The Spirit of Independence film festival is a unique celebration of raw, passionate independent films made from all corners of the world. We want to put a spotlight on brave and bold filmmaking regardless of genre, country of origin, theme or budget.
We have five categories - each representative of a filmmakers journey, from script development, through micro-budget films through to international features and shorts.
Our goal is simple - to provide a platform for these films to get out there and to inspire filmmakers of the future to see what can be accomplished. At our 2022 event we were delighted to welcome Bernard Rose, legendary director of 'Candyman' to open the festival with the European premiere of his latest film, 'Traveling Light'.
The event also features several industry-based talks, networking events, Q and As and panel discussions.
We have also launched a further strand of the festival - the Emerging Spirit Script to Screen competition, a screenplay competition designed to make a filmmaking team's short film idea, a reality. Together with our partners, we will provide the competition winner with a package of resources that will support them to turn their script into a short film during 2023. The finished short will also be guaranteed a screening at the Spirit of Independence film festival on 30th September 2023. Last year's winner 'Dead Skin' is currently doing the festival circuit.
The Spirit of Independence Film Festival is an IMDb qualifying festival and is a member of BFI Audience Network.
Rising Spirit award: Best achievement for a micro-budget feature film award (budget under £150k)
Rising Spirit award: Best achievement for a micro-budget short film award (budget under £3k)
Independent Spirit award: Best achievement for feature film award (budget over £150k)
Independent Spirit award: Best achievement for a short film (budget over £3k)
Emerging Spirit Script to Screen Competition:
- £500 cash
- Free equipment hire from South Yorkshire Filmmakers’ Network
- Free use of post-production facilities at The Kurious
- Free CGI effect work
- Free post-production sound engineering
- Mentorship by a member of the BFI Network