Bolton International Film Festival is proud to be one of the Top 10 short film festivals in the UK and accredited by both BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) and BIFA (British Independent Film Awards). Bolton currently sits in the "Top 10 Best Reviewed" and "Top 100 Most Popular" on FilmFreeway from over 12,000 festivals worldwide. It is also an IMDb registered festival. The festival offers a diverse audience made up of filmmakers, industry and a broad spectrum of the public. We offer Q&A's to filmmakers following on every screening.
You need only enter your film ONCE to the festival to qualify for all the appropriate categories and awards, just find the category you think that represents your film best and our team of programmers will do the rest. We have a large cohort of jurors to ensure each category is looked at by at least three jurors in the final stages.
Celebrating films from home and abroad the festival acts as an amplifier of emerging and established talent. Through its films, industry talks, masterclasses and networking sessions it aims to break open the door to a creative industry that many short filmmakers find difficult to access and navigate. The festival helps springboard its filmmakers, connecting them not just to their peers but to the talent executives, producers, funders, sales agents and distributors who can take them to the next level.
The OSCAR winning director Chris Overton from "The Silent Child" said "Out of all the festivals I have been to, this one was definitely 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. Their passion shines through. Oh and the awards are SO nice."
The festival delivers a hybrid experience, with in person screenings for five days in the cinema from Wed 4th October - Sun 8th October and a secure digital platform (*geo restricted to UK) for catch up on films and masterclasses from 12th to 22nd October. * Online screenings are optional for the selected filmmakers - it is not compulsory. Should you choose to be included, you and the other selected filmmakers can watch from anywhere in the world, along with sales agents, distributors and other approved industry contacts.
JURY PANEL:
Amy O'Hara - Talent Executive - Film4
Producer Colin Pons (33 Features and 2 x BAFTA winner)
MarBelle (Co-Founder of Directors Notes)
Maggie Ellis (Producer/ Film London (FLAMIN) / Jarman Award)
Rob Speranza (Producer / Programmer@ Aesthetica Film Fest)
Isabelle Croissant (Talent Developer @ HOME Manchester)
Caroline Bottomley (Shiney Awards)
Chris Hees (BAFTA winner & OSCAR nominated producer)
Anna Price (RTS winner & BAFTA nominated Doc Editor)
David Thacker, Olivier award winning Theatre / TV / Film director
Mike Todd (Producer / Northern Docs / Riverhorse Films)
D J Clark Multi Media Journalist (National Geographic, Asian News)
Chris Lunt 2 x BAFTA nominated writer ("PREY", BBC, ITV, Canal +)
Writers - The Clarkson Twins (Haunting of Bly Manor (Netflix)
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/Producer Jon Turner (Kilogramme)
Animator Sarah Anne Kennedy (UCLAN Course Leader in Animation)
Rob Scott (VR Manchester)
Annabeth Robinson (Electronic Artist/Salford Animation Course Leader)
Dr. Kirsty Fairclough (Screen Studies - School of Digital Arts (SODA))
Actor Gerard Kearns (Shameless, Last Kingdom, Looking for Eric)
Danilo Godoy - Brazil/Portugal - Casting Director
Supported by The Light Cinema Experience, Bolton Council, Bolton at Home, The Market Place, Holiday Inn, Bolton University, Film Hub North and BFI Audience Network
The festival will be competitive with the 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 LGBTQ+ short
Best VR Experience
Best 360 Film
Best Experimental
Best Sci-Fi / Fantasy
Best Women in Film
Best Thriller
Best Horror
Best Fashion Film
Best Dance Film
Best Music Video
Best Animation (Student)
Best Student Post Graduate (M.A)
Best Student Under Graduate (B.A)
Lens For Change Award
Best Community/Charity