The Expresso 90 Second Film Festival, now in its third year, is a film event for Birmingham that calls upon film-makers of all ages and backgrounds to create compelling and engaging super short films. The panel will be looking for films that arrest, entertain, provoke thought and showcase the sophisticated abilities needed to produce fully rounded productions in such a limited time frame.

10 finalists will be selected for the shortlist festival screening. Out of this nominated pool, one winner will be selected by the festival's panel with a separate prize for best student film. The winning film will run at The Mockingbird before features for the duration of May. The winner will also receive the coveted Expresso 90 trophy and prize.

*UPDATE* Due to the coronavirus we are updating the festival award and dates. Any film submitted after April 10th and before June 19th will now be eligible for the Isolation Film-maker award. Films made during isolation will still be 90 seconds in length but the added restrictions placed upon film-makers during this period will be taken into consideration and we at Expresso are excited to see the outcomes.

We want to see imaginative and engaging films created by students and young people.

The competition is open to anyone who loves and makes films!

Your film must be 90 seconds or less in duration excluding the credits.

Premiere Status: No premiere status is required.

Rights: We require films to have all necessary rights and releases secured for us to feature them. Yes, this includes music.

Free to View: We only select films that are free for audiences.

Refund Policy: Unfortunately we cannot refund a submission fee once you’ve submitted your film. Please make absolutely sure you want to submit your film before doing so.
As with other festivals, your fee is paid for your film to be considered. By no means does submitting your film guarantee that your film will be accepted. If your film is not accepted, your submission fee is not refunded.

If your Film is selected we will contact you for a brief synopsis of your film to include in the Festival program.

Closing date for entries is April 5th at 5pm.

All applicants will be notified by two weeks before the festival date.