Worcester Film Festival

Films must not have had a commercial release prior to submission.
Short films must be under 40 minutes
Feature films must be 40 minutes or longer.

The Festival welcomes all forms of film production – animation, experimental, etc. However, promotional films are not eligible (e.g. films promoting tourism, charitable appeals, etc.)⁣
- Films that are available to purchase are NOT eligible; this includes VOD/DVD/Blu-ray/VHS formats.⁣
- Films that have previously been publicly screened (excluding other film festivals and student showcases), broadcast or otherwise made publicly available (including online) will NOT be considered.⁣ This does NOT apply to any submissions in the "Best Music Video" category - all music videos will be considered.
- It is the sole responsibility of the Entrant to secure clearance from the copyright holders of any copyrighted materials included within the submitted Film. The Festival or Venues will not be held responsible for the unauthorised inclusion of any copyrighted materials within or relating to the submitted Film.
- The Festival reserves the right to disqualify, without reimbursement, any Films that do not adhere to these terms.

- To be eligible for the short film competitions, films must have been completed after 1st January 2023 and be 40 minutes or less in duration⁣
- To be eligible for the feature film competitions, films must have been completed after 1st January 2023 and be 40 minutes or greater in duration⁣
- Please note that films submitted through the incorrect category will not be considered.
- THE FESTIVAL DOES NOT PAY SCREENING FEES FOR SUBMITTED FILMS.⁣

Non-English language films⁣:

To qualify for selection, all non-English language films must have an English-subtitled screening copy available.⁣

How to send your film⁣:

Please submit your film via the online submission platform, FilmFreeway. WE DO NOT ACCEPT FILMS OTHER THAN VIA THIS PLATFORM.⁣

Notification⁣:

Due to the large amount of submissions received, the Festival will only contact those filmmakers with work selected for competitions and notification will be given by July 2024. The Festival cannot offer feedback regarding films that are not selected for the programme. Please don’t be discouraged if your film is not accepted to Worcester Film Festival. There are often many influencing factors on why your film may or may not be accepted or be suitable for the Festival.⁣

Using extracts of the films and film stills for promotion⁣:

The Entrant agrees that up to three minutes of their film may be used by the Festival in promotional activities including screening a clip on television, inclusion in the Festival’s trailer, and on the Festival’s website. Please ensure that uploaded stills and headshots are of print quality and that you have permission to allow the Festival to use these for promotional and press purposes in perpetuity. ⁣

Unsolicited submissions, waivers and discounts⁣:

The Festival respectfully requests that Entrants do not send a DVD directly to the Festival, do not send unsolicited Vimeo etc., links to Festival staff, and do not appeal for fee waivers. The modest fees are necessary to ensure that all films are viewed and fairly considered, as well as to support the costs of curation and Festival delivery.⁣

General⁣:

Acceptance of these Terms and Conditions implies that the Entrant will abide by them in their dealings with the Festival and also that the Entrant is legally entitled to submit the film for consideration. Entry to the Festival implies that the Entrant has the right to do so, has pre-cleared all materials that comprise the film, and is an authorised representative of the team that holds the intellectual property in the film.⁣

Entering a film to Worcester Film Festival implies the acceptance of these Terms and Conditions.⁣

The Festival wishes all potential Entrants the best of luck with their submission and their film.⁣

The Festival reserves the right to change the Terms and Conditions at any time.⁣
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Updated December 2023.⁣