We are now open for submissions to our 10th short film festival being held in 2023 and are looking forward to once again showcasing a huge range of short films.

Once again, we are holding the event in Leigh's only independant cinema, Leigh Film Factory which based in the historic Leigh Spinners Mill, a fascinating and important part of the town's heritage.

We will be hosting two events, on Friday 15th and Saturday 16th of September. We will be handing out awards for the best animation, best documentary, young film-maker and North West production.

2023 will see us continue in our commitment to working closely with colleges and universities by offering placements and hands-on development opportunities to young people at the festival.

Our festival events are run entirely by volunteers with all proceeds being directly invested into the following year’s events.

Please watch our social media for more news, as further details of the events are announced soon.

We have 5 entry categories which are;

Young Filmmaker
North West Filmmaker
Animation
UK & International
Documentary

THE RULES FOR FILM ENTRIES

All films must be 15 minutes or less in length.
Entries to the Young Film-maker category must have been made by directors/teams aged between 18 and 25 years when filming.
Entries for the North West category must have been made in the North West of England.
Judges, sponsors, administrators, and independent contractors who work with or for the Leigh Film Society are not eligible to enter the festival, nor are their spouses or other immediate family members.
Deadline for submissions to the competition is midnight on 31st July 2023.
Once a film has been entered in the competition, under no circumstances will we accept a new version of the film. If you wish to submit a revised version of your film, you must enter it as a new submission and pay the appropriate entry fee.
There is a £10 entrance fee taken when submitting your film on the FilmFreeway website.
The entrance fee is non-refundable.
Films should ideally be submitted in the h.264 MP4 file format but we can accept most other formats. We would also prefer that all submissions are supplied at a minimum of 1080p resolution.
All selection & judging decisions are final.
Any conflicts of interest between film-makers & the selection panel should be declared to the festival organisers IMMEDIATELY.
Digital versions of marketing materials should be made available to be used for our marketing purposes no later than the 31st August 2023.

THE SELECTION PROCESS

By submitting a film to the WLFF, you indicate that you have read and accept the Rules and Terms of the Wigan & Leigh Film Festival.
I will provide the festival with any additional information required pursuant to these Rules and Terms.
I authorise the WLFF to exhibit my film, and if selected, I confirm that an exhibition copy will be made available in a required format for screening during the 2023 festival.
I certify that I hold all necessary rights for the submission of this film/video to the WLFF, that all rights and clearances have been made and that this film is not subject to any litigation nor is threatened by any litigation.
By Agreeing to these Rules and Terms, I transfer to the WLFF the right to use excerpts of the submitted film, its stills, and trailers, for the purposes of publicity and marketing of the film at the 2023 festival, and for other non-commercial uses related to the promotion of the 2023 festival.

Full Entry requirements, Rules and Terms & Conditions are available on our website. Please visit the Submissions page.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • My first festival award! Unfortunately I was unable to attend in person, but had great communication with the festival and made some great connections through it.

    October 2022
  • Annette Westwood

    Fab festival, amazing team and incredible line-up of films!! Thank you Wigan and Leigh Film Festival 2022...delighted for our film to be a part of this year's festival 🙌

    October 2022
  • Gutted we couldn't be there! but thank you for the nomination and the selection.

    October 2022
  • My first festival with a film in competition, and delighted to have won. This festival will always have a place in my heart. Thanks all for a great experience!

    October 2022
  • Keith Allott

    We love Wigan & Leigh Film Festival. It's worth every penny of the submission fee and the organisers really have independent film at the heart of the festival. Highly recommend.

    November 2021