The LJMU MA Short Film Festival was first held in April 2021, originally as an online-only festival. Since 2023, it has grown to include a selection of in-person screenings and a live awards ceremony. The festival is curated, promoted and organised by students as part of the MA Film at Liverpool John Moores University, guided by LJMU staff. We are a global celebration of the student short film: fiction, documentary and animation.
In addition to our online screenings and live events, we offer featured filmmakers the opportunity to network and promote their films to our audience across the world, via Q&A sessions which are live-streamed on our YouTube channel. Our extensive promotional and marketing campaign also ensures visibility across all of the major social media outlets, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter/X.
Submissions are open to students and alumni from ANY INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION and/or FILM SCHOOL provided their submission was made as part of their student work and completed after JANUARY 2021.
We are proud to present the Paper Bird Award in the following four categories:
-The Red Paper Bird for Best Fiction Film
-The Yellow Paper Bird for Best Animation
-The Purple Paper Bird for Best Documentary
-The Grey Paper Bird for Best Experimental Film
We also award a fifth Paper Bird: The White Paper Bird Audience Award, which goes to the film that receives the most votes from our audience across the duration of the festival.
