Suffolk Shorts is a niche short film festival held in a historic film theatre in Woodbridge, Suffolk, England. The festival aims to introduce independent British and International short films to a new audience, and champions local filmmakers.

Submissions for all categories for 2025 open on January 31st.

We are committed to ensuring greater access for as wide an audience as possible, in a region currently lacking opportunities for engagement with independent British and International short film.

We believe that short films are the future, this means that we are looking for potential. We are looking for films that experiment, push boundaries, tell a story you haven't heard before and do so in a way that captivates the audience. We are not just looking for highly polished, big budget productions, we want to celebrate all filmmakers, regardless of their access to resources.

In 2025 there are 4 award categories, all with cash prizes to be announced:

New Voices - Student Short Film.
AWARD £500
We need new voices with new perspectives on short filmmaking. All categories of student film are considered, and we encourage you to submit films from any stage of your student journey.
(Student registration must be included in submission)

Unique Perspectives. 
AWARD £1000
We are looking for films on the fringe from a diverse range of perspectives. Unpolished and imperfect films are welcomed from the art, performance or experimental categories. 

Narrative Short Film.
AWARD £1000
Whether it’s comedy, drama, or something entirely new, we want to see short films that tell unforgettable stories we haven't heard before.

East Anglian Short Film.
AWARD £1000
We champion local filmmaking. For this category we are looking for short films that tell East Anglian Stories, films made by East Anglian filmmakers or films that have been made in East Anglia. (Essex, Cambridge, Suffolk & Norfolk)

The Suffolk Short Film Festival CIC (Suffolk Shorts) is held in Suffolk, United Kingdom.

Suffolk Shorts is an international competition festival for short films with a running time of fewer than 24 minutes (including credits) which have been completed since January 2023. The festival will be held in November at The Riverside in Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK.

The aim of the festival is to bring exceptional international short films to Suffolk, encourage local filmmaking, and raise a fund to support production in the region. The festival will also host workshops and talks.

Our Awards and Juries consist of specialists from the world of film and culture, chosen for their relevance for each category. The juries award cash prizes to the best film in each of the categories.

Student Shorts submitted require valid proof of student status on submission.

Rules and Terms
By submitting entries to Suffolk Shorts you agree to have read and accepted the following Rules and Terms for participation in the Suffolk Short Film Festival.
Eligibility and Submission Procedure

Films must have a running time of fewer than 24 minutes (including credits) to be eligible for consideration.

Only films that have been registered and submitted through FilmFreeway will be considered for selection, it is our only method of submission. No Postal entries will be accepted.

Foreign language films must be subtitled in English.

We do not have a premiere policy.

We are unable to accept subsequent cuts or more complete versions of submitted films.
No refunds will be offered if you do not adhere to the rules outlined here.

Submission Deadlines and Fees

Proof of registered student status is required.

Entry fees are payable upon submission through the FilmFreeway platform. The same film may be entered into one or more categories, but each category requires an entry fee. All fees are non-refundable.

Intellectual Property and Copyright

Films that are submitted must be the entrant’s original work and must not infringe on any copyrights or any other rights of any third-parties. Contestants agree that they have obtained all required releases and copyright permissions regarding music, sound, images, and all other materials used in their film that are not wholly owned by the entrant. The signature of a parent or legal guardian is required if any person appearing in any film is under the age of 16.

We reserve the right to require appropriate proof of ownership of usage rights and to deny admission or withdraw a work from the competition if for any reason the work appears to Suffolk Shorts to expose it to actual or potential damage to our reputation, risk of legal proceedings or enforcement including, without limitation, the alleged breach of third-party intellectual property rights. Any enquiries regarding copyright will be referred to the entrant.

