PVTV Fringe Flicks (4)

Festival start: 15 May 2026      Festival end: 15 May 2026

Submissions now open for Fringe Flicks:

Season 4 – a quarterly, underground cinema series in Liverpool curated by People Versus TV (PVTV). We’re looking for short films that embrace the strange, the satirical, the surreal, and the subversive.

Whether you’re an outsider artist or a polished provocateur, we want your work — especially if it’s funny, furious, anarchic, unconventional, absurd, or just plain weird.

What We’re Looking For

We welcome submissions from filmmakers, video artists, and hybrid creators working in:

- Experimental cinema
- Surreal, absurdist, and dreamlike shorts
- Political and social satire (especially that punches up)
- DIY, lo-fi, or formally inventive filmmaking
- Narratives that challenge norms or twist expectations

We don’t care if your camera’s cheap — we care that your vision is bold.

Why Submit to Fringe Flicks?

Fringe Flicks champions short films that don’t fit the mainstream festival mould. We screen to real, engaged audiences in Liverpool’s underground arts scene, and we value imagination over polish. Our screenings are social, low-pressure, and focused on creative exchange.

On top of all that, our Audience Choice Award that now includes a free DCP for future work, thanks to The DCP Works. Whether you're a DIY filmmaker, emerging artist, or experimental veteran, this is a space for cinema that bites, glitches, provokes and delights.

Who Can Submit?

We welcome submissions from anyone, anywhere — regardless of background, training, or budget. We especially value voices that aren’t often heard in mainstream film spaces, but most of all we’re looking for imaginative stories told in distinctive ways. Tell the stories you want to tell, in the way only you can.

Screening Details

Selected films will screen at:
- Fringe Flicks: Season 4
- Hosted at DoES Liverpool (The Tapestry, 68–76 Kempston St, L3 8HL)
- Pay What You Can, not-for-profit events
- Dates: Friday 15 May, September, and November 2026

Each event includes a curated mix of experimental shorts across two halves, with an intermission, refreshments and community atmosphere. The bar stays open after the screenings, providing an excellent opportunity for filmmakers and audience members to connect, network, and share their thoughts.

How to Submit

Submissions are open exclusively on Festhome.

Contact Information:
For questions, please email us at peopleversustv@gmail.com.

We can’t wait to see your work and celebrate all things unconventional, surreal, and creative with you at Fringe Flicks!

Audience Choice Award (with new prize valued up to €140)

At each event, audience members vote for the film that resonated with them most — whether it challenged, surprised, or delighted.

New for Season 4:
The winner will receive a free DCP (Digital Cinema Package) for a future project, thanks to our partners at The DCP Works — perfect for festival-ready screenings. The free DCP is for a future project up to 20 minutes long and must be used within 2 years.
https://www.thedcpworks.com/

At Fringe Flicks, we believe cinema is best experienced as a conversation. Our Audience Choice Award isn’t about deciding which film is “best” but rather serves as a way to encourage discussion and deeper engagement with the work we showcase.

Winner: Recognised at the event and featured in our festival archive.
Honourable Mentions: If voting is close, we may also acknowledge standout films.

We see this as a tool to celebrate the variety of voices and styles that make independent cinema exciting, rather than a competition.

What We’re Looking For

We welcome submissions that are:

- Weird, anarchic, fun, absurdist, surreal, or experimental

- Parody and satire that punches up

We encourage submissions from artists at any stage of their career.

Length

We accept films in the following categories:

- Up to 3 minutes
- 3 - 15 minutes
- 15 - 30 minutes

Geographical Location & Language

The callout is open to artists worldwide. However, as part of our commitment to promoting both local and global voices, we offer one free submission per filmmaker for work originating from:

- Merseyside
- Africa

If you’d like to submit more than one film, please use the appropriate paid category for any additional entries. Our fees are kept intentionally low to help cover the basic costs of running the events — we’re a volunteer-led organisation, and every bit goes into supporting the screenings and artists.

Submission Guidelines

Has your film screened before? That’s fine! We accept work that’s been screened elsewhere or online. But it must not have been shown at a PVTV event before.

If you've screened with us before, email us for a free submission code – we love repeat collaborators.

Subtitles: Non-English dialogue must be subtitled in English (burned-in or with an SRT file).

Multiple submissions are welcome.

For More Information
Visit our website: https://www.peopleversus.tv/fringe-flicks
Contact us at: peopleversustv@gmail.com