Set against the beautiful backdrop of the Boyne Valley, the inaugural Boyne Valley International Film Festival, produced by Droichead Arts Centre in partnership with LOVE Drogheda BIDS took place in August 2022. Curated by acclaimed filmmaker and Boyne Valley native Frank W. Kelly and Collette Farrell, Droichead Arts Centre Director, this two day event featured the best short films from around the country, and the world, with a special focus on films made in the region.

The Festival also featured a Filmmaker in Focus, and in 2022 we screened the work of talented writer, director and producer Roisin Kearney, with a selection of her shorts: Run, No Dogs, The Family Way, We Have Each Other and Paddy. We also had the opportunity to hear about Roisin’s work post screening in a Q&A hosted by LMFM’s Sinead Brassil.

The inaugural BVIFF Short Script Bursary was also launched. Four finalist were chosen by judges, Mark O'Halloran, Katie Holly and Derek Ugochukwu, and each received €500. The overall winner was Libby McCormack, who was award a further €2500 and 6 months free studio space.

The history and natural beauty of the Boyne Valley lend themselves perfectly to the medium of film, and our Made in the Boyne we section screened a selection of shorts made in the region by filmmakers including Darren Thornton, JJ Harrington, Martin O’Donoghue, Colm Sexton, Joe Rooney, Leah Rossiter, Bill Murphy and Frank W. Kelly, and also screened films by two emerging film makers Ewan McNulty and Niamh Magee.

BVIFF wants to create an environment for filmmakers and audiences to connect, and celebrate film in the historical medieval town of Drogheda.

Awards & Prizes

The Awards:

BEST SHORT FILM MADE IN THE BOYNE VALLEY - Cash Prize of €1000
BEST IRISH NARRATIVE SHORT FILM - Cash Prize of €1000
BEST INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE SHORT FILM - Cash Prize of €1000
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM - Cash Prize of €1000
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM - Cash Prize of €1000

FILMMAKER IN FOCUS - BVIFF will choose a filmmaker and screen a curated programme showcasing their work, followed by a Q and A.

SHORT FILM BURSARY - Entrants are invited to submit a one or two page pitch for a short film script. Three filmmakers will be shortlisted by a panel, awarded a bursary of €500, and each will be invited to present their short film idea to the panel during the festival. One lucky filmmaker will be chosen, and further awarded a bursary of €2,500 to write the script, plus a studio space for 6 months in Droichead Arts Centre, Barlow House. We welcome applications from filmmakers whose voices are currently under represented in the Irish film sector. The award application will be completed outside of this portal, for more information re this submission please email admin@droichead.com
Dates for submissions for the Short Film Bursary will be announced in April.

Rules & Terms

Films must have been made after January 1st 2020.

BVIFF only accepts short films of NO LONGER than 30 minutes. (Including titles & credits)

By submitting to BVIFF 2023 you are agreeing to a physical screening of your work. The programming team will discuss this in more detail closer to the event.

Each submission must be accompanied by a HIGH RES STILL IMAGE (not a poster image) a LOGLINE and a SHORT SYNOPSIS. A HEADSHOT of the director and actors and short bios of each. Please include a cover note if possible. We are keen to know more about you and your film.

For the Made in the Boyne Valley programme your film must have been made in the Boyne Valley Region, and the filmmaker must be from the Boyne Valley region. It is not required that the filmmaker be resident in the Boyne Valley.

Withdrawal will only be refunded if requested within in two weeks from being submitted.

At the moment submissions are not open to student filmmakers in full-time or part-time education, or to filmmakers under 18.

Films not in the English language must have subtitles.

The selection and scheduling of all films screened at BVIFF 2023 is entirely at the discretion of the Festival Directors and the Judging Panels.

Due to the large amount of submissions received BVIFF cannot enter into any discussion regarding films that are not selected. The festival is unable to send personal emails regarding films that are not selected and notification regarding the status of selection will be made via FilmFreeway notification.

Selected films will be announced on the BVIFF website and in the media.

Short Film Screening Files: (Once Selected)

If selected the festival will request a ProRes 422 or ProRes LT Quicktime file with the following specifications only:

Frame size - 1920 x 1080
Frame rate - 24fps or 25fps

Audio 48khz 24bit stereo or 5.1

or

A H.264 file with the following specifications:
Frame size - 1920 x 1080
Frame rate - 24fps or 25fps
Bit rate - 12000kbps to 35000kbps.

Audio 48khz 24bit stereo

If selected, any web links used to transfer accepted formats should remain active until we have confirmed that we have downloaded and tested the film. Alternative versions will be required where it is evident that the technical requirements are not being met.

Please watch the file of your film IN FULL before sending to us. Our technician will not be able to check your file for errors. Failure to adhere to the technical requirements may result in films not being screened.

BVIFF will liaise with the filmmaker regarding screening formats after final decisions have been made. Please check the email you submit your film with regularly. This is the method we will use to contact you. If there is no response to our emails, BVIFF reserve the right to withdraw selection.

Images and press packs will be requested upon selection. These will be used for promotional purposes not limited to press, online media, television, radio and any other media platform.

Television and Internet broadcasting: Taking part in BVIFF implies allowing broadcasting on Irish and foreign televisions and on the Internet (extracts limited to and not exceeding 1 min) for the purpose of promoting the festival.

BVIFF does not pay screening fees for submitted work.

We request that applicants submit to Boyne Valley International Film Festival only through the FilmFreeway portal. *(The Short Film Bursary is not included on this platform). We do not accept DVDs, online links by email or social media messages etc. The festival has a small seasonal staff and we are not in a position to accept submissions in any other way. This allows our judging panel to view and select films in a fair manner.

All the films are viewed by the panel and the judges make the final decision.

If entering your film to BVIFF you must have the authority and licence for any music soundtrack on/in your film. You and/or the artists who own the music and/or their representatives waive rights to claim royalties from BVIFF for screening selected films.

On submitting to the festival the applicant understands that he/she/they has a legal right to submit the film including ensuring all clearances have been obtained. By submitting to the festival the applicant agrees to the rules and terms.