Press and Publicity
By submitting a work you consent to Suffolk Shorts using the whole or any part of the work for publicity purposes, marketing and education, on our website, posters, leaflets, social media and for press, signage and catalogue purposes;
If your film is selected we require digital images and other press/publicity materials so that your work and the Festival can be promoted. Digital press packs can be uploaded with submissions. We strongly recommend you do this. We recommend you include at least the following:
• Your film,
• A trailer,
• A poster (300dpi),
• A 100-word synopsis of your film,
• At least 3 stills from the film (at least 800px wide and 300dpi),
• A director’s statement (max 500 words),
• At least 1 photo of the director/crew/behind the scenes (at least 800px wide and 300dpi).

Please do not send hard copies as we are not able to store them.

Selection of Nominated Films
Selection will be carried out by the Suffolk Shorts team. No correspondence will be entered into regarding the selection process and the decision of the Festival Directors is final. We aim to inform successful applicants by the 3rd September. Due to the volume of entries, we are unable to offer individual feedback about your work. If your film is selected, you will be contacted by Suffolk Shorts with logistical and practical details of your screening during the Festival. No film may be withdrawn from the Festival programme after its participation has been publicised.

Successful submissions will be listed on the Suffolk Shorts website www.suffolkshorts.co.uk and social media platforms, and successful applicants will be notified by email or ‘phone. Please make sure the contact information you provide is accurate so that we can reach you during August/September so that we can confirm your film's inclusion in the Festival programme.

Please note that only successful applicants will be notified personally. If we are unable to contact you your film may be removed from the Festival line up.

Acceptance
By submitting your film through FilmFreeway you accept that, if selected, your work may be shown at Suffolk Shorts events.

Festival Announcements
Invitations to participate, and selection for Suffolk Shorts award categories, must remain confidential until the programme is announced by Suffolk Shorts. The scheduling and screening times and the announcement of these, are the sole responsibility of Suffolk Shorts. Failure to comply with this requirement will result in exclusion from the selection.

Screenings and Scheduling
Screenings will take place at the discretion of the Festival. We reserve the right to make changes to the advertised schedule at any time for any reason and will not accept liability for any costs incurred as a result of such changes.

No film may be withdrawn from the Suffolk Shorts programme by its submitter after its selection and participation have been confirmed. The Festival is not able to cover the costs of any format transfers or subtitling.

General
Suffolk Shorts reserves the right to make all decisions relating to the festival, including selection of films, award of prizes, screenings and scheduling.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Madeleine Wynn

    This is a warm and friendly festival, serious about film. I’m extremely grateful to have our film MERMAN selected and screened to a full audience. Communications are prompt and caring. The organisers make everyone feel welcome. Thank you Suffolk Shorts for a great event!

    November 2024
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    Response from festival:

    It was great to have your team involved in the festival Madeleine, looking forward to seeing what you do next!

  • Bill Jackson

    One of those hidden gems of film festivals - not an online affair but a real full blown cinematic screening which is an absolutely essential for any film maker - lovely people too - one of my favourite festivals

    November 2024
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    Response from festival:

    Thanks Bill! It was wonderful to screen Plough Monday this year. Thanks for all your input over the last 4 years.

  • Shaun Forsdyke

    Great night with a high quality and variety of shorts. Atmosphere was great and well hosted.

    More could be done with supporting networking for the film makers.

    November 2024
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    Response from festival:

    Thanks Shaun, it was wonderful to screen your unique film. We take your thoughts on board and hope you will be able to attend the full awards based festival this year, where networking will be a priority.

  • Olivia Pastor

    We had such a wonderful time at Suffolk film festival. It was such a gorgeous venue and a beautiful town to spend the day in. We hope to go back in the future.

    January 2024
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    Response from festival:

    Please do come back! We are about to open for submissions again ;)

  • Ryan Gilmartin

    Loved showing my short "St.Nowhere" here.

    Team were passionate and communicative - great place to meet other local film makers.

    Thank you Suffolk Shorts!

    December 2023
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    Response from festival:

    Thanks Ryan, we really enjoyed meeting you and thanks for joining the Q&A to talk about St. Nowhere, the audience really enjoyed hearing about the production.