MiraBan UK Film Awards (2018-present) (6)

Festival start: 20 December 2025      Festival end: 21 December 2025

Experience the latest Festival Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPUHR_YotMI&ab_channel=MiraBanLtd

Welcome to the fifth edition of the MiraBan UK Film Awards (MUFA), an annual London-based Independent Film Festival driven by diversity and inclusivity. We are members of BFI Film Audience Network, Film Hub London and Winners of the BFI Film Exhibition Fund.

MUFA is the brainchild of MiraBan Ltd, a creative content company specialising in film festival management and distribution, brought to life by its dedicated fans, followers, and subscribers.

Our primary goal is to shine a global spotlight on emerging and seasoned independent filmmakers, celebrating artistic excellence while highlighting exceptional British and International films that champion diversity.

Inaugurated on December 7th, 2018, the first MUFA edition premiered at the iconic Electric Cinema, a historic venue that holds a legacy of pioneering filmmaking. With a heritage dating back to 1910, the Electric Cinema was one of Britain's first electrically powered motion picture exhibition locations—a hub for independent film pioneers.

MUFA is a festival of and for independent filmmakers, embracing diversity and inclusivity in auteur cinema. Behind MUFA's success stands a team of active film practitioners who share a passion for elevating independent cinema.

MUFA welcomes submissions across a range of categories, including International and UK Feature Films, Short Narratives (Comedy or Drama), Comedy, Drama, Documentary, Experimental, Animation, Editing, Screenplay, Film Score, Acting Performance, Film Script, and more.

Learn more about us on Youtube, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook:

Visit our website: mirabanukfilmawards.co.uk

MiraBan UK Film Awards is committed to supporting filmmakers who demonstrate exceptional dedication and professionalism. We understand the challenges of breaking into the competitive film and TV industry, and we value those who move forward with purpose and determination. To ensure we can showcase films at their highest quality, we expect full cooperation and clear communication regarding essential materials.
Please note that selections may be reconsidered if a filmmaker’s collaboration or understanding of the necessary requirements falls short. Together, we strive to honour the artistry and effort behind every film we present.

- All finalist films will be included in our screening list at the Ealing Picturehouse Cinema.
- All films will remain available for 2 days at the cinema venue. You can also access them through the cinema's box office. We'll inform you about the start of pre-sale at the cinema, allowing you to invite local friends, families, and colleagues to experience your film on the big screen.
You can reserve your festival pass since now: https://www.mirabanukfilmawards.co.uk/festival-tickets/

- BEST FILM - AUDIENCE AWARD The film with the highest viewership throughout the festival online days will win this award. (All finalist films will be included in this competition).
- All finalists will receive a VIP pass to our LONDON FILM & TV CARRER EXPO during the festival days.

- Winners of this edition may be offered a distribution deal by our partner distributors streamauteur.com
- FREE VIP CODE on Backstage.com for Filmmakers to find talent
-Winners will win free access to the online "FESTIVAL PROMOTION, PROMOTION, FUNDING, AND DISTRIBUTION STRATEGIES" COURSE
-Winners will have the chance to PITCH TO PRODUCERS!
iPitch.tv offers a cutting-edge platform for creators to pitch original TV, Film, and Digital Media ideas directly to Hollywood Producers and Studio Executives. Winners of the MiraBan UK Film Awards (MUFA, 2024 Edition) will receive valuable coupon codes for iPitch.TV subscriptions, including:
A $117 value for the 3-month subscription

- CAST AWARDS
- One-year Free Talent Subscription on Backstage.com
- THE CAST SHOWREEL BOOST AWARD, , presented by Backstage in collaboration with the StreamAuteur distribution platform. The winners in the best acting categories may have their showreels featured in a special 'top showreel' playlist along with Backstage members on StreamAuteur for 6 months.

