Following the success of 2022’s inaugural festival, which saw 86 screenings held across 3 community venues and over 2,000 attendees. Lowestoft Film Festival (LFF) delivered by Sunrise Studios, is set to return featuring a wide selection of short films from filmmakers locally and nationally that are yet to be discovered, or picked up by the bigger film festival circuit.
The celebration of film features eleven award categories and saw nearing 400 entries submitted last year and includes best British short, animation, documentary, experimental and East Anglian student film. All officially selected entries will get the chance to have their film debut as part of the festival programme, with shortlisted entries going on to be thoroughly judged by our 2023 judges for the chance to win a prestigious award.
LFF also features two new categories for 2023, including ‘short film made by under 16s’ a completely free category open to individuals or groups aged under 16 and ‘break the stigma’, supported by regional charity Access Community Trust, which is for progressive films that focus on the subject of mental health or homelessness. The winner of this category will receive the opportunity to co-produce a thought provoking Christmas campaign with Sunrise Studios, for the charity that supports some of the most vulnerable across the region.
Joshua Freemantle (Development Producer of Sunrise Studios) that delivers the festival said: “We are passionate about continuing to grow this celebration of undiscovered talent and independent film held in the heart of Lowestoft. By continuing to actively support and champion filmmaking in the town, the wider south east region and nationally. Allowing filmmakers to showcase their work within the coastal town on the big screen for audiences to enjoy.”
The festival wouldn’t be possible without the support of Access Community Trust, Film Hub South East and the local authorities and business sponsorship which last year included Lowestoft Town Council and East Suffolk Council as well as our community venue partners that assisted us in bringing independent films in front of audiences that they otherwise wouldn’t engage with.
Filmmakers can submit any short films less than 30 minutes to the festival via the FilmFreeway website (https://filmfreeway.com/lowestoftfilmfestival), with submission fees starting at £3 or less. Full details about fees, rules and all of our entry categories can be found here: https://project1-nza5x1kfoh.live-website.com/submissions.
- Lowestoft Film Festival hosts eleven competitive categories including; best British short, best student film, best animated film, best documentary short, best experimental short, making waves short, UK student short film, east Anglian student film, east coast short film, short film made by u16s, micro short movie and break the stigma, with prestigious awards up for grabs for each category.
- Judges for last years categories included Ella Glendining who is a writer/director dedicated to telling authentic disabled stories. She works in both documentary and fiction, and was named one of Screen International’s Stars of Tomorrow 2020, Eileen Tracey who is a Northern Irish filmmaker specialising in writing, directing and development. She studied visual arts before moving into Film Distribution at Studiocanal and Lionsgate. Her latest short One for the Road was made in collaboration with a community in Wales set to lose their homes to climate change. OFTR was been screened and won awards in BAFTA and Oscar qualifying festivals worldwide, Anna Smith who is a prominent British film critic and broadcaster and the former President of the UK Critics’ Circle. She is a regular film expert on radio and TV, presenting the BBC News Film Review and appearing on the official UK Academy Awards broadcast on Sky.
- To stay updated with the latest on the film festival and when bookings open, follow them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @LWTFilmFest.
