Welcome to Carmarthen Bay Film Festival, the highly successful BAFTA Cymru and now BAFTA British Short Film Competition Qualifying Festival.

We are honoured to have been added to the BAFTA British Short Film Competition B list of qualifying festivals and one of only two based here in Wales.

To find out more about rules and regulations concerning BAFTA, please visit their website.

The Festival has gone from strength to strength over the years. From our first Festival in 2012, we have gone from 35 submissions to over 1000 from 70 countries for our 2020 festival.
We are also very honoured and proud to not only be one of only two qualifying BAFTA British Short Film Competition qualifying festivals here in Wales but one of only six qualifying BAFTA Cymru festivals here in Wales as well.

It's all about the celebration of excellence, and our motto is:

'Excellence Should Be Seen On Screen', and we will always be a champion of independent film.

Films Judge by Industry Jury:
who have included the BAFTA Cymru award-winning actor Mark Lewis Jones, Television presenter Ross King MBE, film academics and many specialists in the fields of animation, documentary and film.

Widely promoted Festival through our website, social media channels and industry press, including the film journal Sight and Sound. The awards nominations and awards gala is also broadcast live via our FaceBook page and on our festival streaming channel in partnership with Sparqfest.

Committed to Transparency, we were one of the first festivals to sign up for the United Film Festival Organisation (UFFO) code of conduct.

BAFTA British Short Film Competition Qualifying Festival

BAFTA Cymru Qualifying Festival

IMDB Qualifying.

We are also very proud to have the name of John Hefin associated with the Festival. With the John Hefin Award lifetime achievement award. And we are delighted that Arfon Haines Davies excepted this award during our 2022 awards gala.

Here's a brief bio about John Hefin below.

John Hefin first became involved in television work in 1960 when he responded to a newspaper advertisement for apprentice production assistants. During the 1960s, he worked as a producer and director for BBC Wales. In 1974, he helped create the Welsh language soap opera Pobol y Cwm, the longest-running television soap opera produced by the BBC. He also co-wrote and directed the 1978 TV rugby comedy film Grand Slam and led the 1981 drama series The Life and Times of David Lloyd George. This nine-part series, a biopic based on the Welsh PM, drew on conversations with Lady Olwen, his eldest daughter, and AJ Sylvester, his secretary. In 1984, John was the director for the narration for an animated version of Prince Charles's children's story, The Old Man of Lochnagar.

Following his post as Head of Drama with BBC Wales, he worked in the Theatre, Film and Television Studies Department at Aberystwyth University. In 1988, he became the artistic director of Film Cymru (later renamed the Wales Film Council), entrusted with commissioning films from independent Welsh producers using S4C funds. He was also Chairman of the Film Commission Wales and Chair of Cyfrwng, a Welsh media journal and network. He retired from the BBC in 1993. In 2004, he directed and filmed part of a documentary featuring the artist Sir Kyffin Williams, Reflections in a Gondola
John was awarded the MBE in 2009 for "services to Welsh film and drama". In 2012, he was awarded the BAFTA Cymru Special Award for Outstanding Contribution to Television Drama.

Awards & Prizes

By being ‘officially selected’, your film has been considered to be, of a high standard and worthy of being screened during the festival itself. This is the first step of a three-stage process.

For the next stage, a number of the ‘officially selected’ films are then shortlisted to be judged for the category awards. These are the ‘nominated’ films.
The last stage is winning your selected category.

