Deadline:
May 29, 2025
Location(s)
Online United Kingdom
Overview
Encounters is a globally renowned short film festival that takes place each September on the beautiful harbourside in Bristol, a UNESCO City of Film. Encounters is a qualifying festival for BAFTA, BIFA and the European Film Awards.
DepicT! is our long-running, FREE to enter micro-shorts competition. Entries must be 90 seconds or less in TOTAL duration (including all credits), and submissions over 90 seconds will be automatically disqualified.
Details
Bristol’s spirit of radical independence is the foundation for an accessible and welcoming festival. Forget exclusive parties and formal black-tie events, at Encounters everyone comes together for one shared passion: film.
Founded in 1995 to mark the centenary of cinema, the festival has showcased thousands of bold, boundary-pushing works and supported emerging talent across three decades. Alumni include visionary filmmakers Denis Villeneuve, Lynne Ramsay, Rungano Nyoni, Julia Ducournau, Charlotte Wells, Ruben Östlund, Joachim Trier, Molly Manning-Walker, Radu Jude and many more.
Previous headline guests have included Hayao Miyazaki, Andrea Arnold, Matt Groening, Adam Buxton and Michael Dudok de Wit.
Encounters also hosts a busy industry programme with talks, panels and masterclasses from our industry partners that have included BBC, Channel 4, NFTS, Vimeo Staff Picks, Aardman, and lots more.
Past juries have included Andrea Arnold, Jenn Nkiru, Jennifer Reeder and Bisha K Ali.
Encounters isn’t just a festival, it’s the creative spark where chance meetings and snatched conversations have ignited countless projects. When filmmakers and film-lovers from Bristol and beyond come together, who will you encounter and what opportunities will follow?
Encounters is where the story begins.
Opportunity is About
Eligibility
Candidates should be from:
Description of Ideal Candidate
Rules & Terms
All submissions are final and there are no refunds. Films need to be submitted through FilmFreeway to be considered for inclusion. Please ensure you only submit your film once – there are no refunds for duplicate submissions. Encounters does not offer submission waivers or reduced entry fees to International student filmmakers.
The festival is open to short films of all production techniques, including animation, documentary, experimental or artists' films and hybrid work from low to high budgets.
Films completed after 1st January 2023 will be eligible for the 2025 festival. The maximum eligible duration is 40 minutes (including credits). Encounters does not require any premiere status, including online.
By submitting the film the applicant confirms that they possess all rights necessary for the screening of the submitted film at this film festival. All festival entries may be stored in the festival archive and used for research and educational purposes. Encounters will never use a film without permission.
All programming selections are at the discretion of the festival curatorial team and their decision is final.
Dates
Deadline: May 29, 2025
Cost/funding for participants
Awards & Prizes
\\\ INTERNATIONAL GRAND PRIX ////
- Brief Encounters Grand Prix for Live Action Fiction Short Film
- Animated Encounters Grand Prix for Animated Short Film
- Documentary Encounters Grand Prix for Documentary Short Film
The Grand Prix winners are considered to be the best in their category by our international juries.
\\\ NATIONAL PRIZES ///
Best of British Awards in the categories of:
- Live Action Fiction Short Film
- Animated Short Film
- Documentary Short Film
These awards are offered to the British films judged to be the best in their category by our juries.
\\\ DEPICT ///
DepicT! is our long-running, FREE to enter micro-shorts competition. Entries must be 90 seconds or less in TOTAL duration (including all credits), and submissions over 90 seconds will be automatically disqualified.
\\\ AUDIENCE AWARD ///
The Encounters Audience Award is decided by audience ballot.
In total, cash prizes will amount to more than £5000.
Un-save Opportunity
Internships, scholarships, student conferences and competitions.
