hometown of Grimsby (Lincolnshire), Gary Ingoldby-Spate started the groundwork to launch a film festival for Folkestone.
Hellfire Film Festival officially launched in March 2016 – albeit earlier than planned – after an event at the Lime Bar Café was cancelled at the last moment. We stepped in at the eleventh hour with an evening of short films submitted by filmmakers local to Folkestone. That evening Hellfire Short Film Festival was born and Lime Bar Café would become our spiritual home.
YEAR ONE RECAP
The first season (2018) of the Hellfire Short Film Festival received over 3,300 submissions from 143 countries. 163 short films were screened and 13 finalists were selected by the audiences of the 12 qualifying rounds. The two runners up of each round took part in the semi finals with three films making it to the Grand Final.
The Grand Final winning films were:
BEST FILM (Audience Vote): 'All in a Day's Work'
BEST DIRECTOR: Muhammad & Samah Safi Bayazid for 'Fireplace'
BEST ACTOR: Xhevat Qorraj in 'Eternally Child'
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: 'Fireplace'
BEST SCREENPLAY: 'A Splendid Affair'
BEST EDITING: 'The Barber's Cut'
BEST SOUND: 'A Splendid Affair'
SUBMISSIONS OPEN FOR THE 2020 HELLFIRE SHORT FILM FESTIVAL.
Taking place in Folkestone, Kent, Hellfire Short Film Festival is a collection of short films from filmmakers around the world. All selected films are voted on by the audience and the winners will receive the coveted Hellfire Short Film Festival trophies.
Unlike Season One, the 2020 Hellfire Short Film Festival is a single event, not a monthly competition.
Previous Short Film Festivals have included short films by talented and award-winning filmmakers including:
Rob Smith, Katie Bonham, Ewan Golder, Dominic Pillai, Ben Barton, Melanie Light, Scott Lyus, Aardman Animations, Javier Chillon, Ruth Rickett, Steve Davis, Laurent Ardoint, Guillaume Foresti, Joseba Alfaro, Adam Spinks, Emil Sallinen, Ivan Villamel Sanchez, Michael James Dean, Mark Brocking, Alastair Train.