UK Film Festivals for Your Radar
We are thrilled to bring you film festivals to look forward to in April and May. Are you looking for your next favourite animation or independent story? Begin your search with stories screening in Birmingham, Bridport, Cardiff and London.
From Page to Screen | 24-28 April
The festival dedicated to film adaptations of books returns to Bridport this year with 20 films. Playwright and screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewics, Colette (2018) and She Said (2022), has guest curated the selection and says: “the films and events at the festival are varied and brilliant. We’re exploring the themes of Life Stories and Future Worlds.”
London Independent Film Festival | 1-10 April
The London Independent Film Festival (LIFF) is devoted to first and second-time filmmakers telling amazing stories with limited budgets. Hosted every spring at the Genesis cinema, repeatedly voted the best cinema in the UK, this year’s edition will screen the work of almost 100 filmmakers from around the world across 10 days of fantastic cinema.
Cardiff Animation Festival | 25-28 April
CAF returns to Chapter Arts Centre for its 5th edition, screening 96 films across nine programme – from Slice of Life to Love at First Bite. Grant Orchard, the creator of Studio AKA’s award-winning Hey Duggee, said it’s a “delight from start to finish…that left me feeling enthused, inspired and overwhelmingly happy that I’m involved in animation.”
This is a cross-disciplinary event that showcases boundary-pushing LGBTQ+ cinema, live arts, and moving image work from East and Southeast Asia and its diaspora communities. Established to address the systemic lack of representation in the industry, Queer East spotlights trailblazing films that explore what it means to be queer and Asian today.
Every May, Flatpack Festival takes over venues across Birmingham with film in all shapes and sizes. They pay special attention to projects that resonate with other art forms and are all about transforming spaces to create unforgettable events. In the run up to their programme launch, head over to their website for the highlights from last year’s festival.
Submit Your Film to Screen at Aesthetica Film Festival 2024
Film Stills:
- Bluebells (2023) dir. Penelope Mazza
- Blackbird, Blackbird, Blackberry (2023), dir. Elene Naveriani
- Bluebells (2023) dir. Penelope Mazza
- A Kind of Testament (2023), dir. Stephen Vuillemin
- Peafowl (2022), dir. Byun Sung-bin
- Yuni (2021) dir. Kamila Andini
