A festival for short HORROR films of around 10 minutes.
If the film is not in the horror genre it will not be considered.
ALL NON ENGLISH FILMS MUST HAVE ENGLISH SUBTITLES

In April last year we became an award winning festival. We won the Cedric Hardwick Award for Arts.
The cut glass trophies will have the name of the winning films engraved on to them.
Our panel of Judges, will choose the best 12-15 films, which will be screened on the night.
All those films receive an OFFICIAL SELECTION Laurel.
The best four films receive a RUNNER UP Laurel and The overall winner not only receives a WINNER laurel but also our coveted glass trophy.
There is also a chance for one of the films screened at the event to win 'THE AUDIENCE CHOICE' Award.
This Award is voted for by the audience on the night and is always a lot of fun and creates a lot of debate!

THIS YEAR'S FESTIVAL takes place at the Ruskin Glass Centre on the 15th November 2025

All films selected will receive a certificate and The Black Country Horror Shorts Laurel to add to their film.

The overall winner will receive a cut glass glass trophy wityh the name of their film engraved on to it

Films to be around 10 minutes in length

All entries must reach us by September 29 2025.

ALL NON ENGLISH FILMS MUST HAVE SUBTITLES

1. The Black Country Horror Shorts Film Festival is a film festival competition administered and sponsored by Weeping Bank Productions. Film entries will be selected through a submission process, by a panel of judges who evaluate the submission via online secure online screeners.

2. The judges will award prizes. The prizes are not transferable or exchangeable.

3. Entering The Black Country Horror Shorts Film Festival does not guarantee that you will win a prize or derive any other benefit. The prizes are awarded at the sole discretion of the panel judges. We are not responsible in any way for the decisions, actions, or conduct of judges. Our decisions (and those of the judges) in respect of all aspects of the Black Country Horros Shorts Film Festival are final.

5. Individuals may enter the Competition. To enter, you must fully complete, sign, and submit the online submission form and pay the application fee by the due date in the online submission Materials. By doing so, you agree with to be bound by these terms and conditions. If you are under 18 years of age, you must have your parent or guardian submit and sign the application form on your behalf. We are not liable for late, lost, misdirected, incomplete or incorrectly submitted applications.

6. By submitting an application, you:

(a) agree to make your film submission available in the requested format and by the deadlines documented in the online submission materials as notified by festival management; and

(b) agree to authorize Weeping Bank Productions to host your content if selected for the festival.

(c) agree that all digital content submissions and related backup copies of any media featured under this agreement will be physically removed from all storage media in its entirety upon completion of the period of the festival.

(d) agree that if your submitted film is selected for inclusion in the festival, its use on the platform is royalty-free within the terms and conditions of this agreement. Copyright owners shall not be entitled to monetary consideration in whole or in part for the use of the film at The Black Country Horror Shorts Film Festival within the terms and conditions of this agreement.

(e) warrant that you have the clear authority to enter this agreement and further represent and warrant that you own all clear right, title, and interest in your submitted film in connection with its use on the Synimatica Digital Distribution Platform and that by submitting this film for festival consideration, there is no infringement of any third-party rights .

7. Weeping Bank productions may, at our sole discretion, refuse or exclude your application, at any time before the running of the Competition.

8. You must meet your own costs of preparing and featuring your submission.

9. If any aspect of The Black Country Horror Shorts Film Festival is not capable of running as planned because of any cause beyond our control, we may in our sole discretion cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the competition.

10. We may disqualify you from The Black Country Horror Shorts Film Festival if you:

(c) breach these terms and conditions;

(d) breach any applicable law; or

(e) are party to any act or thing act or thing prejudicial to our goodwill, commercial reputation or overall public image.

Release and waiver

19. We may require that you provide us with photographs or video, or allow us to photograph or video you (the Media Materials), free of charge, to prepare promotional or other material for the purpose of or related to Synimatica Short Film Festival, you agree that copyright in the Media Materials is the property of The Black Country Horror Shorts Film Festival.