Rules & Terms

1. Films made anywhere in the world are eligible to be submitted for consideration
2. If the Film’s final running time is more than 2 minutes and less than 40 minutes including credits if any, the Film may only be submitted as a Short film. Even if the Film has been submitted as a Feature film, it will be included for consideration only in the Short category..
3. The Festival does not require première status for submissions.
4. The Film may have been previously screened in its entirety at a theatrical exhibition anywhere in the world, in which tickets were available to the public.
5. The Film may have been previously released on DVD or broadcast on television or the internet anywhere in the world.
6. It is the sole responsibility of the Applicant to secure clearance from the copyright holders of any copyrighted materials included within the submitted Film. The Organisers will not be held responsible for the unauthorised inclusion of any copyrighted materials within or relating to the submitted Film. The Organisers reserve the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant, any Film with any unauthorised inclusion of any copyrighted materials.
7. Applicants submitting Films that contain significant non-English spoken dialogue must provide on-screen English subtitles. The Organisers reserve the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant, any Film that contains significant non-English spoken dialogue that does not include accompanying on-screen English subtitles.
8. If your submission is accepted we may require a hard copy for screening purposes. All Films must be on a single DVD Disc (single or dual layer) or Blu-ray if required. We also accept file transfer via Wetransfer or a similar service. DVD'S and Blu-rays WILL NOT BE RETURNED
9. The Organisers reserve the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from Applicant, if any Film is not submitted on one of the recommended standard formats. We only accept mp4, and .mov
9a.If your project is selected you must make it available for download within 10 days, either through FilmFreeway or Vimeo after being informed of its acceptance. If you do not, your film will be deselected without a refund of the submission fee.
10. It’s the submitters' responsibility to make sure they provide the correct screening file for consideration. CBFF will not be held responsible if the incorrect file is provided.
11. If your submission is accepted it is your responsibility to make sure the correct version of your entry is made available for screening purposes. CBFF will not be held responsible if the incorrect version is provided.
12 If your submission is nominated for an award you agree that the judge’s decision final
13. Please note that any discount codes relating to Students may only be used by the qualifying submitters. Student discount may only be used by either undergraduates or postgraduates 1 year after leaving full or part-time study. You must follow these guidelines or your submission will be automatically disqualified without a refund of your submission fee.
14. If your film is selected you agree to not expect or request a screening fee.
15.Your submission must have been completed after January 2019.
16.By submitting you agree to all CBFF rules and guidelines

SHORT FILM

A live-action narrative fiction told through the medium of video.

Requirements: Your Submission must be an original live-action narrative video that exemplifies the art of fictional storytelling. Submissions may come from but are not limited to, the following genres: comedy, action, drama, musical, horror, etc. Your submission should be a complete story that is presented in a clear, creative, and original way.

Judging considerations: We are looking for creative excellence in videos that push the boundaries of narrative filmmaking and storytelling

DOCUMENTARY SHORT

A video that presents a factual report on a chosen subject or idea.

Requirements: Your submission must be an original documentary that exemplifies the art of non-fiction storytelling. Submissions may include a variety of storytelling methods: presenter led or narrated, fly on the wall, point of view, ambient, or personal stories, etc. Your submission should be a complete idea that is presented in a clear, innovative and original way.

Judging considerations: We are looking for an engaging, creative video that provides insight into a real person, lifestyle, cause, belief, or situation through nonfiction filmmaking methods.

ANIMATION

A story told by giving life to inanimate objects or character designs using computer technology or frame by frame animation.

Requirements: Your submission must be an original animated short video that illustrates the art of animated storytelling. Submissions may include the following styles of animation: 3D, 2D, mixed media, or any form of stop motion.

Judging considerations: We are looking for animation that deploys a high level of technical, conceptual, and aesthetic innovation in order to enchant the viewer with a strong, engaging story.

EXPERIMENTAL

A video that experiments with new ideas and/or techniques, often characterized by the absence of a linear narrative.

Requirements: Submissions may include video art, abstract works, or any other non-narrative-based work that breaks new ground in moving image.

Judging considerations: We are looking for videos that explore new ideas or techniques to further filmmaking as an art form, free from the constraints of the traditional narrative form.

POETIC CINEMA

Poetry film is a subgenre of film that fuses the use of spoken word poetry, visual images, and sound to create a stronger presentation and interpretation of the meaning being conveyed. This fusion of image and spoken word (both independent and interdependent) creates what William Wees called the "Poetry-film" genre.

We are looking for Submissions that:
• Are based upon an interesting concept;
• Are innovative;
• Are well crafted; and
• Create an emotional resonance

117 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
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Networking
  • Sriram Papolu

    This a super awesome festival that I have been privileged enough to be part of for two years in a row! Much love for Kelvin Guy and the Carmarthen Bay team for organizing such a powerful fest and supporting truly unique and emerging voices from around the world. I will definitely be continuing to submit many of if not all my future works and highly encourage others to do the same.

    SUPER!

    September 2022
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  • yael hotomlanski

    Diverse films that greatly expand the concept of short independent cinema. Brave and interesting choices.
    A beautiful location that allows you to experience nature
    Really hope they continue on their unique path

    September 2022
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  • Toni Nordli

    This is not a Top 100 Film Festival. As you know, there are a lot of dishonest reviews here on FilmFreeway that does not reflect how the film festival really is. It's a shame, as the only way to make a film festival improve is to provide them honest feedback. I told them face-to-face that I thought their festival was underwhelming, so it's no surprise that I am posting my honest review here.

