Braziers International Film Festival (BIFF) is an annual three day independent film festival held at Braziers Park in Oxfordshire, UK. Programmed by filmmakers, the festival features several curated programmes of international films, plus special focus screenings, discussions and events.

Screened inside Braziers’ historic 17th century barn, the diverse film programmes include documentary, animation, fiction and contemporary artists’ film & video. The films are selected from an open call by a team of artist-filmmakers, who run the festival as a not-for-profit collective, on behalf of Braziers Park, the UK's longest-running 'intentional community' and educational charity.

Each programme screening is followed by group discussion and Q&A with attending film-makers, who are invited to Braziers. Special Focus screenings and events have included artist-filmmakers Julia Parks, Amy Cutler, Bea Haut, Karel Doing, Mary Stark & David Chatton Barker (Folklore Tapes / Analogue Farm), and BEEF (Bristol Experimental Expanded Film).

With an extensive eco-campsite, festival-goers can enjoy the peaceful 55 acres of rural grounds at Braziers Park, including kitchen gardens, orchards, woodlands, meadows and the Georgian gothic charms of Braziers Park house.

About Braziers Park:
Braziers Park School of Integrative Social Research is an ecologically-minded community, a residential college and an architectural treasure hidden deep in the south Oxfordshire countryside. It was founded in 1950 as a progressive, not-for-profit educational trust, and is the UK's longest-running 'intentional community', which continues to explore co-existence, collective work and our place in nature. Braziers' community members share responsibility for running the mansion house, 55 acres of land, organic kitchen garden and livestock, facilitating courses and organising events assisted by visiting volunteers from around the world.
Documentary on Braziers Park: https://vimeo.com/221863085

Awards & Prizes

The Glaister Award:

Voted by the audience, the festival will present a film-maker with the 'Glaister Award'. Named after the founder of Braziers, Norman Glaister, the award recognises a film which makes a positive contribution to social development and action in the world today.

Rules & Terms

Submissions are open to films of every genre, in any length - including experimental, documentary, drama, comedy, expanded cinema, horror, sci-fi, animation, music and low-budget work. The programme is selected by a team of artist-filmmakers, who have a particular focus on contemporary artists' moving image work, but who are also looking for a diverse range of films in any genre.

The festival will comprise of several short film programmes, alongside features and live performances, held over 3 days.

Entries are open to both the UK and international filmmakers with an entry fee of $9 per film submitted (rearly deadline). The festival is not-for-profit, with all revenue used to cover the costs of hosting the event at Braziers Park.

All entries must be in English or contain English subtitles.

Work-in-progress films are also welcome. In a spirit of inclusivity, there is no premiere status required, and the festival welcomes films made in any year.

Should your film be selected, you will be required to provide an H.264 screening file of your film (25fps), sent via downloadable link.

Filmmakers who have their work selected will be invited to Braziers Park to attend the festival and participate in a Q&A following their screening. Accommodation or camping, with meals, are provided to filmmakers by Braziers Park for the duration of the festival.

Once selected and notified, filmmakers cannot withdraw their work from the festival programme, unless we are notified within 7 days of the official selection notification.

PLEASE NOTE: due to the volume of entries received, we cannot give individual feedback on submissions. The festival is not-for-profit, and we cannot provide submission fee waiver codes, unless a film is directly invited by the festival programmers.
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  • laura cooper

    Thanks for a wonderful programme of films and your intimate charismatic festival. I really enjoyed showing my work The Sun's Tongue and talking about it alongside other artists and their fantastic films, thank you!

    October 2023
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  • Mariana Castiñeiras

    Wonderful festival, I highly recommend it!

    September 2023
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  • Joanna Byrne

    A great experimental film festival run by artist filmmakers dedicated to nurturing community and conversations. A super supportive curatorial team, welcoming artists to be a part of the festival's screening events and conversations. I wasn't able to attend in person but would love to next year. Thank you BIFF!

    September 2023
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  • Jennet Thomas

    This is a really remarkable little festival - if selected you get free accommodation/camping and food in a Strawberry Gothic mansion and grounds in beautiful English countryside! But more than that, it's a programmed and run by ACTUAL EXPERIMENTAL FILM MAKERS who create a real sense of community with the whole event and lots of discussions of the work. This is in harmony with the Braziers collective community that hosts the festival, themselves an experiment in collective living and organisation. Check out their website, as this could be of special interest to anyone interested in alternative, positive ways of collective living. The fees for this submission help support the community and are much needed.

    September 2023
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  • Vitzthum Caroline

    Extraordinary festival in a rather magical setting. Wonderful community, intriguing conversations, and inspiring selection of films. Highly recommended!

    September 2022
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