Film festivals create an audience and an appetite for short films that is invaluable. The British Council plays an instrumental role in finding and nurturing talented new filmmakers and has long recognised the need to provide them with a platform for presenting their work at key international events. As such, we are often the first port of call for international programmers seeking out what’s hot and new from the UK.

We run a long-established and unique scheme where we promote selected films (from the thousand or so submitted to us each year) to the list of 50-60 major international film festivals we work with. There are no deadlines, all genres are eligible and generally anything under 45 minutes is classed as a short. If you have a short film, read on...

Is my film eligible?
Your film will need to be:

Less than 45 minutes. This is the usual cut-off point for festivals to consider films 'short'. Documentaries may be considered up to 60 minutes

Recent. Anything over a year old is unlikely to be selected by festivals

From the UK. We will need at least a UK contact point, either the director or producer

What do I have to do?
Send us a VHS tape or DVD of the film with a completed copy of the submission form. You can send as many films as you like - so long as they meet the criteria and you complete a separate form for each. (Further details including the address to send it to is on the form).

What happens then?
When we receive your film we will send you a letter to acknowledge its safe arrival. You should then expect to wait around 12 to 14 weeks before the panel views your film. As soon as a decision is made we will notify you either way. In the meantime, you are encouraged to submit your film to appropriate festivals - check out our directory of international film festivals on Britfilms.com.

What if my film is accepted?
If we accept your film we will send you a list of the events we submit work to, the forms and help with freighting. There are also other perks, such as reduced entry fees, as well as travel grants (see frequently asked questions) for a lucky few! We also have a fund to help with making a first print (this is a contribution towards the overall costs) - the two main criteria are that the British Council must have selected the film and it must have a definite offer of a screening from a major international film festival.

What if my film is not accepted?
If the panel decides that your film wouldn't be suitable for the festivals we work with then we will return your VHS to you as soon as possible. This shouldn't discourage you from entering other festivals, and we will gladly take another look at your film if it is accepted into a major international festival in the future.

Over the years an impressive list of filmmakers have been supported by the scheme, including industry heavy weights like Mike Leigh, Peter Greenaway and Derek Jarman. More recent wunderkids include Nick Park (Chicken Run), Lynne Ramsay (Ratcatcher, Morvern Callar), Peter Cattaneo (The Full Monty, Lucky Break) Gurinder Chadha (Bhaji On The Beach, Bend It Like Beckham), Andrew Kotting (Gallivant, This Filthy Earth), Damian O’Donnell (East Is East, Heartlands), Sara Sugarman (Mad Cows, Very Annie-Mary), Jamie Thraves (The Lowdown), Billie Eltringham (This is Not A Love Song), Ben Hopkins (Simon Magus, The Nine Lives of Thomas Katz); Asif Kapadia (The Warrior), Jeremy Wooding (Bollywood Queen), David MacKenzie (The Last Great Wilderness, Young Adam).

What they say about the British Council...

Ildiko Kemeny (Producer, Hotel Splendide, Room To Rent)
“From my film school years to and throughout my first feature films, I have always enjoyed a great relationship with the British Council: on our shorts film festival exposure, my very first trip into the fantastic world of the NY and LA film world to "Producers on the Move" in Cannes 2000, (all supported by the British Council). So, I can only say HUGE THANKS to your fantastic team and support!”

Andrew Kotting
“The fact that the British Council have supported the work consistently over the years helps build a confidence and focus in what one does as a practitioner. The opportunity to visit film festivals abroad, meet other film makers and show ones work has been invaluable. These festivals provide insight, inspiration and confidence in developing ones own artistic or cinematic language. Without them it would have been easy to remain 'stuckist', 'shouldavist' or worse still 'couldavist', which is the malaise waiting to trap us all.”

David MacKenzie (dir. Young Adam)
“I'm extremely fond of my relationship with the British Council…. I’m always grateful for the opportunities they give filmmakers to travel. Most recently for me was a trip to St. Petersburg’s Message To Man Festival to sit on the jury”. .

Asif Kapadia (dir. The Warrior)
“The British Council has been brilliant to me. I don’t think my shorts would've been half as successful without their help and support. The Sheep Thief was picked up by the films division and screened in festivals the world over, including Cannes, Clermont Ferrand and the London Film Festival. As a poor student there was no way I could afford to send the print out myself. The British Council handled the prints of my shorts. They also sent me to accompany the film at festivals. This gave me the chance to see how my films were received the world over, it also gave the chance to see amazing shorts and features that would never be seen in the UK. During these trips I met filmmakers, financiers and producers, including Bertrand Faivre, the producer of The Warrior who I first met at the Brest Film Festival. If the British Council had not flown me out with my film, he may never have seen my film and I would still be searching for a producer.  With The Warrior I was lucky enough to travel as far as Pusan in South Korea and Mumbai and Kolkata with the British Council.”