We’re so excited to launch the Blackburn Festival of Film this summer, celebrating the best of the North and incredible films from around the world! Over two jam-packed days, we’re bringing together filmmakers, industry pros, and film lovers for a festival full of inspiration, creativity, and hands-on experiences. Expect Q&A sessions with special guests, a thrilling short film competition with awards up for grabs, and interactive sessions where you can try out cameras and easy rigs. Whether you’re here to learn from top industry voices, showcase your work, or just soak up the atmosphere, there’s something for everyone. And when the sun sets, our evening networking events are the perfect chance to meet like-minded creatives and celebrate film in all its forms. We look forward to seeing you there!

SPECIAL GUESTS SO FAR INCLUDE

Q&A Session with Producer Mark Blaney from Footprint Films (Escape From Pretoria)
Workshop from Sound Mixer Nigel Albermaniche (Under the Skin, Becoming Led Zeppelin)

Awards & Prizes

Best Drama
Best Horror
Best Comedy
Best Student

Rules & Terms

Film Submission Guidelines:
• Short films should have a maximum running time of 30 minutes.

General Guidelines:

• All films in languages other than English must have burnt in subtitles.
• We do not have a premiere requirement. We will accept submissions of films that have previously screened elsewhere, including at other festivals.
• The festival does not grant fee waivers.

If your work is selected:

• The festival does not grant fee waivers, licensing or screening fees.
• We do not cover licensing or screening fees for selected projects, as films are in competition and have been submitted to us.

Technical Specifications:
Should your film be selected to screen at Blackburn Festival of Film, there are specific technical requirements the screening copy of your film must meet. Please read these carefully:

Blackburn Festival of Film is a digital festival and we only accept Quicktime files. We do not accept playable DVDs, DCPs, tapes, or film reels.
For submission films should be submitted via FilmFreeway.
For live screenings films should be submitted as high quality Quicktime in the following format:
Quicktime wrapper – Apple ProRes 422 codec (h.264 will be accepted if bandwidth is an issue.)
Audio Codec – Integer 16bit 48KHz Stereo
Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Progressive
For online screenings films must be uploaded directly to our server as h.264 files.
1 Review
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Tim Royle

    I only saw about this festival late, even though it was in my home town, but the entry fee was very reasonable-non of this inflating the price for films close to deadline. Come on film festivals be more like Blackburn and stop s******* people over.
    Lovely new cinema with comfy seats with an excellent hub in the foyer. Clear communication from being accepted into the festival, right through to watching the films and then the awards and media after. Everyone involved in running the festival were super friendly and went the extra mile to make sure everything was ok. Highly recommend. I hope I have another film to enter in the near future.

    July 2025
    Helpful