​Rules
Please read the rules carefully as we can offer no refunds to people who enter Bolton Film Festival and who are disqualified because of the rules below.
1. To be considered for the Bolton Film Festival, the filmmaker must upload your film via FilmFreeway.
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2. Digital marketing materials should be made available to be used for our marketing purposes by 17th June 2025
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3. Entries must be in English or with English subtitles.
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4. All entries must have been completed between 1st Jan 2024 and 17th June 2025
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5. If you have entered your film previously to BFF please do not re-enter it.
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6. Film-makers must include a brief synopsis of the film in no more than 150 words (this can be done within FilmFreeway either as a synopsis or as an additional attachment.
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7. Provide at least one high resolution image (1920 x 1080 or higher) and/or a maximum of three high resolution images for the use of Bolton Film Festival promotional brochures or publicity.
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8. All entries must obtain the appropriate copyright clearances (i.e. music, images, etc). Failure to do so will result in the entry being disqualified from the competition if we discover you have not sought clearance.
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9. Shortlisted entries will be screened/demonstrated during the Festival programme.
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10. Winners will be presented with their awards during the BFF Awards Ceremony, which will take place at the festival in October. There will be no prior notification of winners.
11. If you are entering work that contains music into any category at Bolton Film Festival it must have clearance. If the music is represented by PRS / MCPS or any other similar royalties / licencing organisations then you must notify us. By entering your short film to Bolton Film Festival you (or the artists who own the music and/or their representatives (such as PRS/MCPS) are waiving your/their rights to claim royalties on the music from any monies generated by Bolton Film Festival.
12. The selection and scheduling of all films screened at BFF is entirely at the discretion of the Festival Director and the programming team. In the event of unseen circumstances it may be necessary to reschedule the event to a later date but notification will be provided to all selected film-makers. No refunds are possible after entering your work into the festival submissions process.
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13. No correspondence will be entered into with film-makers trying to enter the festival by bypassing the FilmFreeway entry fee. The judges decision is final and anyone attempting to bypass normal entry procedures will be disqualified.
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14. The final deadline for entries shall be Midnight GMT 17th June 2025.
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Terms and Conditions
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Please read the terms and conditions carefully as we can offer no refunds to people who enter Bolton Film Festival and are disqualified because of the terms and conditions below.
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To be considered for the "Made up North" category and award the filmmaker should reside within the boundaries defined by Film Hub North and Arts Council England (as seen on the map):
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Click on map to enlarge
To be considered for the 'Community/Charity' category the film-maker and/or the group submitting the film should be part of a registered community group, a registered community enterprise group, a non profit or a registered charity group. Evidence may be required on request.
To be considered for the "International" category film-makers must reside outside of the UK.
All other categories not highlighted above are open to International and National film-makers.
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I authorise Bolton Film Festival to exhibit my film if selected. I confirm that an exhibition copy will be made available in a required format for screening during the 2025 festival.
I certify that I hold all necessary rights for the submission of this film/video to Bolton Film Festival and that all rights and clearances have been made. This film is not subject to any litigation nor is threatened by any litigation. ​
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I also acknowledge that the film submission fee does not guarantee acceptance and no refund will be provided if my film is not selected.
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Upon acceptance, Bolton Film Festival will ask for my film:
1) DCP preferred
2) 1920x1080 digital file (PAL) Pro Res, Quicktime, MP4, AVI, H264 or higher quality.
3) or DVD (if requested).
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If the filmmaker does not comply with the deadline to receive the film, the film can be withdrawn by the festival director from the festival lineup.