SWIF digest 📬 27 May 2025

🎥 Hello filmmakers. I'm writing from Romford Film Festival, where the organisers created a Letterboxd list of their selections this year - love that! Remember we have a SWIF Letterboxd list. Would love to add your films to it, email me links.

🙏 These digests will always be free but please consider paid subscription to support the work. Options start from £1 per week & include filmmaker resources.

Here’s your weekly digest for independent film in the South West:

📑 Film London are running an online script lab focused on first drafts, 3-5 Jun. - Ticket Tailor

👀 Screen Cornwall are hosting 'FylmK' on 4 Jun; a free screening of recently commissioned short films in Kernewek & Breton as part of Celtic Media Festival 2025. - Eventbrite

📽️ Bath Fringe Festival are screening local drama shorts, docs & music videos on 5 Jun, both new and from their archive. I'll be at this one and it's free/pay what you can. - BFF

🤝 City Eye Film Network have their next regular meet up on 10 Jun. - Eventbrite

🍕 Nine Tree Studios Bristol are hosting a "production people pizza party" on 19 Jun, bringing together Producers, Production Managers, Production Coordinators & Production Assistants. - Ticket Tailor

⏰ Bristol Editors Network & partners are hosting a 48-hour film competition on 4-6 Jul. Registration is open now for individuals & teams. It's free to enter and there are prizes up for grabs. - Cuttingitfine48hr

🫂 If you're in need of support or expanding your community, then the Film & TV Charity have a list of peer support groups & community networks. - FTVC

🫡 Apply to attend Sheffield DocFest free, inc travel & accommodation, as part of the Ffilm Cymru delegation, 18-22 Jun. Deadline to apply is 4pm today (27 May)! - Ffilm Cymru

💥 If you've had a "breakthrough" year then apply to BAFTA Breakthrough by 19 Jun. Open to cast & crew in drama, docs, unscripted & games. "Breakthrough" has an interesting meaning here, so do read their handbook. - BAFTA

🎭 Bristol Old Vic Theatre School's acting & directing summer courses are now available for bookings. - BOVTS

❓ Make Happen Institute Bristol are hosting several Q&As about their MA Creative Practice in May & Jun. - Luma

🪑 Film Bath are hiring two roles; a Chair of the Board and Head of Sponsorship & Fundraising. Both deadlines 28 May. - Film Bath

👩🏽‍⚖️ Junior Commissioning Editor for documentaries & factual entertainment wanted at Channel 4 in Bristol. Don't let "junior" put you off, this is a well remunerated role. Deadline 29 May. - Channel 4

🎥 Junior Camera Operator needed at BBC Studios Natural History Unit in Bristol. Deadline 1 Jun. - BBC

🧑‍💻 They also need a Junior Assistant Technical Producer, as part of their 'Extend' programme for disabled applicants. Deadline 2 Jun. - BBC

🥲 Bristol Old Vic Theatre School are recruiting a Head of MA Screen Acting. Deadline 9 Jun. - BOVTS

🚢 The Pit Orchestra need a Marketing Coordinator for a performance of their original score for Battleship Potemkin in Dec 2025. Travel to Plymouth needed. Deadline 30 Jun. - Arts Jobs

🇨🇳 Exeter based writers can apply to a two-week City of Literature residency in Nanjing China. Deadline 1 Jun. - City of Lit

👩‍🔬 Ffilm Cymru's feature film development programme is open for submissions until 3 Jun for documentary & animation and until 14 Oct for fiction. Open to lone Writers and teams inc Producers/Directors. - Ffilm Cymru

💷 BFI Network Wales/Ffilm Cymru's funding for short films in live-action, documentary & animation has its deadline on 27 Jun. There are one to one Q&A sessions available in early Jun. - Ffilm Cymru

🏆 British Independent Film Awards are open for submissions of theatrical feature films & short films. Early deadline 1 Aug. - BIFA

📮 Upcoming film festival submission deadlines: Encounters (29 May), Hell Tor (30 May), Two Short Nights (31 May), FilmBath (1 Jun), Cardiff Mini (7 Jun), Southampton (8 Jun) & Cornwall (19 Jun). - FilmFreeway

🎪 Bath Fringe Festival takes place 23 May - 8 Jun. - BFF

👻 Forbidden Worlds Film Festival takes place in Bristol 28 May - 1 Jun, including a shorts showcase on 31 May. - FWFF

🏳️‍🌈 Queer Bath Festival takes place 26 May - 30 Jun. - QB

⛵️ Celtic Media Festival takes place in Newquay Cornwall 3-5 Jun. - CMF

🐋 Festival of Nature in Bath/Bristol takes place 7-15 Jun. - Natural History Consortium

🧠 Royal Anthropological Institute Film Festival takes place in Bristol 16 Jun - 16 Jul. - Headfirst

👩‍❤️‍👩 The personals: Nothing this week. Get in touch for a listing.

🍿 On film club: Mudbound dir. Dee Rees (on Netflix) & Happy as Lazzaro dir. Alice Rohrwacher (on Channel4).

📆 Next SWIF event: Summer picnic at Ashton Court Bristol on 5 Jul.

📣 Have something to share on the next digest? Could be an event, workshop, behind the scenes updates, crew call, showcasing your work, or a personal ad. Get in touch! hollyholdsworth@gmail.com

💌 If you found this helpful please forward it to a friend.

Until next week!
Holly Holdsworth (she/her)
Writer/Director. bsky website

Inclusion in this email does not denote endorsement. I will always try to platform the best opportunities for this community and am not affiliated with any organisation, unless explicitly mentioned besides the link.