** Fee waivers and discounts are available. See below for details **

Welcome to the Cambridge Film Festival!

Since our inception in 1977, we've been a beacon for independent cinema, celebrating the art of filmmaking in all its forms. As a BIFA & BAFTA qualifying festival, we take pride in showcasing bold, imaginative films from around the globe while paying homage to cinema's rich heritage.

What Sets CFF Apart:

- INDUSTRY DAY: A hub for filmmakers and professionals offering enriching talks, workshops, and presentations. It’s a place to sharpen your skills and create lasting industry connections.

- CFF YOUTH LAB: Spearheaded by young, enthusiastic cinephiles, this program is crucial for nurturing film evaluation and criticism. Engage in our dynamic workshops and meet renowned industry figures like Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo.

- NETWORKING & CAREER ADVANCEMENT: Our festival is a fertile ground for budding and established filmmakers to develop skills, build networks, and gain industry insights.

Along with CFF’s open submissions process, these initiatives support both local and international filmmakers. Providing a supportive platform to showcase their work while developing skills and building vital network connections.

2024 Marks Our 43rd Edition: Join us this October for a celebration of cinema like no other!

In Praise of Cambridge Film Festival:

"An unmanageably rich feast, with a particularly strong strand of artists’ cinema, and a selection of silent revivals that put the recent London festival in the shade." - Henry K Miller - Sight & Sound.

"The Cambridge Film Festival is one of the key screen events in the UK calendar." - Empire.

"Easily outclasses its rivals". - The Times.


One of the most notable symbols of Cambridge is its love of punts. They are an icon of the city's waterways, and we have named our Jury awards* in honour of them.

- Golden Punt Jury Award: Best Film
- Crystal Punt Jury Award: Best Director

- Audience Award for Best Fiction Feature
- Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature
- Audience Award for Best Short Film.

- CFF Youth Lab Jury Award


Cambridge Film Festival is a BAFTA and BIFA qualifying Festival.

*Awards were renamed for 2024. All UK premieres are eligible for the audience awards.


ELIGABILITY:

1. Feature films (fiction and documentary) must not have been released in the UK in any format, including online, before their screening in the Festival.

** Exceptions may be made for films of exceptionally high quality or films that premiere at the London Film Festival only at the discretion of Festival staff.

2. Short Films have no premiere requirement but must not be publicly available online in the UK.

** All UK premiers are eligible for the CFF Audience awards.

3. Only films completed within the 18 months before the start of the festival are eligible for submission.

4. All submissions not in English must be provided with embedded English closed caption subtitles.

5. While it is not a requirement and will not affect your chances of being selected, we encourage filmmakers to include a supporting Closed Caption file with your submission where possible.

6. Previously submitted work will only be considered if it has been substantially altered.

7. All rights, permissions, and clearances must be obtained before submission, and applicants must ensure they have the right to submit the work. By entering your work, you agree to this and the responsibilities involved. The Cambridge Film Trust, the registered charity that runs the Cambridge Film Festival, assumes no responsibility for violation of copyright law and submission fees will not be refunded.

FEES AND WAIVERS:

The Cambridge Film Trust operates the Cambridge Film Festival (registered charity no. 1120059), and our annual operations and viewing the volume of submissions we receive are very costly; despite this, we offer several submission fee waivers and discounts.

1. We are committed to supporting local filmmakers, so we waive submission fees for filmmakers (directors and producers) based in Cambridgeshire.

2. Directors and producers who have previously screened films at the Festival are also entitled to a waiver.

3. To encourage submissions from directors from Black and Global Majority backgrounds, we offer a 25% discount.

Please email submissions@cambridgefilmfestival.org.uk to request any of these discounts and waivers.

Include your (FILM TITLE) and (DISCOUNT/WAIVER) as the email subject line.

Include either:
Proof of address (such as a scan/pdf of a current utility bill)
The year your previous work screened at CFF
Your request for the Black and Global Majority director discount

Fees will not be waived under any other circumstances, so please do not contact us to request that we make an exception, as we will not be able to do so.

Please note that submission fees will not be refunded.

SUBMISSION:

All films must be submitted via a secure online screener (FilmFreeway).

We encourage filmmakers to include their pronouns in their bios or alongside their submissions. E.G. Name: Elle Haywood (She/Her)

The festival reserves the right to change deadlines and to close submissions earlier than stated at our discretion.

SELECTION:

1. The Cambridge Film Festival team will carry out selection. No correspondence will be entered into regarding the selection process, and the decision of the Festival is final.

2. Unfortunately, due to the volume of entries, we cannot offer individual feedback or enter into a discussion about your work.

3. All successful submissions will be notified by email by 16th September 2024. Please ensure we can reach you in August and September to confirm your film's inclusion in the Festival programme.

4. All successful submissions will be listed on our website when the complete programme is announced.

5. Please do not send any press materials with your submission. Should your film be accepted, we request you send us digital images and other press/publicity materials, including press kits.

FESTIVAL SCREENINGS & SCHEDULING:

1. All screenings during the Festival period will take place at the discretion of the Festival. We reserve the right to change the advertised schedule at any time for any reason and will not accept liability for any costs incurred due to such changes.

2. You must not withdraw your film from the Cambridge Film Festival programme after its selection/participation has been confirmed. Without our prior agreement, it must not be screened elsewhere before its presentation at the Festival.

3. Your film must be available to screen as a DCP for an in-cinema presentation. No other formats will be accepted. DCPs of selected films must be received by the Festival at least one month before the start of the Festival.

4. The Festival cannot cover the costs of any format transfers or subtitling.

5. The Cambridge Film Trust will accept responsibility for technical damage to prints of selected titles while they are in the possession of the Festival and will reimburse the value of the print stock (or part thereof) only. Please ensure you have sufficient insurance to cover your work while in transit to and from the Festival.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Ingo Lyle-Goodwin

    A wonderfully put together festival which really cares about its curation and the filmmakers it selects- A wonderfully non-competitive space with room for mainstream fun and arthouse madness. In the words of Mr Schwarzenegger- I'll be back!

    December 2023
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you so much Ingo, that's very kind of you. We look forward to welcoming you back very soon!

  • Eleanor Jacob

    Thank you CFF for giving us such a warm welcome. This was our UK premiere and we were very well looked after, everything ran smoothly and the communication was quick and always very friendly.

    December 2023
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you for your kindness and for entrusting CFF with your UK premiere. We hope to welcome you back to Cambridge sometime soon.

  • Tony Eva

    Cambridge FF has great screenings, carefully curated programmes, super-helpful staff and volunteers and a really positive vibe. A huge amount of work must have been going on in the background to make the festival run so smoothly. Felt very privileged to premiere "Pure Clean Water" here.

    December 2023
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    Response from festival:

    We were privileged to host the premiere Tony. Thank you for showcasing such an important film in Cambridge.

  • Ben Parkin

    This was a great festival and the team were super helpful throughout!

    December 2023
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    Response from festival:

    Thanks Ben, for your praise and for bringing your film to CFF. Hopefully we'll see you again soon!

  • 哲銘 章

    It's a really really lovely film festival . I really enjoy being there for the industry day , it's really helpful .

    November 2023
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you for your lovely review, we really appreciate it.