WSA Opportunities

The Winchester Short Film Festival is now open for entries to its 5th annual short film competition.

The deadline for submissions is 1st October 2016. Below you will find details on the award categories and prizes for this years’ short film contest. In order to sumbit your film to competition, please read the Terms & Conditions, and then head over to the Entry Form to apply.

What’s New?
The competition is open for the first time to both UK and international filmmakers with the introduction of the Best Foreign Short Film category. On top of this, we have expanded the maximum length of films for some categories up to 30 minutes, and we have introduced a number of new categories that celebrate the achievements of seasoned and emerging short film makers. We also have some excellent prizes on offer, from £1,000 for the Best British Short Film, to camera equipment and mentoring opportunities for aspiring filmmakers, with lots of other cash prizes too!

A quick note on film lengths…
The maximum film length for each category is by no means a target to aspire to. We will accept and welcome films of any duration up to that length, and they will all be judged based on their individual merit – this includes their EDITING, and with that their ability to hold the viewers’ attention. In the spirit of this note, we’ll put this succinctly: if your story can be told in 5 minutes, tell it in 5 minutes.

 

Judges will be selecting winners for the following categories:

Best Comedy Short Film
Maximum film length: 30 minutes, including credits
Prize: Mentoring from industry professionals (details TBA)

Best Animated Short Film
Maximum film length: 10 minutes, including credits
Prize: £500

Best Non-Fiction Short Film
Maximum film length: 30 minutes, including credits
Prize: £500

Best Budget Short Film
Maximum film length: 5 minutes, including credits
Maximum budget: £500
Prize: Camera equipment (details TBA)

Best Foreign Short Film
Maximum film length: 30 minutes, including credits
Prize: £500
Place of origin: To be eligible for this award, either the director of the film or the production company that holds the rights to the film must be of foreign origin (being outside of Britain). For full information, please read the terms & conditions.

Best British Short Film
Maximum film length: 30 minutes, including credits
Prize: £1,000
Place of origin: To be eligible for this award, the director of the film or the production company that holds the rights to the film must be of British origin. For full information, please read the terms & conditions.

 

British filmmakers will also be automatically entered, where eligible, for the following awards:

Best Director Under 18 Years Old
This is awarded by WSFF to a director under 18 years old that shows an aptitude for the filmmaking arts, and promise in their future endeavours. The Best Director Under 18 award is part of the mandate of WSFF to encourage young filmmakers at the start of their career, providing valuable recognition when they may usually be trying to compete against seasoned filmmakers. The prize for this award is mentoring sessions and/or experience working alongside professional filmmakers.

The Hampshire Prize
This is awarded by WSFF to a filmmaker who has worked, studied or lived in Hampshire (since January 2013) and has produced a piece of outstanding work. The Hampshire Prize is part of the mandate of WSFF to promote and reward talent from the region. The prize for this award is mentoring sessions and/or experience working alongside professional filmmakers.

MMBF Rising Star Award
This is awarded by WSFF and MMBF (The Matthew Martino Benevolent Fund) to any member of the team that has worked in the films submitted for competition. Not limited to directors, this award may be presented to an actor, a sound engineer, a DOP, anybody that shows promise in their work. There is a cash prize with this award, as well as tailored mentoring and professional experience, all provided by MMBF.