We are now open for submissions to our 11th short film festival being held in 2024 and are looking forward to once again showcasing a huge range of short films.

The festival will take place in Leigh's only independent, fully air conditioned cinema, Leigh Film Factory which is 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 20th and Saturday 21st of September and there will be awards for the best animation, best comedy, best documentary, best horror film, best international film, best northwest filmmaker, best UK film & best international film.

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 8 entry categories which are;

Animation
Comedy
Documentary
International
North West Filmmaker
Rest of UK
Young Filmmaker

On top of this, a live audience vote will be held on each night to decide a winner for each nights, Audience Choice Award.

THE RULES FOR FILM ENTRIES

All films must be 15 minutes or less in length, including credits at the end.
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 2024.
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 2024.

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 2024 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 2024 festival, and for other non-commercial uses related to the promotion of the 2024 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
  • Nathan Miller

    We were so excited to win Best UK & International Film at Wigan and Leigh Film Festival with our short Dead Cat Film. They do such amazing work supporting emerging filmmakers and we couldn't recommend the festival more!

    November 2023
  • Sean Lyons

    I submitted and attended this year's festival, was a great evening, a lovely venue, great projection and sound. all the staff/volunteers were really nice and its been one of the best networking events I've had given he bar is right next to the cinema room

    Would highly recommend and cant wait to come back

    September 2023
  • Attended 2023's festival and it was so lovely! A great night, hosted by a group of wonderful volunteers who are totally passionate about film. Highly recommend anyone to attend. A brilliant night!

    September 2023
  • Lewis Fernandez

    I have absolutely nothing negative or indifferent to say on this festival. For a start, the entry fee is fair and reasonable, unlike many other festivals. When I arrived I was given a very friendly and personal greeting by the organisers who told me about the space and how much hard work and passion was put into building the volunteer run cinema. Every single one of the volunteers was warm and friendly and this created an atmosphere that the filmmakers echoed as I found the other directors to be very friendly and keen to get to know you - great networking space. The host did a fantastic job and the selection of films was very diverse and of great quality. 100% would go again whether with a film or as an audience member and I really hope the locals of Leigh get behind and support this place!

    September 2023
  • Carol Younghusband

    Delighted that our short film - CHARLIE'S FREEDOM - was selected for this great festival. The communication and friendliness were first class. I can't comment on Hospitality and Networking as unfortunately we were unable to attend.

    September 2023