ENTRY to the 2024 British Independent film awards is now closed
This page will be updated for BIFA 2025 IN MAY
Here are the key 2024 changes and updates to our rules and eligibility criteria that entrants should know about
You can view the full 2024 rules and eligibility guidelines here
ENTRY FEES AND KEY DATES
Entries for short films with remain free until Friday 9 August. Thereafter, each entry will incur an entry fee of £50.*
SHORTS |
Dates |
Entry fee |
| Early deadline | Friday 9 August | Free |
| Final deadline | Friday 23 August | £50 |
Entries for feature films with production budgets of under £1,000,000 will remain free until Friday 2 August. Thereafter, each film entry will incur an entry fee at the following rates*:
FEATURES |
Dates |
Entry fee – features with production budget < £1m |
Entry fee – features with production budget >£1m |
| Early deadline | Friday 2 August | Free | £200 |
| Late Deadline | Friday 23 August | £175 | £400 |
| Final Entry deadline | Wednesday 4 September | £350 | £800 |
*These prices exclude VAT
FREE ENTRY DEADLINE
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 2 August (features) or 9 August (shorts), 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 on entry@bifa.film to discuss the possibility of a fee reduction or waiver.
Film eligibility requirements
We have updated our wording on how we determine an individual’s eligibility as British for the purposes of British qualification, including updated eligibility criteria for Short film entrants only.
UK NATIONALITY – INDIVIDUALS
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.
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UK BFI DIVERSITY STANDARDS
British features and feature documentaries must meet the BFI Diversity Standards in order to be eligible for BIFA.
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).
Films entered to the 2024 BIFA British feature film categories will be assessed against these new criteria and should aim to meet them by filling in the mandatory elements for all Standards as fully as possible. However, as productions continue to transition to the new requirements, allowances will be made for films that were in production or completed before January 2024, and the scale of individual projects will be taken into account.
Films that have already been assessed against the Standards (either pre or post Diversity Standards updates) do not need to be re-assessed.
If your feature film has not already been assessed against the standards, the deadline for completing the form is Wednesday 4 September. We will send this form to you after your entry has been submitted.
Short Film Entries
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 Films that have already been assessed against the Standards (either pre or post Diversity Standards updates) do not need to be re-assessed.
Please note, all assessments are made by the BFI and BIFA has no input into this process.
You can find out more about the BFI Diversity Standards here
category requirements
We have updated some of the mandatory materials required to support category entries. Please refer to the checklist below for what you will need to submit for each category entry. Please email entry@bifa.film with any queries.
Category |
Statement |
Questionnaire |
Other Material |
| Best Screenplay | Mandatory: 10-page screenplay sample (this should be no more than 10 pages long) | ||
| Debut Screenwriter | Mandatory: 10-page screenplay sample (this should be no more than 10 pages long) | ||
| Breakthrough Producer | Mandatory | Mandatory: confirmation of this statement by another producer / director / writer / HoD also involved in the project is required and they may be contacted by BIFA for additional supporting information | |
| Raindance Maverick Award | Mandatory | ||
| Best Casting | Mandatory | ||
| Best Cinematography | Optional | ||
| Best Costume Design | Optional | ||
| Best Editing | Optional | ||
| Best Effects | Mandatory | Mandatory: Breakdown reel | |
| Best Make-Up & Hair Design | Optional | ||
| Best Music Supervision | Mandatory | Mandatory: Music Cue Sheet + percentages of original and source music | |
| Best Original Music | Mandatory | Mandatory: Music Cue Sheet + percentages of original and source music | |
| Best Production Design | Optional | ||
| Best Sound | Optional | ||
| The Special Jury Prize | Mandatory |
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screening and campaigning rules
We have now published guidance for entrants regarding voter screenings and campaigning for entered titles.
BIFA does not allow campaigning of any kind. This applies to both features films and short films. Where entrants would like to invite BIFA voters to in-person screenings of their films, they must be solely for the purposes of giving voters an opportunity to experience their film in cinema.
- Screenings arranged especially for BIFA voters must not include a Q&A or any additional activity such as drinks receptions, gifts, goody bags etc.
- You may invite voters to screenings as part of other events, e.g. festivals, premieres, cinema release and press previews which have Q&As and where drinks are offered, but these screenings must not include additional activity or gifts for BIFA voters
- Information regarding all additional film screenings for voters will be combined and sent in a weekly voter mailout. Listings will also be available on the voter screenings calendar, accessible by voters and jury only. If you would like to invite voters to screenings of your films, please make sure you advise BIFA at least five days in advance so information can be included in the mailout before the screening
- BIFA will not send out individual emails regarding entrants’ film screenings to voters and we will not send individual supplementary emails regarding screenings
- BIFA will not permit entrants to email voters directly – we do not share our voters’ contact details
If you are thinking of arranging in-person screenings solely for BIFA voters, please consider that a large proportion of our voters live outside London and all voters have access to online screeners of your film, so we cannot guarantee an audience at your screening. We strongly advise that you discuss your potential screening(s) with the awards team before booking your screening.
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bifa qualifying festivals lists for features and shorts
Please click here for this year’s qualifying list
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please get in touch
We believe that the above changes improve how we celebrate the people and films of our industry, making BIFA a fairer ceremony for all. However, we also believe that our ethos should be about feedback and flexibility. If you have objections or think that you or your work would be disadvantaged due to the changes we’re making, please do get in touch with us on hello@bifa.film
