Northampton Film Festival

The Northampton Film Festival accept entries of films which are:

• live action or animation
• narrative/fiction/dramas, non-fiction/documentaries or any film that sits outside that definition in our Misfits category such as music videos, commercials, art films and experimental pieces
• 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 8 Mar 2025)
• submitted by a UK-based Writer/Director/Producer
• for the 16yrs and Under category we expect those 16yrs and Under (at the time of submission) to have done the majority of the film production work
• for the 17-23yrs New Filmmaker category, the Director must be 17-23yrs at time of submission and must be a 'new filmmaker' which we define as having not WON any awards at festivals (other than 48hr Film Challenges or prizes at their university/school) with this or previous films prior to submission. The majority of crew must be also 17yrs – 23yrs at the time of submission

Films that don't have a link to Northants must fit one of the themes (Rebels, Revolutionaries, Misfits, Mavericks, Creatives or Changemakers) in terms of how the film was made or the subject matter of the film.

All films in languages other than English must have burnt in subtitles.

They do accept films that are already online but take this into consideration when shortlisting films.

They encourage filmmakers to include a supporting Closed Caption file with your submission where possible and include their pronouns in their bios.

All rights, permissions, and clearances must be obtained before submission, and applicants must ensure they have the right to submit the work. 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.

They 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.