The St. Andrews Film Festival (SAFF) serves as an inspiring platform for self-expression, filmmaking education, and cultural exchange, advocating for a new wave of independent Scottish cinema while embracing the richness of global storytelling. As a charity, SAFF bridges the gap between emerging and professional filmmakers, offering masterclasses, talks, workshops, and seminars to empower budding creators to craft their first films. By curating a diverse programme that celebrates local and international voices, SAFF not only elevates Scottish cinema to the global stage but also harnesses the unifying power of film to spark meaningful dialogue and foster understanding across cultures.

Our focus is on films that reveal our shared humanity, encourage reflection on the challenges we face, and celebrate the rich diversity that makes the world such a fascinating place. No matter where a film comes from or how local its story, we select those that have something meaningful to offer a global audience.

Awards & Prizes

The Top 3 Short Films receive film distribution to our partnering film festivals.

Awards for the Short Film and Feature Film Competition are as follows:
All award-winning films will receive our glass-engraved trophies. The prize for The Saint Andrew Award for Best Short Film and The Alexander Mackendrick Award is a film distribution opportunity to our online platform as well as our partners in Europe.

Short Film:

1. The Saint Andrew Award for Best Film
2. The Alexander Mackendrick Award for Best Director
3. The Jorge Sanjinés Award for Best Dramaturgy
4. The Sean Connery Award for Best Actor
5. The Nevena Kokanova Award for Best Actress
6. The Mahmoud Kalari Award for Best Cinematography
7. The Lyudmila Feyginova Award for Best Editing
8. The Zagreb School Award for Best Animation
10. The Sara Gómez Award for Best Documentary Film
11. The Award for Best Scottish Film
12. The Audience Award

Feature Film:

1. The Saint Andrew Award for Best Film

Rules & Terms

- All submitted films must be completed after 1st of January 2025.

- The maximum number of submissions per submitter is 1 film.

- We accept all genres of narrative, documentary or experimental short films

- Maximum runtime for Short Films: 30 minutes

- NO Maximum runtime for Feature Films.

- All non-English films must come with English subtitles

- Selected submissions may be featured in our promotional trailer—just a shot or two that won’t reveal any spoilers.

DISCLAIMER: By submitting your film to SAFF, you agree to have your film’s details and basic filmmaker information published on our website. The purpose of this is to highlight your film and to create a complete programme.
25 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
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  • Tara Aghdashloo

    A really well-organised and lively festival that bring such a great program together. SO happy that Empty Your Pockets won Best Actor for Kiarash Dadgar -- it's a real honour and I hope to participate in many editions again in the future!

    November 2025
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  • Alana Robertson

    A fantastic welcoming and exciting festival in the wee town of St Andrews. It was so great to be involved with Boris and his team. The venue was gorgeous and will definitely go back to visit! The Q&As were a brilliant opportunity to hear more from the filmmakers and their decisions behind each of the different films that were curated as part of the programme.

    November 2025
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  • Robert Duncan

    A great wee festival, with a varied and interesting program, welcoming atmosphere and friendly and passionate organisers.

    November 2025
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  • Festival Formula

    We were delighted that our client WHAT I AM was selected for their 2024 edition. We've heard nothing but praise for the well organised screenings and the Q&As, we look forward to sending many more!

    December 2024
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  • Lena Vurma

    We had a fantastic time at St Andrews Film Festival - the team is very passionate about highlighting up and coming filmmakers from Scotland and beyond!

    December 2024
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