As the longest continually running film festival in the world, EIFF is now preparing its 74th edition which will take place in Edinburgh from 17 to 28 June 2020.

Since 1947, the Festival has brought ground-breaking, exciting and original films from all over the world to enthusiastic and engaged UK audiences and a wide variety of press and industry guests and delegates. EIFF seeks to discover and present the most creative and innovative developments in world cinema, bring filmmakers to local, national and international attention, and provide a dynamic and responsive platform for engagement with them and their work.

EIFF is especially interested in films by emerging filmmakers whose work manifests stylistic boldness, strength of form, and the ambition to use the medium in a way that resists cliché.

Awards & Prizes

AWARDS

The following awards will be given at the 74th Edinburgh International Film Festival.

FEATURE FILM AWARDS

The Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film
Named in homage to one of the most original and imaginative artists in the history of British cinema, with a career spanning 60 years, the Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature was inaugurated at EIFF in 1990 to honour imagination and creativity in British filmmaking and is regarded as a mark of prestige both within and outside the UK film industry. The award, which carries a cash prize, is open to new British feature fiction films, and will be decided by a jury of respected film professionals.

The Award for Best Performance in a British Feature Film

Judged by the Michael Powell Award Competition Jury, the Award for Best Performance in a British Feature Film celebrates and promotes the great tradition of the art of film performance in the UK.

The Award for Best International Feature Film

EIFF seeks to represent global trends in cinema by introducing important new films and new filmmaking directions. The Award for Best International Feature Film highlights filmmaking from outside the UK that is imaginative, innovative and deserving of wider recognition. The award, which carries a cash prize, is open to new live-action feature fiction films from any country outside of the UK and will be decided by a jury of respected film professionals.

The Award for Best Documentary Feature Film

EIFF began life in 1947 as the First International Festival of Documentary Films and is dedicated to presenting the best new documentary work to its audiences. The Award for Best Documentary Feature Film highlights bold and inquisitive documentary filmmaking from around the world. The award, which carries a cash prize, is open to new documentary feature films from all countries and will be decided by a jury of respected film professionals.

The Audience Award

EIFF’s Audience Award is one of the Festival’s most popular awards with the public, filmmakers and distributors alike. The award is voted for by cinema-goers attending public screenings. Eligible films are selected from across the EIFF programme by the Artistic Director.

SHORT FILM AWARDS

The Award for Best Short Film

The Award for Best Short Film affirms EIFF’s long-standing support of directors of short films and is intended both to recognise the outstanding achievements possible within the short format and to offer encouragement for the feature filmmakers of the future. The award, which carries a cash prize, is open to short-form, live-action fiction, documentary, experimental and animated films and will be decided by a jury of respected film professionals.

The McLaren Award for New British Animation

Inaugurated in 1990, the McLaren Award for New British Animation provides a focus for new British short animation and recognises the spirit of creativity. The award, named in honour of Norman McLaren, the renowned Scottish-born animator and innovator, is decided by audience vote.

Rules & Terms

THE RULES

All submitted films should be no more than 12 months old by June 2020 and meet with the selection criteria as described below.

- EIFF regards a short film as 30 minutes or under and a feature film as anything over 30 minutes.
- Films that are available to purchase are not eligible. This includes DVD/Blu-ray/online digital download formats.
- Promotional films are not eligible (e.g. films promoting tourism, charitable appeals, etc.).

Different genres and lengths of film have different PREMIERE REQUIREMENTS:

FEATURES
ALL Feature Films (Fiction, Documentary, Animation and Experimental) must be UK PREMIERES. EIFF is particularly interested in world, international or European premieres, and first or second features. Feature films that have previously been publicly screened, broadcast or otherwise made publicly available (including online) in the UK will not be considered.

SHORTS
Short FICTION, DOCUMENTARY and EXPERIMENTAL submissions are split into UK and International categories – different premiere rules apply to different categories:
UK Short Fiction, Documentary and Experimental Films must be SCOTTISH PREMIERES. EIFF is particularly interested in world, international, European or UK premieres. These films may have previously been publicly screened anywhere outside of Scotland, including the rest of the UK. However, we are unable to accept films that have previously been broadcast or otherwise made publicly available (including online) in the UK.
INTERNATIONAL Short Fiction, Documentary and Experimental Films must be UK PREMIERES. EIFF is particularly interested in world, international or European premieres. These films CANNOT have previously been publicly screened, broadcast or otherwise made publicly available (including online) in the UK.

Short ANIMATION submissions are split into UK and International:
UK Short Animations have NO premiere restrictions. Films CAN have previously been publicly screened, broadcast or otherwise made publicly available (including online) in the UK.

INTERNATIONAL Short Animations must be UK PREMIERES. EIFF is particularly interested in world, international or European premieres. These films CANNOT have previously been publicly screened, broadcast or otherwise made publicly available (including online) in the UK.

PLEASE NOTE – your fee is non-refundable. If your film does not match the criteria listed above and you still submit your film, we will not consider your film and will not refund your fee.

The final selection of all films presented at the Festival and their placement in the EIFF programme is at the discretion of the Artistic Director.

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  • Jonny Eveson

    The best film festival we've been to! So honoured to have Meteorlight screen alongside some amazing animated short films. The events put on for networking were amazing – we loved the walk up to Arthur's Seat, and there were so many other opportunities for drinks and meals. It was a busy but wonderful few days, and we plan to come back next year whether we have a film in the festival or not. Thank you for everything – highly recommended!

    July 2019
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