Welcome to Covent Garden Film Festival!

An event of networking, screenings, and parties in the heart of London’s West End entertainment and arts district.

In our 3rd year, we will celebrate and showcase shorts, animations, documentaries, moving image art and experimental work.

Our festival judging committee for our 2024 addition included:

+ Jacob Lee - BAFTA-nominated filmmaker of 'A Drifting Up'
+ Dr Parvinder Shergill - actress-filmmaker, starring in 'Kaur' on ITVX
+ Leo Anna Thomas - the UK film industry's first WellBeing Facilitator

The festival aims to be as environmentally sustainable as possible, thus we are taking three key environmental pledges to make sure that during the event, we produce:
No plastic waste
No paper waste
No food waste

With this, we will be awarding an “Environmental Impact Awareness Award” to a filmmaker who is alerting audiences to the impact humans are having on our planet.

This will mean CGFF will not be producing paper-based promotional or programming materials. All information will be disseminated digitally in order to reduce the environmental impact and waste produced by the physical event of the film festival.

The festival was also created to showcase films that raise awareness of mental health conditions. This includes the presentation of a “Mental Health Awareness Award”, which was won in its first year by BAFTA-nominated short film “A Drifting Up” by Jacob Lee.

Additionally, this is why the festival has no social media accounts or profiles. As the festival creators' believe social media has had an overall negative effect on the mental health of its users.

Instead the festival will focus on fostering a peer-to-peer community of filmmakers and cineastes who believe in the core aims and principles of the festival.

Please note we will not be screening features, all media and art included in CGFF will be under 40 minutes long.

CGFF is here to allow filmmakers and audiences to connect, create, and collaborate.

CGFF will also be giving out cash prizes and awards in its second year at an awards gala during the festival, see the Awards and Prizes section below. We want to do this in order to support new talent and celebrate their hard work and ambitions.

Our programme and sponsors to be announced in due course - stay tuned for further exciting updates!

contact@coventgardenfilmfestival.com

Mental Health Awareness Award

Environmental Impact Awareness Award

Emerging Filmmaker Award

Emerging Actor Award

Emerging Writer

British Short Film

International Short Film

Music Video Award
Dance Film Award
Best Actor
Best Director
Best Composer
Best Editing
Best Animation Award
Best Documentary
Best Comedy
Best Student Film
Best Experimental Work
Best Production Design

1. Submission Format
Films must be submitted via online screener.

2. Submission Eligibility
- All submissions must have been completed after 1 January 2023.
- Covent Garden Film Festival does not require a London premiere for all films.
- Works-in-progress and films with distribution are accepted.
- All films not in the English language are required to have subtitles.
- Please note we will not be screening features, all art included in CGFF will be under 40 minutes long.

3. Premiere Status
- Covent Garden Film Festival does not require a London or United Kingdom premiere for all films and other submitted media. All films may have screened at other festivals.

4. Film Classification
All films screened during the Covent Garden Film Festival receive an age rating that is decided by the British Board of Film Classification and/ or the Covent Garden Film Festival programming team.

5. Submission Fee
All FilmFreeway submissions for Covent Garden Film Festival are to be paid by credit card or PayPal. The submission fee is non-refundable.

6. Shipping
All shipping and postage costs, if the film is selected for the Festival, for all DCPs and additional materials sent to and returned from Covent Garden Film Festival must be borne by the submitting party. Covent Garden Film Festival will not accept Cash On Delivery shipments. Covent Garden Film Festival will not absorb any fees incurred in British customs. All charges must be pre-paid

7. Selection of Films
Submissions are reviewed and selected under the following criteria:
- Freshness
- Funkyness
- Funniness
- Production values
- Independence of the production
- Acting
- Cinematography and Sound
- Editing

8. Notification
Covent Garden Film Festival endeavours to complete all selection procedures by the date labelled as "Notification Deadline" on the FilmFreeway page of the festival. CGFF will inform all submitting parties, in writing, if their film has been successful or not after that time. Successful submissions will receive an email that will include important information on shipping relevant media to the Festival, press and publicity, guest accreditation, contact information and how to make the most of participating in the Festival.

9. Festival Screenings
Selected films MUST provide a Digital Cinema Package (DCP) in order to be screened at the Covent Garden Film Festival. The film title MUST be clearly labelled on the hard drive.

10. Scheduling
Screenings are scheduled during the Festival at the discretion of Covent Garden Film Festival. Whilst every effort will be made to adhere to the published schedule, Covent Garden Film Festival reserves the right to make changes at any time for any reason. Covent Garden Film Festival will not be liable for any costs claimed as a result of a change in scheduling.
No film may be withdrawn from the festival programme after its selection.

GENERAL AGREEMENT OF PARTICIPATION IN CGFF:

By submitting to the Covent Garden Film Festival I confirm that I have read and accept the terms and regulations of CGFF. I will provide the festival with any additional information required pursuant to these rules and regulations. I authorise the CGFF to exhibit my film, and if selected, I confirm that an exhibition copy will be available in a required format for screening during the 2024 festival.

I certify that I hold all necessary rights for the submission of this film/video to the CGFF and that all rights and clearances have been made. This film is not subject to any litigation nor is threatened by any litigation. I hold CGFF harmless from damage to, or loss of any or all materials en route to, from or otherwise at the festival. I assume all legal responsibilities therein. I hereby agree to allow my contact details to be shared and handled by CGFF, its partners and its sister film festivals.

By Agreeing to these terms, I transfer to CGFF the right to use excerpts of the submitted film, its stills, and trailers, for the purposes of publicity and marketing of the film at the 2024 festival, and for other non-commercial uses related to the promotion of the 2024 festival. I hereby agree to indemnify CGFF, in the event that such rights have not been properly transferred.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Tobias H.

    I received an honorary mention, but I suppose everyone who applied did. I assume this, because communication with the festival was not possible, they never answered to any of my mails. I asume their motivation is to have filmmakers apply again, despite of not being part of the festival. Also, the honorary mention is not listed anywhere online or publicly visible, which is another indication that its just a hoax. Very dissapointing. This policy should be exposed.

    March 2024
  • Tristan Sherfield

    Great Festival. It was amazing to be screened among so much fantastic work. Will definitely submit to Covent Garden Film Festival again in the future.

    February 2024
  • Honored to have been a part of it.

    February 2024
  • Just Just Productions

    Honoured to have Inception of Silence screened at this wonderful event! The event was filled with many wonderful films and overall the festival was such a organised and profesional event. Well done!

    February 2024
  • Aila Stefansdotter-Franck

    Incredible festival! Thank you for letting us be part of it <3

    February 2024