- TROFHY, CERTIFICATE, WINNERS' LAUREL, AND FREE ACCESS TO PROMOTION, FUNDING, AND DISTRIBUTION COURSE (WORTH 109.00 POUNDS) TO THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:

- Best UK Short Film
- Best International Short Film
- Best UK Feature Film
- Best International Feature Film

CERTIFICATE, WINNERS' LAUREL to the following short film categories:

Best Drama (Certificate + 3 month iPitch.tv worth $117.00)
Best Comedy (Certificate + 3 month iPitch.tv worth $117.00)
Best Animation (Certificate + 3 month iPitch.tv worth $117.00)
Best Experimental (Certificate + 3 month iPitch.tv worth $117.00)
Best Documentary (Certificate + 3 month iPitch.tv worth $117.00)
Best Editing (Certificate + 3 month iPitch.tv worth $117.00)
Best Directing (Certificate + 3 month iPitch.tv worth $117.00)
Best LGBTQ+ Short Film (Certificate + 3 month iPitch.tv worth $117.00)
Best Diversity Film (Certificate + 3 month iPitch.tv worth $117.00)
Best Actor (Certificate + 3 month iPitch.tv worth $117.00)
Best Actress (Certificate + 3 month iPitch.tv worth $117.00)
Best Film Script (Certificate + 3 month iPitch.tv worth $117.00)

-An exceptional trophy and recognition are dedicated to:

Best Film Score

2018-present MiraBan UK Film Awards - Rules and Terms
https://mirabanukfilmawards.co.uk/miraban-terms-and-conditions

Welcome to MiraBan UK Film Awards ("the Festival"). These Terms and Conditions ("T&Cs") govern your use of our website, ticket purchase, and participation in the Festival. By accessing or using our services, you agree to comply with these T&Cs.

The following rules govern all film submissions to the MiraBan UK Film Awards:

General Eligibility:

Submissions must be accompanied by the applicable submission fee PER ENTRY and a completed online entry form. All films must have English subtitles at the time of submission.

Films must be submitted as an online streaming video via the participating submission platform (Festhome).

In the event of a password change or link change after submitting, you must email the Festival at info.miraban@gmail.com immediately with that change so we may update your record. If the Festival is not notified of the change, and the link is found to be inactive or the password incorrect, the submission may be deemed ineligible.

MiraBan UK Film Awards screens films as digital files during the Festival. In case of selection, you will be required to provide your movie in a ProRes HQ file format (3840x2160p minimum) and no more than a 5 GB file.

Films in each category must have been completed after January 1, 2023. Films must be available for screening during the MiraBan UK Film Awards (every edition) upon request after notification of selection is sent.
Selection for screening will be determined no later than 2 weeks prior to the festival.

Films that are accessible for free, and generally openly available on the internet without password protection may be subject to disqualification. Films can be already in distribution on any paid VOD, or SVOD distribution platform.

Short films that are publicly available online prior to the Festival may be considered for exhibition during the Festival, but will be ineligible for Jury Awards. We prefer that shorts not be publicly available online.
Private invite-only screenings (for instance for cast and crew or donors) do not affect a film’s eligibility.

MUFA reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to reject or disqualify any ineligible entries, without a refund.
Films that are selected to screen at the Festival may not necessarily be selected to be “in competition” for awards purposes. Notifications regarding potential selection for competition status possibly may occur subsequent to notifications of acceptance for exhibition.

Student films are welcome to apply for every category. The winning student film will be nominated and awarded as stated but, unless for the exceptions solely made by the jury, the films will not fit in the in-person screening schedule with the professional filmmakers on the Award Ceremony Day. They will be solely available during our Livestream festival days.

Documentaries and other Feature-length categories will be nominated and awarded as stated, yet the jury reserves the right to decide whether or not they will fully fit in the screening schedule on the Award Ceremony Day. During the festival award ceremony, they can be screened partially to encourage discussion around the film topic, while they will be available online in full on our streaming platform to our festival members for the entire duration of the festival edition.

The jury of the festival can decide to call off an entire category if none of the films does match either the standard nor the level of the other films in the competing categories. The jurors’ vote is final and indisputable.

If the filmmaker, as the legal owner of the film, opts to withdraw the film or requests that it not be screened for any reason, the film shall be deemed "withdrawn."

Consequently, any previously granted selection status will be forfeited, the film will not be screened, and it will be ineligible for further competition within the festival.

Originality and Permissions; INDEMNITY:

Films must be the original work of the applicants. If a film is based upon another person’s life or upon a book or other underlying work, applicant(s) must secure any necessary rights to make such adaptations. However, it is not necessary to submit the adaptation rights agreements to the Festival. Neither the Festival nor its jurists investigates or attests to the authenticity of an applicant’s statement of authorship or rights secured. By entering the competition, you represent that you have secured all necessary rights.

