Carmarthen Bay Film Festival(BAFTA Cymru Qualifying Festival)

Highly Respected BAFTA Cymru Qualifying Film Festival Judged by Industry Professionals. UK & International Submissions

We are offering a submission discount of 20%
Use this code SEP20 to claim before the end of September.

We are really proud to say that we've done it again for August. That's three months in a row now. Thanks to everyone that left a review here at FilmFreeway. If you haven't already please do, we really value your feedback.

Dear Carmarthen Bay Film Festival(BAFTA Cymru Qualifying Festival),

Congratulations! Your festival has ranked as one of the Top 100 Best Reviewed Festivals on FilmFreeway for the month of August!
According to reviews from real FilmFreeway users, your festival ranks in the top 2% of more than 6,000 film festivals and creative contests around the world. No doubt, this ranking is a testament to the countless hours of hard work and care that you and your staff have devoted to creating such a wonderful event.
We’re especially proud to be partnered with amazing events like yours that help independent film continue to thrive.

Carmarthen Bay Film Festival has gone from strength to strength over the years. From our first festival in 2012, we have gone from 35 submissions to well over 650 from 52 different countries for our 2018 festival. Not only have the submissions increased over the years but the number of filmmakers and festival patrons attending has as well.
We have had filmmakers flying in from the US, Holland, Italy, France and many parts of the UK. The number of festival partners has also grown with Stradey Park Hotel, BAFTA Cymru, RTS Wales, S4C, University of Wales Trinity St. David, Felin Foel Brewery and many more. The festival is now a BAFTA Cymru/Wales qualifying which means that any film screened during the festival and made here in Wales is eligible to apply to be considered for a BAFTA Cymru award.

Our 8th festival will see some significant changes, for the last seven years, the festival has been held at the Stradey Park Hotel here in Llanelli. The hotel has been very supportive, and without their help, the festival would have been unable to get off the ground. So with the full backing of the Stradey Park, we felt it was time to move on and try something new. So for 2019 CBFF will be held at one of Wales’ premier theatres in the centre of Llanelli, which will bring a new and exciting dynamic and feel to the festival.

It's all about fairness, our motto.
‘This festival is honest’ and will always be, a champion of independent film.

Films Judge by Industry Jury,
Widely promoted Festival,
Committed to Transparency,
BAFTA Cymru Qualifying Festival

We as a festival are also very keen to promote and follow.

UFFO's Code of Practices for Film Festivals
No 1: Film Festival organisers should operate a transparent selection process and state if the festival is a jury festival or non-jury festival

No 2: Film Festivals organisers should provide full contact details for the festival offices including address and telephone numbers and the names of the festival directors and or committee

No 3: A Film Festival should publish its legal status as a company, charity or non-profit (this only applies to a registered entity)

No 4: Film Festival organisers should not share financial data belonging to any filmmakers with any third parties.

No 5: Film Festivals should publish a year by year history of festival winners and films officially selected

No 6: Film Festival organisers, committee and or jury should not show or demonstrate any favouritism or hostility to any film submitted to the festival or attempt to influence other members of the jury or selection committee

No 7: Film Festivals should declare the number of films sought out and or invited by the festival organisers to participate in the festival prior to and before the general call for submissions is sent out

No 8: A Film Festivals jury members should be made up of film industry professionals (non-jury festivals are exempt)

No 9: Film Festival organisers should view at least 5 minutes of all submitted films

No 10: All Festival organisers should declare any conflict of interest that may

We are also very proud to have the name of John Hefin associated with the festival.
With the John Hefin Award for lifetime achievement in film, television or theatre. And we are delighted that Beti George accepted this award during our 2018 awards gala.

Please read the brief bio about John 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 directed 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 Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies at Aberystwyth University. In 1988, he became the artistic director of Film Cymru (which was later renamed the Wales Film Council), entrusted with the responsibility of 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.