Championing the best stories in pro wrestling.

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Behind every wrestler, each five-star match and every prolific title reign lies a great story. Some chronicle triumph over adversity, some document tragedy, and others simply capture unique moments in time.

While glittering belts adorn the subjects, who champions the storytellers? Those who physically consign these stories to film?
Well, we do.

We’ve created the first ever celebration of wrestling storytelling in the UK, an exclusive, unique and unmissable three day event designed to champion the best-told tales in the industry that we love.

We’re shining a light on wrestling documentaries, promos, photos, animations, shorts and features carefully crafted by film makers, wrestling promotions and photographers from all around the world.

To do that, we need you to tell us about yours. Our film and wrestling professionals will be curating a programme from global submissions, and we’re asking for you to send us your films and photos of wrestlers, wrestling promotions and more.

We’ll be showcasing the best at our London venues over three, unmissable days, with screenings, Q&As, panels, special events, and awesome after parties.

Awards are up for grabs too, but nothing that can match the satisfaction of knowing your work has been consigned to the annals of wrestling history forever.

Join us and be part of something iconic – the inaugural Burning Hammer Film Festival 2018.

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OFFICIAL SELECTION
The official selections provide the backbone of our Film Festival. We will feature wrestling films/photography selected from all over the world including UK, European and world premieres . We aim to shine a light on emerging talents and established directors alike.

DOCUMENTARY PROGRAMME
Our celebration of documentary filmmaking in BHFF with a combination of short and feature-length films. Featuring screenings in our Newspeak House hub and Rich Mix cinema, often including panels, Q&As and discussions with the film's creators/subjects. We want to be moved, shaken or hit about the head with a chair shot of real life emotion.

NARRATIVE PROGRAMME
Be it animation, sci-fi, comedy, mockumentary, fantasy, action or horror, our shorts and feature-length narrative films will provide the intersect between the real world and the fake. So to speak.

WRESTLING PROMOTION PROGRAMME
This programme is very exciting. We understand that in the age of social media and VOD platforms it is a necessity for wrestling promotions to produce their own filmic content. Be it through promos, original programs or documentaries; our programme will explore the world of wrestling by looking at (and exhibiting) the content our favourite promotions have made. So wrestling promotions, get submitting.

PHOTOGRAPHY PROGRAMME
Wrestling and photography are a perfect match. Whether it's vérité, reportage, documentary, portraits or action shots, our photography programme aims to capture the spirit and emotion of such a photogenic endeavour as wrestling. Our official selections will be exhibited in our galleries dotted around the festival's venues.

Awards & Prizes

Best Short Film
Best Feature
Best Short Documentary
Best Feature Documentary
Audience Award for Best Short Film
Audience Award for Best Feature
Audience Award for Best Short Documentary
Audience Award for Best Feature Documentary
Best Wrestling Photograph of 2017/18
Best Wrestling Promotion Video/Film 2017/18
The Inaugural Hall of Fame Entrant for Services to Wrestling Media

Rules & Terms

By submitting your film, you agree that Burning Hammer Film Festival (BHFF) can use parts of your film (including trailer/teaser/film poster) for promotional purposes.

For a film to be eligible, you must have created the project yourself, own the rights or have permission from the owner of the content to submit the film to us.

This is a wrestling film festival, please make sure your films/photos have a pro wrestling context.

Please read all of our rules and requirements before submitting your project:

1. For our first year, we will accept any films made before the final festival submission deadline of July 6th 2018.

2. Any films not in English language must include English subtitles.

3. All fees are non-refundable.

4. All films/photographs submitted MUST have a wrestling theme or be about wrestling in some way. If you’re unsure, please send us an enquiry over email and we’ll endeavour to get back to you within 48 hours.

5. We can only accept digital submissions: Vimeo or YouTube links with passwords are acceptable. DVDs/Blu-Rays are not.

6. BHFF is not responsible for broken links or non-functioning films. Please make all films available to download so our programming committee can download and watch when offline.

7. Please make sure your passwords stay active and unchanged throughout the submissions process.

8. BHFF is a competitive event and unless notified otherwise, all films officially selected are eligible for competition. Not all submissions received will be selected for BHFF.

9. All films are nominated by and voted upon by a jury of film and wrestling professionals.

10. All genres and formats are considered eligible for nomination into one or more competitive categories.

11. BHFF reserve the right to refuse to accept any submission deemed by the Festival to be inappropriate. Should you wish to question BHFF about their decision, you can contact us by email.

12. A fee is required upon submission. One entry fee per category. The same film can be entered into one or more categories, but each category requires an entry fee.

13. We will accept picture locked cuts, i.e. without additional edits to the story. We WILL NOT accept fine or rough cuts. Films entered at picture lock with additional post-production to complete, such as: music, grade or sound mix, will be considered so long as film is guaranteed to be completed by Monday, August 13. Please think carefully about what stage you want to submit your film, we will not be able to to view your film twice before a programming decision needs to be made.