One of the most exciting and diverse festivals to emerge in the UK, Short Focus Film Festival is an annual short film festival that takes place in mid-September. The next event takes place online and in London from 14-22 September 2024.

As part of the FRAME LIGHT Group, Short Focus Film Festival is dedicated to popularising the medium of short film, with particular focus on supporting independent filmmakers from around the world. We provide filmmakers with multiple platforms from which they can showcase their talents, share ideas and launch their careers. We offer opportunities for their work to be seen in unique and prestigious locations, as well as on our online short film channel, and reviewed in our written and audio publications.

It is our mission to discover, introduce and celebrate short films not widely seen publicly and that we believe deserve recognition for the skill, dedication, and passion demonstrated in these productions. By screening and critiquing short films we help to broaden discussion relating to the medium's governing principles into cultural and casual arenas.

FRAME LIGHT is special in that we care about the filmmaker and the spectator alike, and therefore present Short Focus Film Festival to hardened cinephiles and uninitiated audiences alike. All filmmakers are welcome to submit their short films for festival exhibition and review subject to guidelines and fees, which are detailed fully on this page.

Awards & Prizes

(Statuettes and/or hand-signed and framed certificate)
• Golden Frame [First prize]
• Silver Frame [Second Prize]
• Bronze Frame [Third Prize]
• Jury Prize [Special Merit]
• Best Director
• Best Performance
• Best Cinematography
• Audience Award [Per Programme]
• Official Selection
• FLTV Distribution [Optional]

Rules & Terms

*** PLEASE READ CAREFULLY ***

​• Entrants may submit more than one film. Each film must be submitted separately via FilmFreeway. 
• Entrants can submit in any genre/style (see categories).
• Duplicate entries will not be considered. 
• Entrants under 16 should request their submission fee to be paid for by a parent/guardian. 
• The entrant must be authorized to submit their work and not in breach of any copyright/distribution agreements. Short Focus Film Festival will not be held liable for the screening of films that do not meet this criteria.
• The film must be under 25 minutes in length. 
• The film must have been produced no earlier than 2022. 
• All languages are accepted. Non-English language films must have hard-coded English subtitles or and accompanying .srt file.
• All films chosen for screening are hand-selected by our curators, who will notify applicants as to whether or not their work has been successfully shortlisted on the notification date.
• It is the festival's discretion as to whether the film will be screened live or online. The selection of your film does not guarantee a live cinema screening.
• All films screened online are done so securely. Only festival ticket holders can access the online screenings for the duration the festival.
• If production stills are not already included on your FilmFreeway profile, we will use an appropriate screenshot from the film.
• Once submitted, the payment for your film is non-refundable.
• We do not accept links/files via email. Any links to your work sent to us via email will not be considered as a submission. 
• Fee waivers will only be considered in the most extreme cases under the sole discretion of the festival organisers.
• All officially selected entrants are welcome to attend the screening. However, if you choose to attend, any travel, guest, and accommodation expenses will need to be arranged and paid for by the entrant.
• Payment for submission is not a guarantee of your film being selected for screening.
• The submission fees shown on this website are relevant to the period during which they are shown i.e. 'Early Bird', 'Regular', 'Late Deadline' etc. and will change accordingly. All prices are listed on our FilmFreeway profile.
10 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
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Networking
  • Darryl Foster

    It was such a lovely festival, and Dean & Aya were so welcoming and supportive of the filmmakers. It's one to add to your list!

    October 2023
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  • Scott Pickup

    This is a lovely little festival and the quality of the films screened across all the blocks were really good. Organisers clearly care and are very welcoming.

    October 2023
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  • Paddy Wilson

    Our film, 'Pub Quiz', was selected for screening at the 2022 festival. While we were an online screening, the effort made by the festival in putting together the programme, and keeping in touch with us was great. A great small festival in the heart of London!

    January 2023
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  • maryam khodabakhsh

    This is one of my favorite festival, and thank you for your great award for “world cup” short film for the best director.
    the best!

    October 2022
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  • Mark McAuley

    Great festival. Very well organised. Cool venue, in a great location (East London). Really good communication from the organisers throughout the process. Nice opportunity to meet and chat with the organisers and other filmmakers.

    October 2022
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