BIFA 2024 Short Film Entries
ENTRY to the 2024 British Independent film awards is now closed
RULES & ELIGIBILITY
This page is best viewed on a laptop or desktop – phones and tablets may distort or omit parts of the tables. A PDF of this information is available to download here.
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Timeline
To see the full awards timeline, click here
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ENTRY DEADLINES & FEES
Entries for short films will remain free until Friday 9 August. Thereafter, each film entry will incur an entry fee of £50 + VAT
Short Films |
Dates |
Entry fee |
| Early Entry deadline | 9 August | Free |
| Final Entry deadline | 23 August | £50 + VAT |
In the event that an entry cannot be completed before the entry fees are applicable (e.g. if confirmation of a qualifying festival screening will come after 9 August), entrants may submit an entry with the qualifying festival / release field left blank to avoid the entry fees as long as all other required information is provided. An update on any qualifying screenings can then be sent to BIFA to confirm the film’s eligibility. This must be received by the final entry deadline.
If an entrant cannot afford the entry fee, they are encouraged to contact BIFA via entry@bifa.film to discuss the possibility of a fee reduction or waiver.
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VOTING & ADJUDICATION PROCESS
More details about the BIFA voting and adjudication process can be found here.
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FILM eligibility requirements
In all cases, final decisions about a film’s eligibility rest with BIFA’s Nomination Committee. Under exceptional circumstances, inclusion and consideration of films which do not strictly comply with the below criteria will be subject to the discretion of the Committee. If you have questions about your film’s eligibility, please contact BIFA on entry@bifa.film.
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independent
Short films entered into BIFA generally qualify as independent, however the Nomination Committee may ask for more information about films that are produced as campaign films or branded content by commercial companies in order to make a determination about eligibility.
In general, films will usually qualify as independent where there is no involvement in the production or financing of a film by a major studio.
BIFA considers the following companies to be ‘major studios’*:
20th Century Fox/Disney, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros
*studios may be added to this list at any time
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UK NAtionality – Films
BIFA considers a film to be ‘British*’ if the writer(s), director and originating producer(s) are British
Where this is not the case, films are assessed by BIFA’s nomination committee, who take into account the following factors:
- Whether the film was originated by a British production company or individual(s)
- The creative contribution from the UK (eg. key creative team, lead cast and HoDs)
- UK funding source(s)
- Where each stage of production took place
Films that are not originated by a UK production company or UK film school, or British individual(s) are unlikely to be eligible.
Where an individual must be British to qualify for an award, such as in the debut categories, or for the purposes of identifying the nationality of a film, we will ask entrants if they or others who worked on a film have a British passport or the right to hold one, or if they have Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) or have achieved ‘settled status’ by living in the UK for more than five years. BIFA’s Nomination Committee may, at its discretion, accept individuals as ‘British’ if they have not lived in the UK for more than five years but have demonstrably been living and working in the UK for a considerable period of time and intend to do so in the future. For short film qualification only, individuals who have not lived in the UK for more than five years will qualify as British if they have demonstrably lived in the UK for 3-5 years and intend to do so in the future.
If you are unsure, please use this test: https://www.gov.uk/check-british-citizen and get in touch with us on entry@bifa.film.
*Throughout the rules, when using the term ‘British’, BIFA is referring to the UK and British Crown dependencies Jersey and Guernsey (The Channel Islands) and the Isle of Man.
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BFI DIVERSITY STANDARDS
In April 2023 the BFI introduced updated Diversity Standards criteria and meeting the Standards now requires passing three of five Standards (A, B, C, D, E). Standards C and E are mandatory for all (some concessions may be made for smaller projects).
Short films entered to the Best British Short Film award must be assessed against the BFI’s new Diversity Standards. There is no requirement for short films to meet the Standards, simply to be assessed against them. The deadline for completing the form for your short film is Friday 23 August. We will send this form to you after your entry has been submitted. Films that have already been assessed against the Standards (either pre or post Diversity Standards updates) do not need to be re-assessed.
You can find out more about the BFI Diversity Standards here
All assessments are made by the BFI and BIFA has no input into this process._
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FILM RELEASE REQUIREMENTS.
This year, the eligibility period is 1 November 2023 to 30 November 2024..
BRITISH SHORTS
- Must have been completed on or after 1 May 2023
- Must be under 40 minutes in running time
- Must be narrative, experimental, documentary or animation. Music videos and fashion films are usually ineligible, but may be included at the discretion of the Nomination Committee and Shorts Subgroup where the film has sufficient narrative elements. To request an exception, please contact entry@bifa.film
- Must:
- Screen, or have been scheduled to screen at an in-person screening, as part of the official selection at one or more* of BIFA’s qualifying festivals for short films during the eligibility period of 1 November 2023 to 30 November 2024.
OR
- Screen on one of BIFA’s recognised online channels during the eligibility period
OR
- Have won an award from one of BIFA’s qualifying awards organisations during the eligibility period
Short films that have won awards which are not on the qualifying festivals / awards list may still be entered but their acceptance to the BIFA competition is at the discretion of the Nomination Committee.
*Please note: BIFA Qualifying Festivals for short film now fall into two categories:
- A (primarily international festivals)
- B (primarily British festivals)
To qualify for BIFA, short films must have screened at at least one festival from list A, or at least two festivals from list B. You can see the full list of qualifying festivals for short films here
Once entered, a short film can be withdrawn up to Monday 2 September. Short films that are withdrawn at this point can be entered in the subsequent year, if they fulfil all eligibility criteria for that year. Otherwise, previously entered films are not eligible._
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category rules
Credits and eligibility decisions are based on the credits featured on exhibited prints of the film.
The named nominee(s) for Best British Short Film are fully credited writers, producers and directors. Co-directors and co-writers are only eligible where there are no lead directors.
Other producer credits, such as Associate, Executive, etc. are not eligible for this award.
One award trophy will be issued for this category. Where multiple nominees have been accepted by BIFA, additional trophies can be purchased in the event of an award win.
BIFA aims to include all nominees at events held to celebrate the nominees and to announce the winners but unfortunately this is not always possible. Confirmation of which nominees will be offered complimentary tickets to BIFA events will be issued in advance of each event.
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Qualifying festivals and awards for british short films
We have produced a set of standards which we expect our qualifying festivals and awards bodies to meet.
If you would like to read more about our review and standards, or apply for BIFA Short Film Qualifying status for your festival, click here
You can see the full list of qualifying festivals, awards bodies and online channels for shorts here.
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access to Entered films
From this year onwards, all entrants must provide BIFA voters with online access to their entered films. In-person screening can be organised at the discretion of the entrant, in addition to online access.
Where adequate access to films has not been provided by the 23 August deadline, entry to BIFA will be rescinded and the film will be removed from contention.
access requirements:
- Mandatory:
all screeners should be provided with closed caption subtitles - Preferred:
Subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing (SDH) and audio description should be included in screeners where possible .
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how to Enter
Short film entries to BIFA can be made by a film’s distributor or another representative, such as the producer, director, a sales agent or a festivals/awards advisor. If duplicate entries are made, BIFA will contact the entrants to clarify which one to proceed with.
It is the entrant’s responsibility to ensure that all information submitted is accurate and complete as no changes can be made once voting is open.