The competitions listed here welcome
entries by amateurs and are run by genuine enthusiasts.
They all accept entries in English - though if you can provide subtitles
in the language of the country concerned these are always helpful.
See the list of special topics/age
limits and Notes below.
In addition to the specialist ones listed below, several festivals have special
categories for young film makers.
Abstracta - abstract subjects
ARSfilm - films about art
BrisVid1000 - experimental films
Cambridge Super-8 - at least
50% shot on Super-8
Camera 300 - documentaries
Cork Youth International - special
categories for under-12s, under-18s and storyboard competition.
Co-op Young Film Makers
- film makers under 21
Danube - Rousse - water, specifically
river related but open genre.
Docutah - documentaries
Eulenspiegeleien - comedy
FIFA - wildlife - wildlife subjects
Film Clip/Music Video - videos around
songs
Hazel Wolf Environmental
- wildlife and environment
International
Ornithological - wildlife (not just ornithology)
Juvenale- under 25s.
Korea Green - wildlife subjects
Leeds Young Peoples -
Namur Nature - wildlife
North V South
(UK) - for clubs in Britain only
Outdoor Films - adrenalin sports
Petersburg Screen - under
18s
Phase 4 Fiction - fiction films
Planet In Focus - wildlife
subjects
Railway & Transport Films - !
Senior Forum - film makers over
58
To Love a Man - humanitarian
Up to 21- film makers under 21
Wildscreen- wildlife subjects
Always check the rules carefully. Many competitions are free to enter, others
require a fee. Look out for restrictions on length, year of production and
subject matter. Some offer special deals to entrants who attend, such as
free accommodation. When a European festival refers to "feature films"
that has nothing to do with length - it means "fiction films". Many festivals
have an English section on their website - look out for a Union Jack/Stars
& Stripes/Maple Leaf flag icon to click.
Note: this list does not include all the local and regional
festivals in the UK - see the Events
Diary for details of those.
Most of these festivals run every year at about the same dates and with similar
rules etc. It can take some months after the last festival before websites
are updated and news of the following year's event is circulated.
From time to time on other pages of this website we also list competitions
run by commercial organisations where they seem to welcome amateurs. These
often offer major prizes. Others offer exposure on television. Many amateurs
suspect such events are designed to exploit their work for free. Very few
of them are. They are mostly advertising some associated activity of the
companies behind them. Entering this sort of event may require more in the
way of form-filling and record-keeping than most of us are used to.
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