Welcome to Carmarthen Bay Film Festival, the highly successful BAFTA British Short Film Competition Qualifying Festival, BAFTA Cymru/Wales and BAFTA Scotland Recognised Festival.

We are honoured to have been added to the BAFTA British Short Film Competition B list of qualifying festivals and one of only two based here in Wales.

To find out more about the rules and regulations concerning BAFTA, please visit their website.

The Festival has gone from strength to strength over the years. From our first Festival in 2012, we have gone from 35 submissions to over 1000 from 70 countries for our 2020 festival.
We are also very honoured and proud to not only be one of only two qualifying BAFTA British Short Film Competition qualifying festivals here in Wales but one of only six qualifying BAFTA Cymru festivals here in Wales as well.

It's all about the celebration of excellence, and our motto is:

'Excellence Should Be Seen On Screen', and we will always be a champion of independent film.

Films Judge by Industry Jury:
Who have included the BAFTA Cymru award-winning actor Mark Lewis Jones, Television presenter Ross King MBE, film academics and many specialists in the fields of animation, documentary and film.

Widely promoted Festival through our website, social media channels and industry press, including the film journal Sight and Sound. The awards nominations and awards gala is also broadcast live via our FaceBook page and on our festival streaming channel in partnership with Sparqfest.

Committed to Transparency, we were one of the first festivals to sign up for the United Film Festival Organisation (UFFO) code of conduct.

BAFTA British Short Film Competition Qualifying Festival

BAFTA Cymru Qualifying Festival

BAFTA Scotland Qualifying Festival

IMDB Qualifying.

We are also very proud to have the name of John Hefin associated with the Festival. With the John Hefin Award lifetime achievement award. And we are delighted that Elin Rhys excepted this award during our 2023 awards gala.

Here's a brief bio about John Hefin below.

John Hefin first became involved in television work in 1960 when he responded to a newspaper advertisement for apprentice production assistants. During the 1960s, he worked as a producer and director for BBC Wales. In 1974, he helped create the Welsh language soap opera Pobol y Cwm, the longest-running television soap opera produced by the BBC. He also co-wrote and directed the 1978 TV rugby comedy film Grand Slam and led the 1981 drama series The Life and Times of David Lloyd George. This nine-part series, a biopic based on the Welsh PM, drew on conversations with Lady Olwen, his eldest daughter, and AJ Sylvester, his secretary.

Following his post as Head of Drama with BBC Wales, he worked in the Theatre, Film and Television Studies Department at Aberystwyth University. In 1988, he became the artistic director of Film Cymru (later renamed the Wales Film Council), entrusted with commissioning films from independent Welsh producers using S4C funds. He was also Chairman of the Film Commission Wales and Chair of Cyfrwng, a Welsh media journal and network. He retired from the BBC in 1993. In 2004, he directed and filmed part of a documentary featuring the artist Sir Kyffin Williams, Reflections in a Gondola
John was awarded the MBE in 2009 for "services to Welsh film and drama". In 2012, he was awarded the BAFTA Cymru Special Award for Outstanding Contribution to Television Drama.

By being ‘officially selected’, your film has been considered to be, of a high standard and worthy of being screened during the festival itself. This is the first step of a three-stage process.

For the next stage, a number of the ‘officially selected’ films are then shortlisted to be judged for the category awards. These are the ‘nominated’ films.
The last stage is winning your selected category.

1. Films made anywhere in the world are eligible to be submitted for consideration
2. If the Film’s final running time is more than 2 minutes and less than 40 minutes including credits if any, the Film may only be submitted as a Short film. Even if the Film has been submitted as a Feature film, it will be included for consideration only in the Short category..
3. The Festival does not require première status for submissions.
4. The Film may have been previously screened in its entirety at a theatrical exhibition anywhere in the world, in which tickets were available to the public.
5. The Film may have been previously released on DVD or broadcast on television or the internet anywhere in the world.
6. It is the sole responsibility of the Applicant to secure clearance from the copyright holders of any copyrighted materials included within the submitted Film. The Organisers will not be held responsible for the unauthorised inclusion of any copyrighted materials within or relating to the submitted Film. The Organisers reserve the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant, any Film with any unauthorised inclusion of any copyrighted materials.
7. Applicants submitting Films that contain significant non-English spoken dialogue must provide on-screen English subtitles. The Organisers reserve the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant, any Film that contains significant non-English spoken dialogue that does not include accompanying on-screen English subtitles.
8. Any submissions that may be deemed offensive will not be selected, and the organisers reserve the right to disqualify without notice without refunding the submission fee.
9. The Organisers reserve the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from Applicant, if any Film is not submitted on one of the recommended standard formats. mp4, .mov and Pro-res.
9a.If your project is selected you must make all materials related to your project available for the in-person and online festival when requested. You may ask for your film not to be included on our online streaming platform if you wish.
10. It’s the submitters' responsibility to make sure they provide the correct screening file for consideration. CBFF will not be held responsible if the incorrect file is provided.
11. If your submission is accepted it is your responsibility to make sure the correct version of your entry is made available for screening purposes. CBFF will not be held responsible if the incorrect version is provided.
12 If your submission is nominated for an award you agree that the judge’s decision final
13. Student discount may only be used by either undergraduates or postgraduates one year after leaving full or part-time study. You must follow these guidelines or your submission will be automatically disqualified without a refund of your submission fee.
14. If your film is selected you agree not to expect or request a screening fee.
15. Your submission must have been completed after January 2020.
16. By submitting you agree to all CBFF rules and guidelines

