The Starling Film Festival is returning for its fifth annual event. We welcome you to enjoy all that we have to showcase—films from nine different categories, each with a unique flair. We have increased the number of submission selections to over 60 this year, allowing more films to be enjoyed. The Festival will take place both online and in person, featuring events such as our live in-person screening, award ceremony, mystery film screening, and much more.

Whether you are a participant or an audience member, you can watch the films at our live screening or in the comfort of your own home. So, no matter where you are in the world, we want you to be part of our little murmuration.

How the Festival plays out:

Submission Period - 1st Decemeber to 1st August 2026
Selected Filmmakers - All films are showcased on our online website
Finalist Filmmakers - The finalist films are then shown at the live event (excluding Short Feature Films) alongside the online Award Ceremony.

Festival week - 9th to the 15th November 2026
Our in-person screening at the Light Cinema in New Brighton will take place on Thursday, 12th November.

To show our support for Ukrainian and Palestinian filmmakers, SFF would like to offer free submissions to all Ukrainian and Palestinian filmmakers who wish to submit their films to our Festival this year. Please get in touch with starlingfilmfest@gmail.com if this applies to you, and we will provide you with a unique code.

Awards & Prizes

To begin with, successful films that made it into the festival will receive selection laurels to showcase. Here is a breakdown of all the awards we will give out at our festival. Each category winner will receive a laurel award.

CHOSEN BY OUR JURY:
Best Animation
Best Student
Best Fiction  
Best Documentary
Best Horror 
Best Short Feature
Best LGBTQ+
Best North West Film

AUDIENCE AWARDS:
Murmuration Audience Award - Voted by our online audience (All officially selected films will be eligible for our Murmuration Audience Award )
Aviary Audience Award - Voted by our live audience only (All finalist films will be eligible for our Aviary Audience Award )

SPECIALIST AWARDS:
The Michael Flynn Award for outstanding achievements in cinematography.

Mad As Birds' Golden Feather Award. The Golden Feather Award is an award for excellence in film, sponsored by Mad As Birds Films (MAB). The winner will receive a signature trophy, a small cash prize, and a free mentor session with Mad As Birds Films! Six of our finalist films will be chosen for this award.

If a participating filmmaker wins one of our awards, SFF will send the award to the filmmaker at an address provided by the winning filmmaker. The filmmaker must pay postage and shipping if they wish to receive their prize, and rates will vary based on the distance travelled.

Films competing in juried categories are chosen solely at the discretion of the SFF programming team. Acceptance to the festival does not guarantee placement in competition.

Rules & Terms

Please read these rules carefully to ensure your film meets the submission requirements and that you understand everything before submitting. By submitting your project, you acknowledge that you have read and agreed to all of the following rules and terms. All projects that have been submitted by our final deadline and that adhere to the following terms will be considered for inclusion in the 2026 Starling Film Festival.

PREMIERE STATUS: SFF does not require a World Premiere in any category

Films submitted to the 'Short Feature' category will only be screened online, not at our live screening event.

All SELECTED films will be showcased on our website live, whereas only FINALIST films will be shown at the live screening event! Please note that whether you are a selected film or a finalist film will be made clear when you receive your confirmation email from FilmFreeway.

Films selected at last year's festival cannot be resubmitted this year.

The film must be no longer than 15 minutes (excluding Short Features, which will be up to 45 minutes). This must include a title screen and credits.

The film must have been completed within the last two years (beginning January 2024).

If your film contains any dialogue, it must include English subtitles embedded in the film.

The film's concept must be original. Any external materials used in the film (e.g., music, videos, etc.) must be appropriately secured by the person/group submitting.

The film must be submitted by the final deadline on the 31st of August at 11:59 pm (BST Time) to be counted. Any film submitted after this final deadline will not be counted.

Every selected film will receive a laurel and a certificate, with the chance of being screened at our live event (all selected films will be shown online).
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PLEASE NOTE! Submission fees are NON-REFUNDABLE and non-negotiable!!

The categories 'Student', 'LGBT’, ‘North West’ and 'Short Feature' welcome films from all genres, not just one.

RULES REGARDING AI: Films submitted to our festival that are AI-generated will be flagged by the team and can be disqualified. Please be aware of this before submitting.

Upon applying for the festival, those who submit understand and consent that they are solely responsible for their films being as accurately described and that all criteria are met. Starling Film Festival and all those associated with and/or in charge of the festival will not take legal responsibility for any film submitted under false information or use of unsecured external materials. This responsibility falls to the individual/group submitting to the festival.

​Once selected, filmmakers will receive an email regarding written consent about participating and being screened at the live/online festival. SFF will set a deadline for all selected filmmakers to meet. If the deadline passes and SFF has not received formal written consent, then your film selection will be revoked.

Any film discovered to be submitted under any false information will be immediately removed from the festival, regardless of where the film stands.

All final decisions our programmers and juries make are final and cannot be disputed.

Best of luck to all who submit their film(s) to the festival.
12 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • La Fille Renne

    Thank you very much for screening my film "Chasing Whales". I'm still so glad to have won an award!

    December 2025
    Helpful
  • SPAGOOLIE FILMS

    Their kindness and passion are the highlights of this Festival. Felt extremely welcomed, and would love to be part of it again in the future!

    November 2025
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    That means a lot to us, thank you. We hope to see you at our future festivals!

  • Agata Nawrot

    I am honored to have been a part of the festival with my teaser for The Flight of the Quirky Owl. I watched most of the movies online and have to say it was an amazing selection. My favorite movies were Alma and Cell Buddies:) Hot Mess was also very relatable for me as a neurodivergent person. Game Over was a very cool idea. The documents were quite eye opening, especially about the whales and FGM...I think they should be made more public to make people aware of what is happening in the world still. I could go on--a lot of good movies. Also fantastic, lovely people -both organizers and filmmakers. I wish I could meet you all in person. Maybe next time! Thank you!

    November 2025
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you Agata, it was great to have you and your film at our festival

  • Casa del Cine Ciudad Real

    A fantastic experience!
    The team at Starling Film Festival was exceptional throughout, with special attention to communication regarding the event.

    We felt truly valued as filmmakers, and it was a real pleasure to have our works Carne (Meat) and Vigilia (Vigil) included in the selection.

    We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to participate in the Q&A session via video, as we couldn’t attend in person.

    We look forward to participating in future editions!

    November 2024
    Helpful
  • Pia Alm

    It was very easy to communicate with the staff and I was honored that my film was chosen. Thank you!

    November 2024
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you Pia, and congratulations on being selected