The 23rd Belfast Film Festival will take place in November 2023. We are looking for submissions for our Irish/Northern Irish short film competition, New Cinema: Irish Shorts and NI Independents feature film strand.

***PLEASE NOTE!!***

We ONLY accept FICTION shorts either MADE ON ISLAND OF IRELAND, north or south - or made by an IRISH writer/director (See below: Rule 3 in T&Cs).

SHORT FILM: The selection is for either the Short Film Competition or the New Cinema: Irish Shorts strands. If you only want your film to be considered for the Competition, please make this clear in your submission on the custom form.

If you have made a short documentary, please refer to Belfast Film Festival sister festival Docs Ireland (www.docsireland.ie) https://filmfreeway.com/DocsIreland

Awards

• Short Film Competition
• Outstanding Contribution to Cinema Award
• Réalta Award (for individuals who promote social justice activism through film)

Short film Entries MUST be:

1. Under 20 minutes duration
2. Completed between the following dates: 1st September 2022 - 31st August 2023.
3. Made in Ireland - or made by an IRISH writer/director.
4. Be submitted online
5. Be Available for competition screening in, DCP or HD Quicktime
(Format: QuickTime
Size: 1920 x 1080
Wrapper: MOV or MP4
Codec: H264 or ProRes
Bitrate: Between 50 and 100 MB/ps)
***DCP IS PREFERRED***
6. No refunds will be given in the event of failure to comply to (or READ!!) the T&C's

INELIGIBLE FILMS
- Those currently available/viewable on online platforms (e.g. Vimeo/Youtube etc). Your film must not be available in full online or have been shown on another medium e.g. TV. If your film is available in full on YouTube, etc. then it will be automatically withdrawn from the competition. Excerpts of your film, totalling no more than ten percent of its running time are exempt from this rule.
- outside completion dates
- MADE outside of IRELAND - for exceptions see rule 3 above.
- No refunds will be given in the event of failure to comply to (or READ!!) the T&C's

If you have any questions about eligibility please contact james@belfastfilmfestival.org.

The decision of the Short Film Programmer and selection committee is final. Due to the large amount of submissions received BFF cannot enter into any discussion regarding films that are not selected for the Festival.
Television and Internet broadcasting: Taking part in BFF implies allowing broadcasting on Irish and foreign televisions and on the Internet (extracts limited to and not exceeding 3 mins.) for the purpose of promoting the Festival.
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NI INDEPENDENTS
NI Independent host the best in new medium-length and feature films made in Northern Ireland.

NI Independents MUST BE:

1. At least 30min in length (for short film submissions see above)
2. Completed between the following dates: 1st September 2022 - 31st August 202.
3. Made and produced in Northern Ireland with the majority of the cast originating in Northern Ireland. It is important to note that this category focuses exclusively on Northern Irish film. If you have a film that does not meet these criteria but would like it to feature at our Festival, simply contact james@belfastfilmfestival.org
4. Be available for screening in HD Quicktime
5. (Format: QuickTime)
6. Size: 1920 x 1080
• Wrapper: MOV or MP4
• Codec: H264 or ProRes
• Bitrate: Between 50 and 100 MB/ps)

Ineligible Films
- Currently available/viewable on online platforms (e.g. Vimeo/Youtube etc). Your film must not be available in full online or have been shown on another medium e.g. TV. If your film is available in full on YouTube, etc. then it will be automatically withdrawn from the competition. Excerpts of your film, totalling no more than ten percent of its running time are exempt from this rule.
- Been screened in public in Belfast.
- Outside completion dates
- MADE outside of IRELAND - for exceptions see rule 3 above.
-No refunds will be given in the event of failure to comply to (or READ!!) the T&C's

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Sarah Ahern

    2023 was my second time attending the festival as a filmmaker and both times I have felt so well looked after and included by the festival team.

    November 2023
  • Ian Mantgani

    Fantastic, welcoming film festival in an amazing, historic city. with such a stimulating programme. Wish I could have stayed for the whole thing!

    November 2023
  • We had a wonderful time at Belfast Film Festival! The festival is run by an excellent and talented team who are very responsive. We hope to be back next year!

    November 2023
  • Had a great time at BFF, wonderful team and programme!

    November 2023
  • A great festival that improves every year!

    October 2023