Stafford Film Festival (8)

Festival start: 05 September 2027      Festival end: 05 September 2027

Stafford Film Festival is Staffordshire's international film festival. We screen independent film from around the world to audiences in Staffordshire, England, and put the work of our filmmakers in front of the industry.

2027 EDITION

Public screening: Sunday 5 September 2027, Mitchell Arts Centre, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. This date and venue are provisional.

Industry screening: a private screening in Stockholm, Sweden, for distributors and industry professionals. It is not open to the public.

The festival may change the dates, venues or format of any screening. Changes are published here and at staffordfilmfestival.com.

Grand Prize $500. Second Prize $250. Prize money can only be paid to a PayPal account.

WHAT SELECTED FILMMAKERS CAN EXPECT

A public screening. Every Official Selection film is screened publicly at a festival screening in Staffordshire, Stockholm or another location the festival chooses.

A Q&A after each session. Meet the audience and the other filmmakers before, after and in the intervals.

Filmed interviews. Finalists and winners may be invited to a filmed interview, published as a feature on the festival website for you to share.

Distribution contacts. Finalists are presented to the festival's distribution contacts.

Official laurels for every selected film.

A dedicated Staffordshire programme for filmmakers from the county.

A jury that reads the work. Every entry is scored point by point by an international jury. Selection and awards rest on the scores.

AI FILM

We give AI film a serious home, with its own categories and its own awards: AI Short Film, AI Animation, AI Music Video and AI Feature Film. Every entry declares its use of AI, and AI generated work competes only against AI generated work.

The full award categories and the winners archive are at staffordfilmfestival.com.

Michael S.U. Hudson, Founder and director

Cash Prizes: 450€

At the Stafford Film Festival, films are evaluated by a panel of esteemed industry professionals, including experts from institutions like the BBC and individuals who have contributed to Oscar-nominated films. Our judges bring a wealth of experience and a keen eye for quality storytelling, ensuring that every submission is assessed with the highest standards of professionalism and respect.

All films are judged using a comprehensive point-scoring system, where each project is evaluated across key criteria such as creativity, technical execution, originality, and audience impact. The films with the highest average scores progress to the final selection, giving all submissions a fair and transparent opportunity to shine.

The Stafford Film Festival celebrates creativity and storytelling by recognising exceptional achievements in filmmaking. With diverse award categories and valuable prizes, the festival offers filmmakers an incredible opportunity to showcase their work to a global audience and gain meaningful recognition.

Award Categories

Filmmakers can submit their projects in the following categories:


Best TV Pilot/Web Series
Best Feature Film, Best Short Film, Best Student Film
Best Documentary, Best Short Documentary, Best Student Documentary
Best Animation, Best Short Animation, Best Student Animation
Best Experimental Film
Best AI-Generated Film
Best Music / Performance
Best First-Time Filmmaker
Best One-Minute Film
Best Feature Script, Best Short Script
Best Original Song
Audience Choice Award

Awards and Prizes

Winners in each category will receive:

- Official Stafford Film Festival Trophy
Each category winner will be awarded a beautifully crafted festival trophy to commemorate their success and recognition at the festival.

- Industry Recognition
Your work will be highlighted on our website, social media platforms, and press materials, offering excellent exposure.

- Networking Opportunities
As a winner, you’ll gain access to filmmakers, industry leaders, and festival attendees during exclusive events.

- Screening & Potential Future Screenings
Selected winners may be featured in screenings, additional screenings, or have opportunities for collaborations with festival partners.

- Potential Distribution
All films selected as finalists will be presented to our friends in distribution to help promote the possibility of distribution deals for the selected films.

- Receive Official Festival Merchandise
Winners will receive exclusive Stafford Film Festival merchandise as a token of appreciation for their achievement.

RULES AND TERMS

The authorised representative of the project (the "Project") submitting to Beeyawn Ltd, company number 13572299 (the "Company"), for consideration for Stafford Film Festival (the "Festival") acknowledges and accepts the following.

1. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS

1.1 The entrant warrants that: (a) they are authorised, on behalf of all owners of the Project, to permit the Company to exhibit the Project in the Festival and to give these warranties; (b) exhibition of the Project in the Festival will not violate any law or any right or consent of any person or entity, whether the exhibition is live, digital or both; (c) the Project is not subject to any litigation, arbitration or other claim, or any threat of one; (d) the Project may be screened in full at a physical location or digitally, including across social media platforms, at the discretion of the Company.

1.2 The entrant warrants that exhibition of the Project will not infringe any copyright, patent, privacy right, publicity right, trademark or any other right of any person or entity, and that all licence and clearance fees connected with the Project have been or will be paid in full.

2. SELECTION AND SCREENING

2.1 Every Official Selection film is screened publicly at a festival screening. Screenings may take place in Staffordshire, in Stockholm or at another location chosen by the Festival, depending on programming and the availability of venues and times. Selection does not guarantee a screening at any particular venue, date or session.

2.2 Finalist, Nominee, Semi Finalist and Honourable Mention are judging statuses. Only films that are screened publicly receive Official Selection laurels.

