New Renaissance Film Festival (London, UK)

🌟 NRFF London #11th Edition – Submissions Open! 🌟

£2,500 in cash prizes for our Emerging Talent Short Film Awards, sponsored by Katie Partridge, CEO of the SAPHIRA Group

🎬 Why submit to NRFF London?

Whether you are just starting out or already established in the film industry, your work deserves to be seen, celebrated, and taken seriously. For over a decade, we've been able to create a positive experience for filmmakers and screenwriters, as our many 5 star testimonials prove. The New Renaissance Film Festival has been a home for filmmakers, writers, actors, producers, and artists who want more than just a screening — they want a genuine platform for growth, connection, and recognition. Many filmmakers and screenwriters value our reputation and return with new projects.

💫 Founded in 2015

To date, the founders, Jan Hendrik Verstraten and Massimo Barbato, have curated over 30 film festivals in London and Amsterdam, showcasing more than 1000 independent films. Alongside NRFF London, they are the founders of NRFF Dreamers of Dreams (est. 2019) - a boutique, genre-based platform for filmmakers whose work pushes the boundaries of form and storytelling. This level of international and event management experience means NRFF has an instinct for what filmmakers want and need from a festival, and NRFF strives to deliver that at every event.

NRFF London champions inclusivity within its selection and programming process. Each year, we curate a programme that reflects a wide range of lived experiences and creative approaches, and ensure this breadth is visible not only in our screenings but also in our awards. Our aim is to recognise excellence across the full spectrum of contemporary independent filmmaking.

Past selections have included award-winners that went on to achieve distribution deals and even Oscars (The Silent Child, 2018), Oscar Nominations (A Friend of Dorothy, 2026) and short films that became successful features (Kindling, 2023). Each year, we screen between 80-100 films: narrative shorts, powerful features, eye-opening documentaries, bold experimental films and animations, LGBTQ+ films, dance and music films — gems you won’t find elsewhere.

✨ What we offer filmmakers:

• A programme of high-quality cinema screenings in a venue respected among filmmakers.
• Sponsorship of our Emerging Talent Short Film Awards – a £2,500 cash prize fund to spotlight the next wave of talented writer/directors. Since 2021, we've given away more than £12,000 in prize money to short film directors (rare in the festival circuit). These short film awards are judged by a panel including professionals actively involved in short-form filmmaking.
• Q&As – engagement with audiences and peers.
• Networking & Awards Party in a top West End location – spark collaborations that last beyond the festival.
• Screenwriting Competition – recognition for scripts in multiple categories.
• 1 x FREE Festival Pass per project (including screenplay finalists) in the Official Selection + 1 x FREE guest to your screening if you are a filmmaker.
• A 50% discount on future submissions if you have previously been selected for NRFF London.

💫 Our Festival Pass

Gives you FREE access to all screenings (subject to seating availability) and our online programme, as well as a guaranteed place for one individual to attend the Awards Party in Soho. Additional guest tickets for screenings and the Awards Party are available to purchase. This helps us to fund the event, as well as submission fees.

🌟 Why NRFF is different

We’re not about expensive gala dinners or red carpets for their own sake. We’re about community first and foremost. From the outset our main goal was to foster a supportive, inclusive environment for filmmakers. Many actors, directors, and producers attend, making it a fertile ground for networking. New collaborations and projects have started here — and we want yours to be next.

We’ve been called “One of the UK’s top film festivals” (London Metro) and consistently rank in the Top 50 best-reviewed festivals on FilmFreeway out of many thousands. We don't take this for granted. Over the years, we’ve been featured in Vogue's Cultural Calendar, GQ, iD Magazine, and more.

🏆 Proven Success Stories

Alumni films have secured distribution (The Silent Child, A Friend of Dorothy, The Pearl Comb, Kindling, All is Vanity, Roy, Into The Mirror and Brando With a Glass Eye) or launched careers. Our Emerging Talent winners often move on to features, bigger festivals, or international recognition. You’ll be in good company. However, we're also interested in giving recognition to diverse and unique voices, as well as experimental films where talent and passion are clearly evident.

📅 Festival Dates

The 11th Edition of NRFF London takes place over 4 days in September 2026 at the Close-Up Film Centre (screenings) and the Courthouse Hotel, Soho (awards party).

Submissions close August 2026. All entrants will be notified 4–6 weeks before the festival.

👉 Submit today and be part of the next chapter of independent cinema.

Stay connected: follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

🌟 Join the Legacy

The festival has welcomed respected actors, directors and industry practitioners including George MacKay (Scottish BAFTA winner), Celine Buckens (BAFTA nominee), Chris Overton and Rachel Shenton (Oscar winners), Amy Lennox, Brady Hood, Gary Kemp, Toyah Willcox, Zoe Dobson (BAFTA winner), James Lucas (Oscar winner), Shona Auerbach (BAFTA nominee), and the Goldfinch group who have provided workshops on film financing and professional consultation to some of our Emerging Talent alumni.

Some of Our Previous Winners:

🏆 Oscar-Winning Chris Overton and Rachel Shenton (The Silent Child)
🌟 Oscar Nominee Lee Knight (A Friend of Dorothy)
🌟 Academy Award Winner Whoopi Goldberg (Palace)
🏆 BAFTA and Emmy Winner Actress Anna Friel (The Sea)
🌟 BAFTA Nominee Ida Melum (Ovary-Acting)
🌟 'Top Boy' (Netflix) Director: Brady Hood (Sweet Maddie Stone)
🏆 Oscar-Winning Writer/Director James Lucas (Paint The Dragon's Eyes)
🌟 BAFTA-Winning Actress Sophia Myles (All That Glitters)
🏆 BAFTA-Winning Actor George MacKay (Infinite)
🌟 Ivor Novello-Winning Musician Gary Kemp (InSolo)
🌟 Music, Stage and Screen Legend Toyah Willcox (Weightless)
🏆 BAFTA-Winning Documentary Filmmaker Zoe Dobson (The Cunning Man)
🌟 BAFTA-Winning Animator Catriona Black (You Are At The Bottom Of My Mind)
🌟 Emmy-winning Actress Sarah Snook (The Ravens)
🏆 Emmy-Winning Actress Tatiana Maslany (Souls of Totality)
🌟 Oscar-Nominated Cinematographer Jarin Blaschke (A Million Eyes)
🏆 BAFTA-Nominated Shona Auerbach (Rudy)
🌟 Actor Tom Cullen (Souls of Totality)
🏆 BAFTA-Nominated Actress Celine Buckens (Prangover; The Debt)
🌟 Silent Witness Actress Emilia Fox (The Ghost)
🏆 Actor Darren Day (Rudy)
🌟 Actor and Stand-up Comic Ali Cook (Pearl Comb, The Cunning Man)
🏆 Olivier Award-Nominated Actress Amy Lennox (Near)
🌟 Student Oscar-Winners Tristan Holmes (The Fragile King) and Ariel Heller (Mammoth)