The World Cinema Film Festival is a celebration of culture and community through a universal love of film - brought to you by London based production company Bluebird Pictures.

Over three days we screen short films from around the world that represent some of best in world cinema. This is accompanied by industry talks, an opportunity to feast on local cuisine from our global food stalls and networking - making it a truly inclusive and special festival.

The World Cinema Film Festival has a summer festival atmosphere that will allow attendees to pick and choose which talks and screenings they view, with lots of opportunity to network and try out new food and drink. At the end of the festival we have an amazing award ceremony for our winners from the selected films.

So much has changed in 2020 - making us rethink how audiences engage with film festivals, and how inclusive one-off events really are when it excludes filmmakers from around the world. That is why in 2021 we aim to host a hybrid event. The World Cinema Film Festival will be both online and in person. We will host the event in East London where Bluebird Pictures is based and home of a brand new film studio in the UK.

We will also create a virtual space as well, so that you can attend from anywhere in the world. It will include live broadcasts of the talks - selected and winning films on demand and goodie bags which can be purchased and shipped to you ahead of the event. We will also partner with organisations in LA to host a smaller more intimate WCFF where selected films will also play to an audience.

Awards & Prizes

ALL selected films will play in the festival and be voted for by a panel of industry experts as best in category, for the following prizes:

SHORT FILM WINNER:
Industry standard Final Draft screenwriting software worth $250
Mentoring with industry pros
Pitching session with a producer
Screening in LA and London
Opportunity for representation with US based talent management company Emagine Content
Free membership with Backstage Casting

SHORT DOCUMENTARY WINNER:
Industry standard Final Draft screenwriting software worth $250
Mentoring with industry pros
Pitching session with a producer
Screening in LA and London
Opportunity for representation with US based talent management company Emagine Content
Free membership with Backstage Casting

SHORT ANIMATION WINNER:
Industry standard Final Draft screenwriting software worth $250
Mentoring with industry pros
Pitching session with a producer
Screening in LA and London
Opportunity for representation with US based talent management company Emagine Content
Free membership with Backstage Casting

VIRTUAL REALITY & 360 WINNER:
Industry standard Final Draft screenwriting software worth $250
Mentoring with industry pros (specific to VR and 360)
Pitching session with a producer
Screening in LA and London
Opportunity for representation with US based talent management company Emagine Content
Free membership with Backstage Casting

AUDIENCE FAVOURITE AWARD
ALL selected films will be eligible for the audience favourite award for a cash prize towards their next film

WOMEN'S VOICES AWARD
The brilliant Tape Collective will select several shorts made by women or non binary filmmakers to be included in our 'Women's Voices' showcase this year, with one overall winner receiving a cash prize towards their next project.

Our previous winners had meetings with the following industry professionals:

Concept artist for Wonder Woman Po Sing Chu
Director of Photography for Game of Thrones Fabian Wagner
Writer and producer of hit Channel 4 show Humans Jonathan Brackley
Literary agent from Curtis Brown Kat Buckle
Director and writer Koby Adom
Writers of the new Mulan movie Elizabeth Martin and Lauren Hynek

And many more..

Rules & Terms

-Films must be under 20 minutes
-No premiere status required
-You must answer the additional questions before submitting
-Unfortunately we cannot offer any fee waivers
-Any genre is accepted in each category

4 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Carlos Carneiro

    Joelle who runs World Cinema FF is doing an incredible work because she really thinks "how can I go beyond awarding filmmakers just a laurel" so she connected us with DoP, Producer, and other industry people who were able to answer questions or give us advice on how to maneuver this industry. That was really thoughtful and helpful. Thank you Joelle. Great work. Keep it up, we appreciate you.

    September 2020
    Helpful
  • Hussina Raja

    A brilliant festival especially for emerging filmmakers. My short film ROOTS won in the Best International Short Film category, and although it was online this year due to the pandemic I have gained a lot from the industry mentoring and prizes. A big thank you to Joelle Dae David & Bluebird Pictures for selecting ROOTS.

    September 2020
    Helpful
  • Timon Williams

    Great up and coming festival with amazing prizes for the winners. An excellent film festival for networking as well!

    August 2019
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  • Emma Edwards

    A great festival celebrating culture from around the world. Providing industry networking opportunities and insightful talks, World Cinema Film Festival is a delight of a film festival.

    July 2019
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