2.3 The Festival is not obliged to conduct interviews with filmmakers. Interviews, press coverage and additional exposure are offered at the Festival's discretion.

3. RESULTS AND NOTIFICATION

3.1 Selection outcomes are confirmed through the submission platform on or before the notification date. Award winners are announced at the Festival. On occasion the Festival may tell a filmmaker about an award before the event, at its sole discretion. It is under no obligation to do so, and filmmakers should not expect advance notice of award results.

3.2 The Festival is not obliged to provide individual feedback or explanations of selection decisions.

4. DATES, VENUES AND FORMAT

4.1 The Festival may change the dates, venues or format of any screening or event. Changes are published on the Festival's submission pages and at staffordfilmfestival.com.

5. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

5.1 Declaration. Every entrant must declare the level of artificial intelligence (AI) used in the Project: No AI, AI Assisted or AI Generated. AI Assisted means AI was used only for technical support such as spelling, grammar, formatting, research, audio cleanup, upscaling or colour correction, and all creative content was made by people. AI Generated means AI produced any part of the story, script, images, video, voice, performance or music.

5.2 Categories. Projects declared AI Generated may enter only the AI categories: AI Short Film, AI Animation, AI Music Video and AI Feature Film. Any animated work containing AI generated imagery must enter AI Animation or AI Short Film. Entrants in the AI categories must list the AI tools used and briefly describe how they were used.

5.3 Screenplays. Feature Script, Short Script and TV Pilot Script accept No AI and AI Assisted entries only. The entrant warrants that the screenplay is the original work of the named human writer or writers, and that no story, structure, scene, description or dialogue was drafted or rewritten by an AI tool.

5.4 AI rights and likeness. For any Project that uses AI, the entrant warrants that: (a) they own or control all rights needed to submit and screen the Project, including rights in any AI generated material; (b) the Project was made in compliance with the terms of service and licence of every AI tool used; (c) the Project does not reproduce or imitate the likeness or voice of any real, identifiable person, living or deceased, unless that person or their estate has given written consent, which the entrant can provide on request; (d) the Project contains no material intended to make viewers believe that real people said or did things they did not; (e) all music, including AI generated music, is original, fully licensed or generated under a licence that permits public screening and promotional use, and contains no imitation of an identifiable artist's voice without consent; (f) to the best of the entrant's knowledge, no material supplied to an AI tool was used without the right to do so.

5.5 Verification. The Festival may request project files, prompts or other evidence of process at any time. A Project found to have been declared inaccurately may be disqualified without refund, and any selection or award may be withdrawn.

6. PROMOTIONAL RIGHTS

6.1 The entrant grants the Company the right to use the Project's title, trailer, stills, poster and excerpts of up to 60 seconds to promote the Festival, on the Festival website, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and other social media, in newsletters, press materials and advertising, during and after the Festival, without payment.

6.2 The entrant warrants that they hold the rights, including music and likeness rights, needed to grant this permission. Selected entrants are notified of these rights by email and may opt out, in whole or in part, by replying within 14 days of that email. If no opt out is received, the permission in 6.1 applies.

7. DISTRIBUTION CONTACTS

7.1 By entering, the entrant consents to the Festival presenting the Project, if it is a finalist, to the Festival's distribution and industry contacts, in confidence, for the purpose of promoting the Project.

8. AWARDS

8.1 Certificates, festival hats and any other physical awards are presented at the Festival only. Winners who do not attend receive a digital certificate.

8.2 Any prize money awarded can only be paid to a PayPal account. It is the responsibility of the recipient to ensure they have an active and valid PayPal account to receive payments. The Festival will not make payments through bank transfers, cheques, or any other financial platform.

9. ENTRY FEES

9.1 Entry fees are non refundable, except where the law requires otherwise. A discount code applies only under its stated conditions and cannot be combined with another code.

10. CODE OF CONDUCT

10.1 Disrespectful, rude or abusive behaviour towards the staff of the Festival or anyone associated with it results in immediate disqualification and forfeiture of the entry fee. The Festival may withdraw invitations, selections, awards and participation from anyone who breaches this code.

11. LIABILITY AND INDEMNITY

11.1 The entrant and the owners of the Project indemnify and hold harmless the Company, the Festival and all related parties from all claims, losses, liabilities, damages, fees and expenses arising from the Project's participation in the Festival or from any breach of these warranties.

11.2 Submission does not oblige the Festival to accept, exhibit or give feedback on the Project.

12. PERSONAL DATA

12.1 Personal data supplied with an entry is used to run the Festival, as described in the privacy notice at staffordfilmfestival.com/privacy.

13. DISPUTES AND LAW

13.1 Any claim or dispute relating to the Project, the Festival or these terms is subject to binding arbitration. The arbitrator has no power to award punitive or exemplary damages, and any relief awarded shall not exceed a refund of the entry fee. These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales.

14. ACCEPTANCE

14.1 By submitting a Project, the entrant confirms they have read and accepted these rules and terms. No oral representations outside these terms are valid. If the Project is accepted, these terms form the participation agreement between the entrant and the Company.