Northampton Film Festival (UK)

We accept entries of films which are:
• live action or animation
• narrative fiction (drama, comedy, horror etc) or non-fiction/documentaries or any film that sits outside that definition in our Misfits category (like music videos, commercials, dance/art/experimental films).
• up to 20 minutes in length for shorts, or 40 to 110 minutes for features
• completed within the 18 months prior to the start of the festival (which is 11 Mar 2027)
• submitted by a Writer/Director/Producer who is UK based at the time of submission (it can be made anywhere in the world in any language)

For the 18yrs and Under category
• we expect those 18yrs and Under (at the time of submission) to have done the majority of the film production work
• we may split this category into multiple smaller categories as we see fit

For the New Filmmaker category
• this is designed for Directors who are 19yrs and above (no upper limit) who are new filmmakers
• We define a New Filmmaker generally as someone who hasn't won a film festival before (don't worry about awards you received at school or university), and hasn't directed more than 1 professional standard short films excluding your submission or television programme (don't worry about films you made for fun or for student projects, we're thinking ones you'd enter into festivals) or 2 commercials/professional music videos. But there could be some exceptions to that rule so please feel free to check with us if you're unsure whether you're classed as a New Filmmaker info@northamptonfilmfestival.co.uk
• It should be reasonable that you would be considered a New Filmmaker
• We reserve the right to move your film into another category if we feel it is more appropriate.

Films that don't have a link to Northamptonshire must fit one of our themes (Rebels, Revolutionaries, Misfits, Mavericks, Creatives or Changemakers) in terms of how the film was made or the subject matter. We imagine most films might meet the Creative theme! And we are a bit more relaxed with these themes in the 18yrs and Under category.

Only enter one category. We reserve the right to move it around if we believe it has a better chance in another category.

All films in languages other than English must have burnt in subtitles. We encourage all filmmakers to include a supporting Closed Caption file with your submission where possible.

We encourage filmmakers to include pronouns in their bios.

We do accept films that are already online but we take this into consideration when shortlisting films – we like to provide audiences with experiences they can’t get anywhere else.

All submissions must declare whether AI has been used in the creation or production of the film including imagery, voiceover, music or editing. This can be in their film's information on FilmFreeway or sent as an email before our final submission deadline of 11 October to info@northamptonfilmfestival.co.uk

All rights, permissions, and clearances must be obtained before submission, and applicants must ensure they have the right to submit the work and for it to be screened publicly. By entering your work, you agree to this and the responsibilities involved. Northampton Film Festival Limited assumes no responsibility for violation of copyright law and submission fees will not be refunded.

All films must be submitted via FilmFreeway.

By submitting your film, you are giving permission for Northampton Film Festival Limited to screen your film, and use trailers and other material without any charge or fee during the festival and subsequent screenings organised by Northampton Film Festival, but, of course, we will confirm permission for each and every screening after the main festival. If you are successful, your film will be automatically included in the programme and be listed on our website when the programme is announced.

We retain the right to use stills, trailers and excerpts of your work for the purposes of promotions, including the festival trailer, filmmaker interviews and social media posts before, during and after the festival.

Northampton Film Festival Limited creates the shortlist of films - this is then submitted to our judges who decide the winners through a scoring system. All decisions are final.