Cheltenham International Film Festival (CIFF) marks it’s fifth anniversary in 2023, moving from its original mid-May dates to 15 – 24 September 2023, with plans to broaden its audience by adding live screenings of the film festival beyond Cheltenham across selected cinemas and theatres in South-West England and beyond.
Cheltenham was the first international feature film festival in the UK to stream its festival programme online, when the first Covid lockdown was announced, and it plans to continue as a ‘SCREEN & STREAM’ hybrid event, live screening films from all over the world and streaming a complementary programme online through its digital platform YourScreen (https://watch.yourscreen.net).
Cheltenham, officially designated “The Festival Town”, is home to the Literature Festival, Jazz Festival and Music Festival, among others, and has attracted many high-profile celebrities through the decades. The Film Festival has welcomed live and online the popular actor, Simon Pegg (our Honorary Patron), Mike Leigh, Stephen Frears, Steven Berkoff, the Oscar-nominated Polish director, Jan Komasa, producer, Stephen Woolley and many more. In 2022, headline guest was Dame Judi Dench in a new strand CELEBRATE to honour the work of distinguished actors.
BEST FILM
The festival is founded on promoting films by emerging filmmakers. In 2021, the Festival introduced films ‘IN COMPETITION’ to draw attention to these films, open only to directors with one or two films on their C.V. The festival is founded on promoting films by emerging filmmakers. In 2020, the Festival introduced films ‘IN COMPETITION’ to draw attention to these films, open only to directors with one or two films on their C.V. SARA PUTT, new chair of BAFTA, leads the 2023 jury of professionals from film, the arts, media and local personalities who gather each year to select one film from ‘IN COMPETITION’ as BEST FILM. Films ‘In COMPETITION’ raises the interest of audiences and allows filmmakers the opportunity to use in their promotional material.
FESTIVAL STRANDS NEW & OLD
The Festival plans to introduce a number of new features in 2023, including a CLASSIC FILM strand to recognise key anniversaries. Discussions are also taking place with the prestigious Cheltenham Jazz Festival about linking jazz with film, and we will formalise our youth programme, CINEYOUTH, introducing young audiences to the culture of cinema and the art of filmmaking. Consideration is also being given to add television to film, given all the excellent drama currently being streamed.
We will continue with festival strands first introduced in 2019: i) to honour celebrated film directors and producers like Mike Leigh, Stephen Frears, Stephen Woolley; ii) and “COUNTRY FOCUS”, where we spotlight emerging and celebrated directors specific to that country. In 2023, our COUNTRY FOCUS is Spain.
SUBMISSIONS
We welcome feature films, narrative and documentary, as well as shorts from emerging filmmakers. All films are watched by a selection panel which numbered up to 20 people in 2022. Films selected for the festival will allow filmmakers access to new audiences in a town that has been home to arts festivals through the decades and home to many celebrities who live in the area. Films will also have the opportunity to be screened online via YourScreen.
For the past two years, there has been one award and that is BEST FILM. It is open only to emerging filmmakers with their first or second feature film, (on occasion we may accept a third feature film).
The BEST FILM is selected from a short list of seven films designated as ‘IN COMPETITION’. The seven ‘IN COMPETITION’ films are selected by a panel from all the films to be screened during the 10 days of the film festival.
Previous winners:
2022 - OLGA by Swiss director Elie Grappe
2021 - I NEVER CRY by Polish director, Piotr Domalewski
The organisers are also to introduce a second award in 2023 for BEST SHORT FILM. All short films screened during the film festival will be eligible for BEST SHORT FILM.