Winchester Film Festival (9)

Festival start: 09 November 2020      Festival end: 15 November 2020

The 9th edition of the Winchester Film Festival is now open for submissions!

As a festival, we pride ourselves on really working for our filmmakers, with open and clear communication and a professional, friendly and approachable team. We offer substantial prize money, packed out screenings and a glitzy black tie award ceremony.

If you are considering entering your film for competition this year, please be sure to read the terms & conditions of the festival, and read all about which categories you can enter your film into below.

The 2020 Winchester Film Festival will be the 9th edition, and is open to both British and foreign filmmakers. The festival boasts even more screenings than ever before, giving you the chance to have the general public, peers, and industry professionals view your film in the historic cultural city of Winchester, England. Alongside film screenings, we also offer top prizes of £500 to Best British Short Film, £500 to Best Foreign Short Film, as well as industry mentoring and experience prizes, media coverage and more for the Best Animated Short Film, Best British New Director and Best Foreign New Director awards.

We are also offering red carpet screenings at a prestigious Winchester venues for UK premieres of selected feature films from any country.

If you are a talented short film maker, whether you’re part of an experienced team working on a larger production or working to a reduced budget, then our esteemed judges are on the lookout for you!

BEST FULL LENGTH FEATURE FILM
This category is open to Foreign and British filmmakers. Red Carpet screenings for UK premieres. Iconic screening venues for all screened feature films.

BEST BRITISH SHORT FILM
This category is open to British filmmakers only, and films must be under 30 minutes.
PRIZE: £500

BEST FOREIGN SHORT FILM
This category is open to non-British filmmakers only, and films must be under 30 minutes.
PRIZE: £500

BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY
This category is open to both British and non-British filmmakers, and films must be under 30 minutes.

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
This category is open to both British and non-British filmmakers, and films must be under 15 minutes.

BEST BRITISH NEW DIRECTOR
This category is open to British filmmakers only, films must be under 15 minutes in length, and the production budget cannot exceed £1000. To be eligible for this prize, the submitted film must be a first film and the director under 28 years old.

BEST FOREIGN NEW DIRECTOR
This category is open to British filmmakers only, films must be under 15 minutes in length, and the production budget cannot exceed £1000. To be eligible for this prize, the submitted film must be a first film and the director under 28 years old.

THE HAMPSHIRE PRIZE
All eligible films, whose director complies with the terms & conditions of being based in Hampshire, will also be automatically entered to compete for The Hampshire Prize when entering their film into one of the above categories.

WFF_2020 Terms & Conditions

Please find below the terms & conditions for the 2020 Winchester Film Festival film competition.

Submission deadline: 1st September 2020
Early Bird: 30th June 2020
Late Submission Deadline: 10th September 2020
Festival dates: 09-15 November 2020

By submitting your film into the 2020 WFF Film Competition, via any platform, you are agreeing to the following Terms & Conditions.

1. Categories & Submission Criteria

a) The competition comprises of the following award categories: Best Full Length Feature Film; Best British Short Film; Best Foreign Short Film; Best Animated Short Film; Best Short Documentary; Best British New Director Award: Best Foreign New Director Award. Eligible directors who enter into any of the previously mentioned categories will automatically be considered for The Hampshire Prize award.

b) WFF will enter each film to competition under the category that it feels best reflects the work, and for which it is eligible based on the criteria set out in these Terms & Conditions. If you have a preference, then you are able to state so on the entry form and this will be taken into consideration, but the final decision remains with the Festival.


c) WFF welcomes all genres of films for competition, whether they are drama, comedy, animation, horror, non-fiction, drama, science-fiction, or any other genre. For each award category, there are specific eligibility criteria which need to be met, as well as adhering to the general Terms & Conditions laid out in this document.

d) To be eligible for Best British Short Film; Best Foreign Short Film; or Best Short Documentary, films must be no longer than 30 minutes in length, including credits. To be eligible for Best Animated Short Film, films must be no longer than 15 minutes in length, including credits. To be eligible for Best British New Director Award and the Best Foreign New Director Award, films must be no longer than 20 minutes in length, including credits.

e) ‘British filmmakers’ are classified as directors who hold a current British passport, or the production company holding the rights to the film must be registered in the UK. ‘Non-British filmmakers’ are classified as directors who do not hold a current British passport, or a production company that is based outside of the UK.

