Sunrise Film Festival | Lowestoft (5)

Festival start: 20 August 2026      Festival end: 23 August 2026

The fun bit:

We're the UK's largest Celebration of Diverse Stories and Underrepresented Filmmakers. Join us or submit to our 5th celebratory edition.

The next BIFA Qualifying Sunrise Film Festival takes place from 20 to 23 August 2026 in Lowestoft, Suffolk.

Our 5th edition sees us accepting submissions for new categories, from music videos to Virtual Reality (VR) projects.


The serious bit:

Sunrise Film Festival, based in Lowestoft, Suffolk, UK, was founded in 2021 and is run voluntarily by passionate independent film enthusiasts and filmmakers to provide an important accessible platform for filmmakers like themselves every August.

We're passionate about creating a platform for filmmakers who are yet to be discovered (or picked up by the bigger film festival circuit), whilst making film accessible and proudly showcasing independent film to new audiences across overlooked communities.

Since 2021, we have screened just over 600 independent films as part of our official selection to our live audiences and have presented 65 awards at our festival award ceremonies since inception.

We're also a BFI Film Audience Network-backed film festival and a BIFA (British Independent Film Awards) qualifying festival for British Short Films (Section B*).

Why Sunrise Film Festival?

As Suffolk's biggest film festival, we're passionate about creating an inclusive platform for filmmakers here in East Anglia.

We've proudly been the bright and colourful film festival since 2021, loved by filmmakers for the friendly grassroots feel. We're a small team, but our festival pacts impact, showcasing film in one of the most deprived communities in England, and we've awarded as well as showcased some impactful stories along the way.

We value and proudly promote films from any filmmaker, creative, or producer to the general public, including receiving submissions from first-time filmmakers, female/non-binary filmmakers, neurodiverse filmmakers, stories from the LGBTQIA+ community, people with lived experience, as well as films focusing on social and environmental issues.

If you need help with entering your short film into Sunrise Film Festival via Festhome, have questions about submitting, or need support with a waiver code (subject to eligibility), you can email us at info@sunrisefilmfestival.co.uk or DM us on Instagram @sunrisefilmfest.

*Rules & eligibility on Section B at BIFA can be found by visiting https://www.bifa.film/about/rules-and-eligibility/

Officially selected entries will be part of our official selection and 5th edition festival programme.

Films will screen during the festival taking place from 20-23 August 2026.

Nominees from each category will be invited to our red-carpet award ceremony that will take place on Saturday 22 August 2026 at the Marina Theatre.

Each winner will receive a highly coveted trophy, certificate, and regional media coverage at our red carpet award ceremony during the festival in Lowestoft.

As a winning film you will also be part of our 'Best of The Fest' programme that tours independent venues across Norfolk & Suffolk in order to bring independent film to more audiences across the South East region.

We also try our best to get industry prizes, and if this is the case give updates on these where relevant on our social media (Instagram @sunrisefilmfest).

Awards are presented for our main categories and also for the following craft awards, nominees for the awards listed below will selected from all submission categories*.

Main Categories:
British Short Film, International Film, UK Student Film, East Anglian Student Film, East Coast Short Film, Documentary Short Film, Animated Film, Micro Short Movie, Experimental Film, Break The Stigma, Best Music Video, Best Immersive project & Best Long Form Film.

*Subject to enough submissions being entered to make the process of choosing nominees fare and unbiased for a specific award.

The boring, but important stuff (for legal reasons this is our festival submissions Terms & Conditions):

Please note all submissions entered must have been made and produced or submitted to each submission categories requirements, and the total runtime must not exceed that displayed on the category.

For screening films that are successful for accessibility requirements we prefer burned in subtitles on your film.

Student categories are locked to student submissions only, if you're a student having trouble submitting to one of these categories please reach out to us via Instagram or email.

The same film may be entered into more than one of our categories, but each category requires an entry fee (multiple categories submissions for one film will not affect your chance on being screened or nominated).

Terms and Conditions
Sunrise Film Festival is held in person in a coastal seaside setting across a number of locations in Lowestoft, Suffolk, United Kingdom each August.

Awards and Judging panel

Officially selected entries chosen by the screening committee will be screened as part of the 2026 film festival programme, and judges will choose who our winners are from our shortlisted nominees for each category.

A final decision on any winners is made by the jurors / and Sunrise's programming committee, and their verdict is final.

By submitting an entry/entries to Sunrise Film Festival you agree to have read and accepted the following Terms and Conditions for participation as follows below.

Eligibility and Submission Procedure
Only films that have been registered and submitted through Festhome will be considered for selection, it is our only method of submission. No Postal entries will be accepted or digital transfers sent via email.

For accessibility purposes, all films require English subtitles, and preferably they are burned into your film at the time of transfer.

We do not have a premiere policy for Sunrise Film Festival.