SHORT FILM

A live-action narrative fiction told through the medium of video.

Requirements: Your Submission must be an original live-action narrative video that exemplifies the art of fictional storytelling. Submissions may come from but are not limited to, the following genres: comedy, action, drama, musical, horror, etc. Your submission should be a complete story that is presented in a clear, creative, and original way.

Judging considerations: We are looking for creative excellence in videos that push the boundaries of narrative filmmaking and storytelling

DOCUMENTARY SHORT

A video that presents a factual report on a chosen subject or idea.

Requirements: Your submission must be an original documentary that exemplifies the art of non-fiction storytelling. Submissions may include a variety of storytelling methods: presenter led or narrated, fly on the wall, point of view, ambient, or personal stories, etc. Your submission should be a complete idea that is presented in a clear, innovative and original way.

Judging considerations: We are looking for an engaging, creative video that provides insight into a real person, lifestyle, cause, belief, or situation through nonfiction filmmaking methods.

ANIMATION

A story told by giving life to inanimate objects or character designs using computer technology or frame by frame animation.

Requirements: Your submission must be an original animated short video that illustrates the art of animated storytelling. Submissions may include the following styles of animation: 3D, 2D, mixed media, or any form of stop motion.

Judging considerations: We are looking for animation that deploys a high level of technical, conceptual, and aesthetic innovation in order to enchant the viewer with a strong, engaging story.

EXPERIMENTAL

A video that experiments with new ideas and/or techniques, often characterized by the absence of a linear narrative.

Requirements: Submissions may include video art, abstract works, or any other non-narrative-based work that breaks new ground in moving image.

Judging considerations: We are looking for videos that explore new ideas or techniques to further filmmaking as an art form, free from the constraints of the traditional narrative form.

POETIC CINEMA

Poetry film is a subgenre of film that fuses the use of spoken word poetry, visual images, and sound to create a stronger presentation and interpretation of the meaning being conveyed. This fusion of image and spoken word (both independent and interdependent) creates what William Wees called the "Poetry-film" genre.

We are looking for Submissions that:
• Are based upon an interesting concept;
• Are innovative;
• Are well crafted; and
• Create an emotional resonance

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Nathan Miller

    Carmarthen Bay Film Festival was a fantastic place to screen our short Dead Cat Film The organisers were so welcoming and we really enjoyed seeing the other selections as well. We can't wait to go back!

    November 2023
  • Ariel Franklin

    My film, The Heart Wants was selected to be in the Carmarthen Bay Film Festival in the Faith Based Film category. I’m so grateful to have had my film amongst some really amazing, high quality productions. If your film is selected into CBFF, you can be proud because it was clear that CBFF was very detailed and intentional about the films they selected. The films were well written, shot with industry standard equipment, beautiful and unique wardrobe production, and showcased some very talented actors.

    Communication:
    CBFF responds to filmmakers immediately with any questions and their website and facebook page shares information from where to stay, how to travel, and places to eat.

    Hospitality:
    South Wales has proven to be a most pleasant place to visit, they truly have what we in the U.S. would call southern hospitality. The people are incredibly kind.

    Networking:
    The festival coordinators treated me like family, they really care about helping filmmakers access resources and contacts to further their career. I met other filmmakers who I still keep in touch with, which I hope will lead to us working together in the near future.

    September 2023
  • Gwenllian Thurstan

    Great festival that screened my film, very friendly and supportive

    May 2023
  • Very well organised and run festival. It was a pleasure to be apart of it. Thanks guys :)

    May 2023
  • Mark Shaba

    Thank you so much for supporting our short film 'Rosie', honoured to be a part of CBFF!

    May 2023