20. You give us unrestricted and irrevocable right to use and publish the Media Materials or reproductions or adaptations or modifications thereof in all forms and media including print and internet including social media for marketing, advertising or any lawful purpose for or related to The Black Country Horror Shorts Film Festival.

21. You release us from any and all claims, actions, demands, suits, liabilities, damages, expenses and obligations of any kind arising from or related to our use of the Media Materials.

Limitation of liability and indemnity

22. Without excluding, restricting or modifying the rights and remedies to which you may be entitled under law, or our liabilities under those provisions:

(a) we are not liable to you for any cost incurred or loss or liability you suffer in any way in relation to The Black Country Horror Shorts Film Festival.

(b) you acknowledge that the details of The Black Country Horror Shorts Film Festival are set out in the online submission materials and are subject to change at the sole discretion of The Black Country Horror Shorts Film Festival with or without notice to you and that we do not make any warranty or representation as to: (i) the suitability of the Competition to your circumstances; (ii) the suitability of judges;
(iii) your prospects of winning a prize; (iv) the effect of the Competition on your film; or (v) any other thing related to The Black Country Horror Shorts Film Festival.

(c) we exclude all other implied terms and warranties, whether statutory or otherwise, relating to The Black Country Horror Shorts Film Festival and the subject matter of our agreement with you.

(d) we will not be liable to you for indirect and / or consequential loss arising from or connected to our agreement with you in contract, tort, under any statute or otherwise (including, without limitation, for loss of revenue, loss of profits, failure to realize expected profits or savings, loss of intellectual property, breach of confidence or any other commercial or economic loss of any kind) unless such loss arises as a result of our own willful misconduct.

(e) our liability to you for loss or damage of any kind arising out of our agreement with you or in connection with the relationship established by it is reduced to the extent (if any) that you cause or contribute to the loss or damage. This reduction applies whether our liability is in contract, tort (including negligence), under any statute or otherwise.

(f) our liability to you is limited in all cases to the amount of the application fee you have paid.

23. You indemnify us in relation to any loss caused by:

(a) a breach by you of this agreement and these terms and conditions; or

(b) any action by a third party against you or us in relation to your use of copyrighted material in relation to The Black Country Horror Shorts Film Festival.

General

24. A party’s failure or delay to exercise a power or right does not operate as a waiver of that power or
right.

25. You acknowledge that you have not relied on any warranty or representation other than those found in the Materials.

26. If any part of these terms and conditions is invalid or unenforceable, this agreement does not include it. The remainder of the terms and conditions continue in full force.

Privacy notice

So you can participate in the Competition (and we can administer it), we may collect certain personal information about you through the application form, these terms and conditions, or our contractors or agents. Without this information, we will not be able to process your application and you will not be able to participate in the Competition.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Margaret Kane-Rowe

    Really nice festival to communicate with. Delighted that our film was selected.

    December 2024
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you for the feed-back Margaret. We were equally delighted to be able to include your film in the top 13 that made it through.

  • Great festival, well run with an interesting selection of films on show. Than you for choosing Little Brown Bird and making it a finalist.

    December 2024
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    Response from festival:

    Hi Peter, Thank you for attending despite the weather! . Your film was very well received and did the subject matter certainly resonated with some audience members. Congratulations on being a finalist amongst some pretty impressive competition.

  • David Butterfield

    I want to thank them for the honorable mention of our film Dream Loop.

    November 2023
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    Response from festival:

    Hi David,

    And we'd like to thank you for sending your film in to our festival. Congraltulations on the 'Honourable Mention' for your film Dream Loop. The competition was fierce this year, so you should feel very proud.

  • I couldn't attend but I was very happy with being awarded an Honourable Mention. The comms were great and the review of my film on Twitter by the organiser were very encouraging.

    November 2023
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    Response from festival:

    You're most welcome Brendan. Thank you for your amazing submission to our festival. Hopefully you can make it next year.

  • Duncan Falconer

    Great festival; really enjoyed being part of it.

    February 2023
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you Duncan. We loved having your film as part of our festival. And thank you for allowing us to show it.