SWIF digest 📬 6 May 2025

🧺 Hello filmmakers. Save the date for SWIF's first picnic! 28 Jun from 12noon at Ashton Court Bristol. Bring blankets & food. Families welcome.

🙏 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:

🥳 Congrats to the BFI's Beyond Shorts participants. Excited to see their next steps. - Watershed

🎂 And congrats to Phoenix Casting who are celebrating 30 years! - Phoenix

🤨 BFI Doc Society's Research & Development fund for feature length work has a webinar on 7 May. - Zoom

🍷 A new wine & film club, called Little Red's, is launching in Bath. First up is The Mummy on 8 May. - Wolf Wine

🎊 The English Riviera Film Festival is hosting a day of films to celebrate 10 years. 10 May in Torquay. - Torquay Museum

📽️ Make Happen Institute & Screenology have a screening of recent student films on 12 May. - Eventbrite

🦫 Plymouth Urban Tree Festival pairs beaver spotting with a short films screening on 13 May. - Eventbrite

☕️ Networking in Southampton on 13 May, and for mums on 20 May. - Eventbrite

✂️ A talk on the art of Tim Burton from a King’s College London academic takes place in Bristol on 14 May (at a pub). - Headfirst

🧑‍🎓 University of Bristol’s film students are screening grad films in drama, docs & animation, 15-19 May. - Eventbrite

🤖 Join a conversation between industry & academia on how AI is shaping storytelling, production and what that means for teaching film & tv. 16 May in Cardiff. - Eventbrite

🏳️‍⚧️ Cube Cinema Bristol are hosting an open discussion about how we can protect trans rights on 17 May. - Cube

🎆 Festivus are hosting networking for the animation, VFX & gaming industries in Cardiff on 17 May. - FSTVS

📺 BAFTA are hosting a preview screening of the TV murder mystery series Death Valley, followed by a Q&A with the creators. 19 May in Cardiff. - BAFTA

🍻 There's networking in Bristol on 21 May. - Eventbrite

🎭 Bristol Old Vic Theatre School's summer performances are now on sale. 22 May - 14 Jun. - BOVT

💥 A Bristol action short film is seeking crowdfunding and are now in stretch goal territory. - Indiegogo

☪️ The Centre for Media Monitoring wants to hear from Muslim woman working in UK media to shape a transformative report for industry stakeholders. - Google Form

🏋️‍♀️ Channel 4's trainee scheme for Production Co-ordinators & Researchers closes for applications today (6 May). Their website is a little confusing, keep clicking to get to the company profiles. You can apply from there. - C4

🏃🏿‍♀️ All Set West's free entry-level training is open for applications until 31 May. - ASW

🏢 Film Officer needed at Screen Devon. Deadline 9 May. - SD

👩🏼‍🎨 Blue Metaphor (the team behind the 'presents' film nights) are looking for a Graphic Designer for a logo redesign. - Tabb

🙋🏽‍♂️ Gritty Talent want to expand their pool of Casting Assistant Producers & Producers. Register on their website. - GT

🐣 FLAMIN Animation's commissioning programme for early-career Black & global majority artists in animation closes for applications on 27 May. Though this is organised via Film London, you just have to be based in England. - FilmLondon

🤣 The Phoebe Frances Brown film fund for female filmmakers with a comedy idea has its deadline on 30 May. - Mister Tibbs

🏆 Entries for the Grierson documentary awards are open until 4 Jun. - Grierson

🇨🇦 Screen Alliance Wales are looking for a Director-Producer duo with a feature documentary in development to participate in Doc Lab Montréal. Deadline 19 Jun. - SAW

📮 Upcoming film festival submission deadlines: Encounters (12 May), Bristol Independent (14 May), Cornwall (19 May), Pompeywood Genre (20 May), Iris Prize & Cornwall Monologue Competition (both 25 May). - FilmFreeway

🔺 Cardiff Animation Weekender takes place 17-18 May, including lots of free screenings & events. - CA

🌦️ Frome International Climate Film Festival is 18 May. - Eventbrite

👻 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 will take place in Newquay Cornwall this year, 3-5 Jun. - CMF

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

🍿 On film club: One False Move dir. Carl Franklin (on BFIplayer) & Memories of a Burning Body dir. Antonella Sudasassi (on Amazon Prime).

📣 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.