Applicants are solely responsible for obtaining all necessary rights and permissions for third-party materials included in their films, including but not limited to music, trademarks, logos, copyrights, and other intellectual property rights. MUFA expressly disclaims all liability or responsibility for any violations of the foregoing.

Additional Information:

We strongly recommend filmmakers to submit their film only after it is fully finished and will judge each submission as a completed work, whether it is or not. Once a film is entered, we will not update the submission with a more recent cut. That said, because MUFA's focus is on story, minor technical changes will not affect the final decision of any film. Should the film be accepted to play during the Festival, the filmmaker will have the opportunity to supply the Festival with their most recent version.

Once an entry payment has been received we cannot provide a refund. If a payment is disputed by an entrant for any reason, the entrant may be subject to any transaction fees or similar amounts incurred by MUFA in connection with the dispute.

No check will be accepted to join the competition. Every payment must be secured through a trustworthy online payment platform.

PLEASE NOTE:

The MiraBan UK Film Awards does NOT waive entry fees. MUFA believes the same rules and entry fees should apply to all applicants so no one film is favoured over another.

We understand the financial constraint of filmmaking and costs of submitting to festivals, and we still hope you can find it in your budget to submit your film.

Selected Films and Winners:

MUFA has no obligation (other than as stated in these rules or on our website) to disclose any of the following information: i) identities of screeners or jurors; ii) notes, feedback, or information relating to the submitted project; and/or iii) details regarding the submission review or selection process.

MUFA explicitly disclaims any liability or responsibility for any comments, notes, or opinions expressed about a submission, whether by MUFA or by its volunteers.

Winners will be announced as stated on the Notification Date. The jurors’ decision is final.

Although the selected, finalist, and winning films will receive their laurel, certificate, and/or award as stated in the "Award and Prizes" section, MiraBan UK Film Awards reserves the right to screen only the films that will fit into the festival schedule.

MiraBan UK Film Awards jury can award a submitted film and/or its crew/cast member(s) based on talent, regardless of the film, crew/cast member(s) being in competition for a specific, awarded category. The decision of the jurors is final and unchangeable.

Submitting your film to MiraBan UK Film Awards you automatically grant us copyright permission, in case of selection, to showcase your film on our online catalogue, as well as on the venue's catalogue, for indoor, outdoor and virtual events, or a hybrid screening where some of the audience attends in-person and some virtually.

We, or our yearly chosen screening venue, may charge a fee for the festival entry pass as well as per film screened.

In case you don't want your film to be included in the online streaming service provided by StreamAuteur Limited, and/or in the in-person screenings, you must email us within 30 days after your submission date, or 7 days after our follow-up email notifying you are a selected or finalist candidate of MUFA.

The winning films will be also available on weshort.com (Sundance Festival Partner) for a specific timeframe set by WeShort Company.

At MiraBan's discretion, selected, finalist, and winning films have the opportunity to be streamed on the StreamAuteur platform and any MiraBan relevant partner, including in-person film festivals all over the world, for a period of up to one year following the festival awards ceremony. To decline this streaming opportunity, please ensure to send us an email within 30 days of your film submission or within 7 days from the notification of your official selection.

Liability and Disclaimers: Limitation of Liability

The Festival is not responsible for any loss, injury, or damage incurred during the event, whether in-person or online.

COMPETITION IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

COMPETITION CERTIFICATION:

I/We have read all of the rules, understand, and have complied with these rules.

I/We warrant the submission of my/our original work and that there are no disputes regarding the ownership of the submission.

I/We also warrant the submitted material does not defame or invade the rights of any person living or dead.

To the best of my/our knowledge, all the statements herein are true and correct.

I/We understand that failure to adhere to the competition rules and regulations will result in disqualification and forfeiture of entry fee.

I/We acknowledge that once an entry payment has been processed, MUFA will not provide a refund.

No revisions of materials will be accepted once the entry has been submitted.

BY SUBMITTING THE MATERIAL, I/WE HEREBY AGREE TO INDEMNIFY, HOLD HARMLESS, AND DEFEND THE FESTIVAL, ITS EMPLOYEES, DIRECTORS, REPRESENTATIVES, AND AFFILIATES FROM ALL LIABILITY, CLAIMS, AND DAMAGES IN CONNECTION WITH THE SUBMISSION AND FROM ANY FEES AND EXPENSES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO REASONABLE ATTORNEYS’ FEES, THAT ANY OF THEM MAY INCUR IN CONNECTION THEREWITH.