Any queries relating to the place of origin should be directed to myfilm@winchesterfilmfestival.com prior to entering the competition.


f) Films of any budget are welcome to enter the competition, with no restrictions on any categories except the Best New Director Award. To be eligible for the Best British New Director Award and the Best Foreign New Director Award, the film must have a production budget of no more than £1000 (or equivalent). 


g) Films that are promoting a product or service are not eligible for any category.


h) Only films with a director that has lived, worked or studied in Hampshire for a period of 6 consecutive months or more since January 2015 are eligible for The Hampshire Prize.


i) Films in a foreign language must be subtitled in English.

j) By submitting to the WFF film competition filmmakers are giving permission for their film to be screened at the WFF live screenings, without charge to the festival.


2. Submission Limits & Fees

a) Filmmakers may submit a maximum of 3 films, and will be charged per film.


b) Filmmakers may submit each film in as many categories as they choose, and will be charged per film per category.


c) WFF does not have the capability to offer refunds to filmmakers whose films are not accepted to competition, for any reason whatsoever.


3. The deadline for submitting entries is 1st September 2020. Entries submitted prior to Sunday 30th June 2020 are eligible for the reduced ‘earlybird’ entry fee. There is a late submission deadline of Saturday 10th September 2020, which will incur an additional fee. Any entries submitted after this time may still be charged but will not be eligible for competition.


4. Filmmakers entering a film into the competition must have a legal right on behalf of that film to do so.


5. Any third party elements used within the production, such as music, sound, graphics or still images, must be original or copyright free, or where copyrighted, filmmakers must have obtained necessary permission for the inclusion of this content and be able to provide proof if required.


6. Films that have been entered into the WFF previously are not eligible for the 2020 competition.


7. Production on the film must have completed after 1st June 2018.

8. Films are welcome regardless of their premiere status, and the premiere status of the film will not affect the decision making process in competition.


9. WFF reserves the right to exclude from competition any films or material that it deems offensive or defamatory. No discussion will be entered into and the festival’s decision is final.


10. Films may only be submitted using online platforms. Film Files of those films selected for screening (film in the Official Selection) must be provided as .mp4; .m4v or .mov. DCP files only on request from the festival.


11. WFF reserves the right to use any images and film clips submitted for competition for marketing purposes, both in print and online, without prior permission from the filmmaker. Material may be adapted or edited as WFF sees fit for the purposes of promoting the festival. WFF will not make films available to the public (except for screenings which form part of the festival and clips for promotion) without prior permission from the filmmaker.


12. Films should be made unavailable online during the week of the festival. Please set a password for your film so that they have a limited audience. The festival runs from 9th – 15th November 2020.


13. Images

a) Production stills must be in JPEG, GIF or PNG format, and must be high resolution suitable for press.


b) Film posters can be portrait or landscape, but must be A4 or multiple thereof. The file must be in JPEG, GIF or PNG format, and must be high resolution suitable for press.

14. Films that are chosen for screenings will be screened digitally. We will contact you regarding this if your film is chosen for screening, and expect a suitably formatted film to be made available to WFF in time for screening.


15. The decision of WFF is final and no conversation will be entered in to regarding placement of films in the competition.


16. There will be three lists for competition: the Long List, the Short List and the Official Selection. The Long List is the initial selection of films that have impressed the judges. The Short List is the second stage selection of films considered for the Official Selection. The Official Selection is the list of films the will be screened. These will be announced in October 2020, and filmmakers will be contacted individually by email to confirm whether or not they have been selected for either list.


17. Ensure that the email address provided on the application form is current and that myfilm@winchesterfilmfestival.com is added to your safe senders list / address book, as notifications and other communications regarding your entry will be primarily communicated via email. The festival will not be held accountable for any communications not received.

18. Films in the Official Selection will be screened either during the festival week between 9 - 15 November 2020 or at festival screenings that take place before June 2021 as part of the festival.


19. Information provided in the application form will be used solely by the Winchester Film Festival and will not be passed on to any third parties.
Prizes are subject to change without notice.


20. These Terms and Conditions are subject to change without notice.

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