Always check the rules carefully. Many 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".

Note: this list does not include 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. For a good example visit Propellor TV's website and download the pdf form.

Sorted alphabetically ...
Abstracta AMPS ARSfilm BIAFF The Big Gig Cambridgr Super-8 Canadian International Co-op Young Film Makers Cotswold Croatian Minute Movie DepicT ! Eulenspiegeleien		Eurofilm Festival of Nations FIFA - wildlife FIKE Golden Diana Golden Knight Guernsey Lily Hazel Wolf International Ornithological Korea Green Langenfeld Leeds Young Peoples		Melbourne Newcastle (Australia) Nordfilm Northern Shinano Obuse Offensiva OSFAF Oskariada Outdoor Films Phase 4 Fiction Planet in Focus Pol-8 Railway & Transport Films		Senior Forum Seoul Tallinn The One Minutes To Love a Man Toti UNCIPAR UNICA Wildlife Asia Wildscreen Up to 21

Sorted by maximum length accepted ...

1 minute Croatian Minute Movie The One Minutes Northern Shinano Obuse BIAFF (* minute section) 1½ minutes DepicT ! 5 minutes Abstracta AMPS (comedy category) 6 minutes Co-op Young Film Makers

15 minutes Newcastle (Australia) Senior Forum 16min amateur category Cotswold 20 minutes ARSfilm Eulenspiegeleien FIFA - wildlife Golden Diana Langenfeld Pol-8 To Love a Man Toti

22min open category Cotswold 30 minutes AMPS Canadian International Festival of Nations Golden Knight Guernsey Lily Melbourne OSFAF Phase 4 Fiction Seoul UNCIPAR 40 minutes FIKE

120 minutes Oskariada 125 minutes The Big Gig any length BIAFF Offensiva Outdoor Films Railway & Transport Films Tallinn Up to 21

Sorted by closing dates ... January BIAFF Eulenspiegeleien Leeds Young Peoples UNCIPAR February March Festival of Nations Oskariada April Croatian Minute Movie Seoul May Cotswold Guernsey Lily Up to 21 June Abstracta The Big Gig Canadian FIKE July Young Film Makers Outdoor Films August Golden Diana Pol-8 Railway/Transport September AMPS ARSfilm DepicT ! Golden Knight Melbourne Newcastle (Aus) Offensiva OSFAF Phase 4 Fiction Tallinn The One Minutes Toti October FIFA - wildlife Langenfeld Northern Shinano November Senior Forum December To Love a Man

Sorted by play dates ... January To Love a Man February Canadian Eulenspiegeleien March FIFA - wildlife Leeds Young Peoples UNCIPAR April BIAFF Oskariada May Croatian Minute Up to 21 June Festival of Nations Seoul UNICA July The Big Gig August Golden Diana September Abstracta Cotswold FIKE Pol-8 Railway/Transport October ARSfilm Film Makers Guernsey Lily Melbourne Newcastle (Aus) OSFAF Outdoor Films Phase 4 Fiction Tallinn November DepicT ! Golden Knight Northern Shinano Senior Forum The One Minutes Toti December Langenfeld Offensiva

Special topics / types / ages ...

Abstracta - abstract subjects
ARSfilm - films about art
Cambridge Super-8 - at least 50% shot on Super-8
Co-op Young Film Makers - film makers under 21
Eulenspiegeleien - comedy
FIFA - wildlife - wildlife subjects
Hazel Wolf Environmental - wildlife and environment
International Ornithological - wildlife (not just ornithology)
Korea Green - wildlife subjects
Leeds Young Peoples -
Outdoor Films - adrenalin sports
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
Wildlife Asia- wildlife subjects
Wildscreen- wildlife subjects

Page updated on 14 May 2008

Authors' views are not necessarily those of The Institute of Amateur Cinematographers

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