London International Screen Dance Festival celebrates new independent short films from around the world

A selection of LISDF programmed films will be shown at Brighton Screen Dance Festival the following year. An honorarium will be paid for these films

London International Screen Dance Festival is a biennial event and returns in September 2025.

Call for entries for the 2025 Festival will open in November 2024.

This dynamic Festival is a celebration of the inventive and experimental integration of movement, choreography and the moving image on screen

London International Screen Dance Festival welcomes a diverse range of films from the international community including experimental films, the use of new or old technology, animation and any project that integrates movement with the screen

All Films must be submitted to the Film Festival by June 4, 2023

A maximum of 2 films per person/artist/ company may be submitted

Only films completed after 1st January 2018 will be considered

The Festival does not accept filmed performances that are created for the theatre

Student filmmakers must have been enrolled in an accredited educational institute at the time the film was made

Please note that in previous Festivals approximately 10% of submitted films were selected the final programme. Longer films (eg 15-20 minutes) tend to face more competition in regard to gaining a place in the programme

Selected artists will be allocated two complimentary passes for the screenings and an invitation to the official reception. An official London International Screen Dance Festival selection laurel will be allocated to all Festival participants and a dedicated public relations team will promote the works in the lead up to the festival

A selection of LISDF programmed films will be shown at Brighton Screen Dance Festival the following year. An honorarium will be paid for these films

For promotional purposes we may include a maximum of 10 seconds of footage for use in a short compilation Festival showreel. The selection of this footage is at the discretion of the in-house editor and the showreel will be dubbed with an external, overarching sound score. Other than this (under 10 second clip) we will NOT publish the films online

All works must be original and entrants must own the rights or have permission to use all the content included in their film

If your film is accepted, we will select some of the approved still images to promote your work and the festival. This may be in print, online or in a live setting

Please include a credit for your still image(s). For copyright reasons we will not be able to use your images without a credit

We may have to edit or adjust your written copy to suit the in-house format of the festival

We are not able to give feedback to unselected proposals

Selected films for London International Screen Dance Festival will be archived at the Laban Library and will be viewable on site, and in person, by students, researchers, and members of the public (not online)

Laban Library offers the largest and most varied open-access specialist research collection on dance and related subjects in the UK, covering many aspects of dance in a variety of formats and languages

London International Screen Dance Festival 2023 accepts entries via FilmFreeway.com

The judges’ decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into regarding judging decisions

London International Screen Dance Festival is a non-profit organisation run by arts professionals on a voluntary basis

Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales Company No: 51090 Registered Charity No: 309998. King Charles Court, Old Royal Naval College, London SE10 9JF

Overall Rating
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Networking
  • Olivia Griselda

    Thank you for showcasing our dance film "Rite of Passage". Unfortunately our team didn't get a chance to visit the festival. However, the communication by the LISDF team was excellent.

    October 2023
  • IOANNA PARASKEVOPOULOU

    Great fest 😊 well organized
    I am glad I was part of it.

    July 2022
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    Response from festival:

    Thanks Ioana, looking forward to showing your Film at Brighton Screen Dance Festival this month

  • Gaelyn Aguilar

    We were thrilled when Charles Linehan and the fine staff at the London International Screen Dance Festival contacted us that our film had been selected for the 2021 program. Everyone made the experience of participating from afar smooth and accommodating. Most impressive was the care that was taken to create a beautiful, professional web presence. We wish we could have made it to the festival, but are grateful to have been in the company of some amazing filmmakers and the community of curatorial support. We highly recommend submitting to LISDF and hope that they continue to garner support. Gaelyn and Gustavo Aguilar (TUG Collective)

    July 2022
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    Response from festival:

    It was such a pleasure to present 'This Part I Carry' in London- looking forward to your film being shown to a new audience at the Brighton festival this month

  • Claire Marshall

    Thank you sincerely for programming Shift. It was truly an honour to have my film programmed aside some greats in the industry - particularly Mr Rosenberg! Thanks again and congratulations on a beautiful festival.

    October 2021
  • Irene Fiordilino

    It was a real pleasure to see our film ‘Homing in on Home’ at the London International Screen Dance Festival!
    We truly enjoyed the variety of films and the rich programme, and it was a real pleasure attending this beautifully organised event in person. Highly recommended!

    October 2021