We are unable to accept rough cuts or newer versions of previously submitted films once you have entered a category (although you may update your film file or embedded content already submitted via Festhome). No refunds will be offered if you do not adhere to the rules outlined here.

*Proof of registered student status may be required for some categories and to receive the student submission fees.

Exclusions of an entry fee may be valid, for full details visit https://sunrisefilmfestival.co.uk/submissions/

Entry fees are payable upon submission through the Festhome platform only.

The same film may be entered into one or more of our categories, but each category requires an entry fee and all fees are non-refundable. In the event of circumstances being beyond the control of the festival organisers (such as natural disaster, viral/bacterial pandemic, etc) then every effort will be made to pause, postpone, or amend the festival so that it still goes ahead in some form. We will never look to cancel the festival if we can look to rearrange it. In such circumstances, no refunds will be issued as submission fees will be used to continue the planning of the festival at a different place or time.

The judging panel reserves the right to determine inappropriate content, such as violence, hate speech, defamation, or pornography. If any content is deemed by the judges to be such, the film will not be accepted.

We'd suggest that the content in motion pictures submitted to SFF are in line with the maximum certification of BBFC's 18 Age rating, you can find the full specifications on their website - https://www.bbfc.co.uk/rating/18.

Intellectual Property and Copyright
Films that are submitted to the Sunrise Film Festival must be the entrant’s original work and must not infringe on anyone's legally binding copyright or any other rights of any third parties.

Contestants agree that they have obtained all required releases and copyright permissions regarding music, sound, images, and all other materials used in their film that is not solely owned by the entrant themselves, or other used royalty-free non-copyright material.

The permission of a parent or legal guardian is required if any person appearing in any motion picture is under the age of 16.

We reserve the right to require appropriate proof of ownership of usage rights of any material and to deny admission or withdraw work from the competition if for any reason the work appears to expose it to any actual or potential damage to the reputation, risk of legal proceedings or enforcement including, without limitation, the alleged breach of third-party intellectual property rights to Sunrise Film Festival.

All enquiries regarding copyright will be referred to the entrant.

Press and Publicity
By submitting a work into our Festival, you consent to Sunrise Film Festival using the whole of or any part of the work for publicity purposes, including and not limited to marketing on our website, posters, leaflets, social media, and for press, and festival brochure purposes.

If your film is selected, we will require digital images and other press/publicity materials so that your work and the festival can be promoted online and in physical materials.

Digital press packs can be uploaded with submissions via Festhome and we strongly recommend you do this.

For the best publicity we recommend you include at least the following:
• Your film (with embedded subtitles)
• A trailer
• A poster for your film (300dpi)
• A 100-word synopsis of your film
• At least 5 stills from the film (at least 800px wide and 300dpi)
• A director’s statement (max 500 words)
• At least 3 photos of the director/behind the scenes (at least 800px wide and 300dpi)
Please do not send hard copies as we are not able to store them (unless we specifically request them).

Selection of nominated films
The selection will be carried out by the Sunrise Film Festival judging/screening panel. No correspondence will be entered into regarding the selection process and the decision of the festival judging panel is final.

We will aim to inform successful entrants at the latest convenience. Due to the volume of entries, we are unable to offer individual feedback on work, but we will always ensure all entries receive their final decision at a minimum.

If your film is selected as a nominee, you will be contacted by Sunrise Film Festival with an invitation to our festival awards ceremony. All films that are nominees will be screened alongside shortlisted titles during the festival dates.

No film may be withdrawn from the festival programme after its participation has been publicised and you have been announced a shortlisted title or Nominee and refunds will not be given.

Successful submissions will be listed on the Sunrise Film Festival website sunrisefilmfestival.co.uk, booking system, on our social platforms and successful applicants will be notified by Festhome and email.

Please make sure the contact information you provide us with on Festhome is completely accurate at the time of submitting your film so that we can reach you during the decision process taking place.

Please note that if we are unable to contact you, your film will be removed from the festival line-up with immediate effect.

Acceptance
By submitting your film through Festhome you accept that, if selected, your work may be shown at the Sunrise Film Festival.

Festival Announcements
Invitations to participate, and the official selection for the Film Festival award categories, must remain confidential until the programme is publicly announced by Sunrise Film Festival.

The scheduling and screening times and the announcement of these, are the sole responsibility of Sunrise Film Festival and may be subject to change at short notice. Failure to comply with this requirement will result in exclusion from the official selection.

Screenings and Scheduling
Screenings will always take place at the discretion of the festival and we reserve the right to make changes to the advertised schedule at any time for any reason and will not accept liability for any costs incurred as a result of such changes.

No film may be withdrawn from the Sunrise Film Festival programme by its submitter after its selection and participation have been confirmed and the festival is not able to cover the costs of any format transfers or subtitling.

Sunrise Film Festival reserves the right to make all decisions relating to the festival, including the official selection of films, award of prizes and scheduling.