Deadlines
About festival
225 Film Club Festival
"Championing female excellence in direction, the 225 Film Club is on a mission to support, promote and celebrate women in film." - FORBES.
Created in 2018 to promote female excellence in film direction, we are back for our 8th edition! We screen narrative and documentary short film work by women, non-binary and gender expansive filmmakers, and support our screening directors through facilitating introductions to successful producers and other seasoned industry members.
Screening at the iconic British Film Institute (BFI) Southbank on one of the best screens in the UK, 95% of our screening programme is selected from open submissions.
We screen drama, documentary, action, animation, comedy, fantasy, horror, sci-fi, thriller and more.
All submissions are viewed at least twice.
The Extended Submissions deadline is August 15 2026.
Founded by Filmmaker Rita Osei who served as Jury Chair for the 75th, 76th and 77th BAFTA British Short Film Award, this is a festival from filmmakers for filmmakers and audiences alike.
AWARDS JURY - Our winners are chosen by an outstanding jury of Industry professionals.
Our previous jurors include Line Langebek, Writer of 2025 Oscar nominated feature film "The Girl With The Needle", Sire Ramos, Head of Development at Lipsync, Simon Young, Vice President EMEA Acquisitions Shorts TV and Shorts International, TriBeca Winning Writer/Director Abraham Adeyemi and Brenda Gilbert Vice Chair BANFF World Media Festival, Board Member at Film Independent and Producer of The Willoughbys.
"Every December, the teams behind the shortlist come together to watch the movies, mingle, meet, make connections and enjoy their moment in the limelight. For many of the directors and producers this is the first time they’ll have work shown in the iconic BFI." - FORBES.
225 Film Club Festival is supported by the BFI.
225 Film Club is a member of BFI Film Audience Network.
225 Film Club is a member of Film Festival Alliance (FFA) and Association of Independent Film Festivals (AIFF).
Trailer
Festival Amenities
Accepted Content
Submission Categories
UK SHORT FILM
Maximum running time 30 minutes including credits. First screened after January 1 2024
INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM
Maximum running time 30 minutes including credits. First screened after January 1 2024
Festival Team
Rita Osei
Festival Director
Sarah Cartland
Rotten Tomatoes Approved Critic
Mohini Kotecha
Festival MC
Zuzu Valla
Festival Photographer
Festival Rules
Runtime:
Eligible films run 30 minutes and under, inclusive of credits
Promoting "Female Excellence in Film Direction":
All films screened are directed by women, non binary and gender expansive film directors, or co-directed by a woman.
(NOTE. - Our Feature Film Log Line Competition is open to all genders)
Captions and subtitles :
Please ensure films Not In The English Language have English subtitles. We encourage English subtitles or Captions on all films.
Submission authorisation:
By submitting to 225 Film Club you confirm that All Rights to the film are owned by you, the filmmakers, or are cleared to screen at 225 Film Club Festival. The primary contact must be authorised to submit the film
Entry Fees:
Entry fees are non refundable. Once a film has been accepted into the Official Selection program, it can no longer be withdrawn.
Selection and screening :
We announce Long Listed projects prior to announcing the Official Selection.
We will contact all submitters and will detail our screening material requirements directly with filmmakers once the Official Selection has been announced. They will include the standard DCP, 3 x high res production stills, a short biog and a head shot of the film's Director.
By submitting to the festival you, the filmmaker and rights owner, authorise 225 Film Club to use press materials, posters, promotional materials and to exhibit your film on a specified date.
