BIFA Qualifying Festival Lists
As part of the BIFA eligibility criteria, features and shorts must have screened or be scheduled to screen at a BIFA qualifying festival to qualify for entry to the BIFA awards. These lists are revised each year ahead of entries opening.
You can find more information on our Rules and Eligibility criteria here.
Click on the below headings to jump to a particular Qualifying Festival list:
2025 QUALIFYING FESTIVALS FOR INTERNATIONAL FEATURES
2025 QUALIFYING FESTIVALS FOR BRITISH FEATURES.
2025 QUALIFYING FESTIVALS & AWARDS FOR SHORT FILMS
2025 QUALIFYING ONLINE CHANNELS FOR SHORT FILMS.
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2025 QUALIFYING FESTIVALS FOR BRITISH FEATURES.
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| AFI Fest | Imagine Fantastic Film Festival (Amsterdam) |
| Annecy Festival | Leeds International Film Festival |
| BAFTA – Film longlisted | Locarno |
| London Breeze Film Festival | Manchester Film Festival |
| Belfast Film Festival | Manchester Animation Festival |
| The Berlin International Film Festival / Berlinale | Melbourne International Film Festival |
| BFI Flare | New York Film Festival |
| BFI London Film Festival | North East International Film Festival |
| Brighton Rocks International Film Festival | Open City Doc Fest |
| British Urban Film Festival (BUFF) | Oxford International Film Festival |
| Cambridge Film Festival | Raindance Film Festival |
| Cannes Film Festival | Ramsgate International Film Festival |
| CPH: DOX | International Film Festival Rotterdam |
| Cork International Film Festival | S.O.U.L Film Festival |
| CINECITY Film Festival of Brighton | San Sebastian Film Festival |
| Cornwall Film Festival | Sci-Fi London |
| Crystal Palace International Film Festival | Sheffield DocFest |
| Deaffest | Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival |
| Doc’n Roll Festival | Spirit of Independence Film Festival |
| Edinburgh International Film Festival | Sundance Film Festival |
| Fantasia Film Festival (Montreal) | SXSW |
| Fantastic Fest (Austin) | Telluride Film Festival |
| Flatpack Festival | Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) |
| Glasgow Film Festival | Tribeca Film Festival |
| Hot Docs | UK Jewish Film Festival |
| Irish Film Festival London | Unrestricted View Film Festival |
| IDFA International Documentary Film Festival | Venice Film Festival |
2025 QUALIFYING FESTIVALS FOR INTERNATIONAL FEATURES
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| AFI Fest | Sundance Film Festival |
| Berlin Film Festival | SXSW |
| BFI London Film Festival | Telluride Film Festival |
| Cannes Film Festival | Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) |
| New York Film Festival | Tribeca Film Festival |
| San Sebastian Film Festival | Venice Film Festival |
2025 QUALIFYING FESTIVALS & AWARDS FOR SHORT FILMS
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All films submitted into the British Short Film category must have been accepted into:
- At least one festival from Section A or
- At least two festivals from Section B
If your film has been accepted to two or more Section B festivals only, at least one of those qualifying festivals must have been within the awards years eligibility period. For the 2025 BIFA Awards, the eligibility period will be 1 Nov 2024 to 30 November 2025.
To be eligible for BIFA 2025, short films must have been completed after 1 May 2024
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SECTION A
Primarily international festivals
| AFI Fest | Imagine Fantastic Film Festival (Amsterdam) |
| Annecy Film Festival | Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival |
| BAFTA – Film Nominated | Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg |
| BAFTA Cymru – Film Nominated | Open City Documentary Festival |
| BAFTA Scotland – Film Nominated | Oska Bright |
| The Berlin International Film Festival / Berlinale | Palm Springs International ShortFest |
| BFI Flare | Raindance Film Festival |
| BFI London Film Festival | Rumi Foundation Grierson Trust Best Documentary Short Award |
| Cannes Film Festival | International Film Festival Rotterdam |
| Clermont-Ferrant International Short Film Festival | San Sebastian Film Festival |
| CPH: DOX | S.O.U.L Film Festival |
| Deaffest | Sheffield DocFest |
| Edinburgh International Film Festival | Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival |
| Encounters Film Festival | Sundance Film Festival |
| Fantasia Film Festival (Montreal) | SXSW Film Festival Short Film Programme |
| Fantastic Fest (Austin) | Toronto International Film Festival |
| Foyle Film Festival | Tribeca Film Festival |
| Hot Docs Festival | UK Jewish Film Festival |
| IDFA International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam |
SECTION B
Primarily British festivals
| Aesthetica Short Film Festival | London Short Film Festival |
| London Breeze Film Festival | Manchester Film Festival |
| Beeston Film Festival | North East International Film Festival |
| BFI Future Film Festival | Norwich Film Festival |
| Bolton International Film Festival | Oxford International Film Festival |
| Brighton Rocks International Film Festival | Ramsgate International Film Festival |
| British Urban Film Festival | Short Com Comedy Film and Animation Festival |
| Bute Street Film Festival | Short Short Story Film Festival |
| Cambridge Film Festival | Spirit of Independence Film Festival |
| Cardiff Mini Film Festival | Sunderland Shorts Film Festival |
| Cork International Film Festival | Sunrise Film Festival |
| CINECITY Film Festival of Brighton | The Shortest Nights |
| Cornwall Film Festival | The Smalls |
| Crystal Palace International Film Festival | TweetFest Film Festival |
| Edinburgh Short Film Festival | Unrestricted View Film Festival |
| Exit 6 Film Festival | Watersprite Student Film Festival |
| Glasgow Short Film Festival | Wigan & Leigh Short Film Festival |
| Irish Film Festival London | Wimbledon International Short Film Festival |
| Kino London Short Film Festival | Women Over 50 Film Festival |
| Leeds International Film Festival | Women X Film Festival |
| London International Animation Film Festival | Worcester Film Festival |
2025 QUALIFYING ONLINE CHANNELS FOR SHORT FILMS
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| Channel name | Website |
| BBC Three* | bbc.co.uk/bbcthree |
| Channel 4* | channel4.com |
| Directors Notes | directorsnotes.com |
| Field of Vision | fieldofvision.org |
| The Guardian Docs | theguardian.com |
| Minute Shorts ‘Minute Shorts Presents’ Playlist | minuteshorts.co.uk |
| New York Times Op-Docs | nytimes.com |
| NOWNESS | nowness.com |
| VICE | vice.com |
* Films that were commissioned by and produced for either of these channels will not normally be eligible unless they have screened or be scheduled to screen at another qualifying channel or festival.
Festival not listed
If you wish to enter a film that has not screened or is not scheduled to screen at one of the above listed BIFA qualifying festivals but has screened at another UK festival within the eligibility period, please contact us to discuss whether that festival can be considered qualifying: entry@bifa.film
Online festivals
Films must have screened at an in-person event to a paying public audience. Online screenings only at BIFA recognised festivals do not normally qualify as eligible. Please email entry@bifa.film if you would like to check your eligibility status.
For more information about how we select our qualifying festivals, or to feedback on our list, click here