We are now IMDb-approved and we rank in the top 1% of more than 12,000 film festivals and creative contests around the world. With several fabulous years behind us, we look forward to bringing more indie and grass-roots movies to Scotland. The HB Film Festival is the only Film Festival held in the Large Town of Paisley.

Our main goal is to Support Indie Film and unlike other film festivals, we will not make any selections until the Final Deadline closes. This means every film that is submitted has the same chance of being selected.

Here are some words about our festival from past filmmakers.

"A LOT OF FESTIVALS COULD TAKE NOTES FROM YOU ON HOW TO RUN AN EVENT - HUGE KUDOS" TARYN HOUGH - FILMMAKER / ACTOR

"FOR A FESTIVAL YOU ARE GOING BEYOND THE EXPECTATIONS AND WE ARE REALLY GRATEFUL". SIDARTHA MURJANI FILMMAKER / ACTOR

"LET'S ALL HEAR IT FOR THE HB FILM FEST WHO ARE THE MOST SUPPORTIVE FESTIVAL DUDES I HAVE EVER HAD THE PLEASURE OF BEING ASSOCIATED WITH". CAROLINE SPENCE - PRODUCER / SCREENWRITER

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"The mission of The HB Film Festival is to put independent cinema in the spotlight that both films and their makers deserve."

The HB Film Festival brings to Paisley, Scotland, a quality selection of both local and international shorts and features coming from all over the world. We aim to become a cultural gathering for film lovers & professionals coming from different artistic disciplines."

As a three-day event, we offer plenty of screening opportunities for low-budget filmmakers and indie films. As well as live screening, there will be networking opportunities and free filmmaking advice from local filmmakers.

Previous Sponsors/ Partners include:
Production Attic
The Iris Cinema
Indie Film Mag
Glasgow Film Alliance
Break A Leg Acadamey
Media Dog
Scare Scotland
Inverclyde TV

The HBFF is a Hewitt and Bryce event.

Awards & Prizes

Submit your film now to be in for the chance to win one of the following awards.

Best Short Film • Best Feature Film • Best Documentary • Best Horror • Best Sci-fi • Best Comedy • Best Sound • Best Story • Best Editing • Best Score • Best Cinematography • Best Make up • Best Animation • Best Director • Best Costume • Best Male lead • Best Female lead • Best Music video • Best Scottish film

Rules & Terms

1. Submission
Early entry is encouraged. (dates subject to change)
2. Submission Format
Films must be submitted via FilmFreeway by online screener ONLY.
We do not accept subsequent cuts or more complete versions of submitted films, therefore changing or updating the originally submitted link is not accepted.
3. Submission Eligibility
- All Films submitted to the HB Film Festivals can be used to promote the Film project and the HB Film Festival
4. Premiere Status
- There is no premiere policy for short films or feature films but if the film is having it's premiere screening at HB FILM FESTIVAL, then please let us know. That is a bonus.
If, after you submit, the premiere status of your feature film changes rendering it no longer available, please let us know immediately.
5. Feature Film
***PLEASE NOTE*** we can only roughly show 1 to 3 Feature Films. So the standard for feature films is extremely high.
6. Film Classification
All films screened during the HB FILM FESTIVAL will not have been certificated by the film council, please take this into account when attending screenings at the festival.
7. Submission Fee
All submissions for HB FILM FESTIVAL are to be paid through FilmFreeway platform. The submission fee is non-refundable.
8. Shipping
If selected you maybe asked to send your film electronically. You will be given more information on this after the selection process.
If the film is selected for the Festival all shipping and postage costs for DCPs etc and additional materials sent to and returned from HB FILM FESTIVAL must be borne by the submitting party. HB FILM FESTIVAL will not accept Cash On Delivery shipments. HB FILM FESTIVAL will not absorb any fees incurred in British customs. All charges must be pre-paid.
9. Selection of Films
Submissions are reviewed and selected under the following criteria:
- Quality of narrative and production values.
- Independent nature of the production.
10. Notification
HB FILM FESTIVAL will complete the selection procedures and inform all submitting parties, via email, if their film has been successful or not after that time. Successful submissions will receive 2 Filmmaker Passes.
10. Festival Screenings
Selected films MUST provide an electronic copy in order to be screened at the HB FILM FESTIVAL, as well as a backup. The film title MUST be clearly labelled. All foreign language films MUST contain English subtitles.
Our facilities do NOT support DVD, tape, 35mm, Super 16mm, 8mm or double-head formats. The project must be received at HB FILM FESTIVAL no later than TWENTY days prior to its scheduled screening date.
11. Scheduling
Screenings are scheduled at the discretion of HB FILM FESTIVAL. Whilst every effort will be made to adhere to the published schedule, HB FILM FESTIVAL reserves the right to make changes at any time for any reason. HB FILM FESTIVAL will not be liable for any costs claimed as a result of a change in scheduling.
No film may be withdrawn from the festival programme after its selection.

***PLEASE NOTE*** as stated above we can only roughly show 1 to 3 Feature Films. So the standard for feature films is extremely high
73 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Nathan and Ben McQuaid

    Amazing and very welcoming festival. We went for the first time last October as our film got accepted and nominated for best animated film. All of the organisers were very nice and made time to talk to us and made us feel welcome, which was much appreciated. The festival also gave us a custom laurel which was awesome, sometimes big festivals leave you to make your own but they gave us a great looking one which made us feel like we'd actually gotten into something official, along with the printed schedules, which were nice. As for the festival itself, it was amazing that they encourage and select a wide range of genre films, with categories for horror and sci-fi, ones which are often overlooked by festivals. There was a great selection and the fact that so many were made locally was really special. Overall it was a great experience and being able to talk to so many local filmmakers at the end was an opportunity we really appreciated. There needs to be more local festivals that screen homegrown films from a wide range of filmmakers. Outstanding festival and team, highly recommend.

    March 2024
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  • Robin De Vernon Ryding

    Great Festival! Thank you for having us!

    December 2023
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  • Martina Camatta

    Super-chuffed that my short documentary was picked by the HB festival this year. Amazing communication and social media support, I unfortunately couldn't attend but I could see how much fun everybody had! Very detailed programme and selection of films, I hope to be able to attend in the next editions, even just to support so much talent on show and such an amazing festival team! Thanks again for supporting independent filmmakers!

    December 2023
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  • Misha McCullagh

    It was such a pleasure to be part of the HB film festival and have Sarah Grant win Best Director for CANDY. Gary and the team work so hard to promote the breadth of filmmaking talent in Scotland and beyond! Many thanks for having us!!

    November 2023
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  • Rona Reid

    Hb festival was well-organized and provided excellent networking opportunities. Festivals like this play a crucial role in the film industry. Anticipating my return in the coming year.

    November 2023
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