    I am reviewing their 2022 film festival in the hopes that their festival will improve for the future. Carmarthen's biggest card is that it's a BAFTA qualifying film festival and the people behind the festival seems genuinely keen on running the film festival. So, the value is good, but it's the only reason this festival gets a 2/5 star rating and here is why:

    The marketing of the film festival is non-existent. There were no flyers or posters in the entire town. Nothing in the pubs, shops, or hotels. It was only INSIDE the venue itself. They had a digital poster outside the venue shown for 10 seconds – but it’s so hidden that no one even notices. The film festival claims that there was no marketing due to covid, but when we spoke to the locals, they didn’t even know that a film festival existed there… and Carmarthen Bay Film Festival has been there for 11 years. It’s a shame because it’s FREE to attend to the film festival and I absolutely love that.

    This leads to an extremely poor turn-up. There was hardly anyone in the audience, except for the filmmakers themselves. This means it’s an industry film festival, but it fails at that too since they had only 4 events at the film festival. Monday: A feature screening with Q&A. Tuesday: An interactive game company presenting themselves. Wednesday: A 4 hour-ish long networking session. Thursday: The award ceremony which you must pay £25 to attend to.

    Apart from that, there were no conferences, workshops, labs, talks, established producers and other festival programmers coming that we could promote our films to...

    So, this is what they screen your short film: they screen your films and that’s it. They do not introduce the director before the screening, nor do they have a Q&A after the screening. It was incredibly sad to see filmmakers come with high expectations since it’s a BAFTA qualifying film festival, only to be met by a meagre audience (exclusively disappointed filmmakers), see their film and just leave. You want to see all the films to support each other, but you can't because they screen relentlessly from morning 'til evening with no breaks. Your films will only be screened ONCE and that's it. Either in the small cinema or inside a room with a large TV. You will not know about this until you are there. I feel sorry for those who had to see their film either alone or with a tiny group of people in the TV room. It's just not fair to the filmmaker. To our surprise they had another one which the award ceremony was in. We all thought that room was amazing, so why not use that one as well?

    There were no technical hiccups in the small cinema so well done with that. I heard a different story regarding the TV-room. They did manage to mispell my film on their title card prior to the screening.

    Communication was incredibly poor. We were not informed if we would get an accreditation or not (they didn’t even understand at first what accreditation is), if there were going to be any events, if the film festival was free or not, when the programme was going to be release, what time my film was going to be shown… I had to ask every question you could think of that we filmmakers need to know as NOTHING was communicated. We didn’t even know you had to pay to attend the award ceremony. Why are none of this information distributed as soon as the film is selected – and only a few days or the day before the film festival? Here’s a question I had to ask them a few days before the film festival and their reply:

    My question: “Do I, as the director and producer of Six Feet of Separation, have to introduce my film before the screening or is there a q&a I have to do in front of the audience after the screening?”

    Their answer: “Thank you for the offer but this will not be necessary..”

    Their printed programme had the time of the screening and title of the film, but it didn’t have a synopsis nor a picture. And there are no presentation of the director in the programme either. The programme it was published 9th May 2022, but not on their website nor sent to us by email - but published on Facebook. Also, that's rather late when the film festival starts at 16th May, especially for us who decided to purchase flight tickets from abroad. We also had to tell the festival to release their daily programme on their Facebook page.

    The worst part was that when we all were selected, we all thought that we were in the competition programme. However, when we arrived the night before the festival, they released information that they were going to nominate the films. We had absolutely no idea, but since a lot of us travelled from either abroad or far away, it was already too late. At least Carmarthen Bay got their audience there.

    Hope you guys at Carmarthen Bay can fix this. Your venue has a lot of potential, but just do it right. The filmmakers deserves it and the festival definitely needs an audience. The film festival can get volunteers to promote the film festival and distribute flyers and posters around the area and in Wales. Why not? Us filmmakers attend the filmfestival to have an audience. For the short film screenings, I can recall that there were minimum 5 people in the audience and maximum 20 ish at most (mostly just filmmakers). It's just not good enough.

    Despite of all of this, us filmmakers who were there became friends and had fun together. We still keep in touch.

    All the best,

    Toni Nordli

    September 2022
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  • Joseph Archer

    An incredible festival like no other! Such an honour to be part of it!

    August 2022
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  • Daniel D. Moses

    Thanks for nominating Pandemic Spy as one of the best comedy shorts! Met some great people in my brief time there

    July 2022
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