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. The 2025 Qualifying Festivals List will be published in Spring.
You can find the full Rules and Eligibility criteria here.
Click on the below headings to jump to a particular Qualifying Festival list:
2024 QUALIFYING FESTIVALS FOR INTERNATIONAL FEATURES
2024 QUALIFYING FESTIVALS FOR BRITISH FEATURES.
2024 QUALIFYING FESTIVALS & AWARDS FOR SHORT FILMS
2024 QUALIFYING ONLINE CHANNELS FOR SHORT FILMS.
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2024 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 |
2024 QUALIFYING FESTIVALS FOR BRITISH FEATURES.
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| AFI Fest | Locarno |
| Annecy Festival | Manchester Film Festival |
| BAFTA – Film longlisted | Manchester Animation Festival |
| London Breeze Film Festival (formerly Barnes Film Festival) | Melbourne International Film Festival |
| Belfast Film Festival | New York Film Festival |
| The Berlin International Film Festival / Berlinale | North East International Film Festival |
| BFI Flare | Open City Doc Fest |
| BFI London Film Festival | Oxford International Film Festival |
| Brighton Rocks International Film Festival | Raindance Film Festival |
| British Urban Film Festival (BUFF) | Ramsgate International Film Festival |
| Cambridge Film Festival | International Film Festival Rotterdam |
| Cannes Film Festival | S.O.U.L Film Festival |
| CPH: DOX | San Sebastian Film Festival |
| Cork International Film Festival | Sci-Fi London |
| Crystal Palace International Film Festival | Sheffield DocFest |
| Deaffest | Spirit of Independence Film Festival |
| Doc’n Roll Festival | Sundance Film Festival |
| Edinburgh International Film Festival | SXSW |
| Flatpack Festival | Telluride Film Festival |
| Glasgow Film Festival | Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) |
| Hot Docs | Tribeca Film Festival |
| Irish Film Festival London | UK Jewish Film Festival |
| IDFA International Documentary Film Festival | Unrestricted View Film Festival |
| Leeds International Film Festival | Venice Film Festival |
2024 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 | 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 | S.O.U.L Film Festival |
| CPH: DOX | Sheffield DocFest |
| Deaffest | Sundance Film Festival |
| Edinburgh International Film Festival | SXSW Film Festival Short Film Programme |
| Encounters Film Festival | 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 (formerly Barnes 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 |
| Crystal Palace International Film Festival | The Shortest Nights |
| Edinburgh Short Film Festival | The Smalls |
| EFN Short Film Festival | TweetFest Film Festival |
| Exit 6 Film Festival | Unrestricted View Film Festival |
| Glasgow Short Film Festival | Watersprite Student Film Festival |
| Irish Film Festival London | Wigan & Leigh Short Film Festival |
| Kino London Short Film Festival | Wimbledon International Short Film Festival |
| Leeds International Film Festival | Women Over 50 Film Festival |
| London International Animation Film Festival | Women X Film Festival |
2024 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 email entry@bifa.film to discuss whether that festival can be considered qualifying
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.