About the Festival
Manchester Film Festival (MFF) is one of the UK's leading independent film festivals, now in its twelfth year. Held annually in March across venues throughout Manchester city centre, the festival attracts filmmakers, industry professionals and audiences from around the world.
MFF champions bold, boundary-pushing storytelling — from debut short films to international feature premieres. We believe every story deserves an audience, and our mission is to connect exceptional cinema with the people of Manchester.
Submission Categories
Feature Films
Narrative and documentary features, minimum 40 minutes.
Short Films
Fiction, documentary and experimental shorts under 40 minutes.
Animation
All animation forms and lengths welcome.
Screenplay Competition
Unproduced screenplays for shorts, TV pilots and features.
What You Need to Know
Submissions are accepted via FilmFreeway only
Films must not have been commercially released in the UK before the festival
All genres and nationalities are welcome
Subtitles required for non-English language films
Decisions are sent by email — check your spam folder
Full terms and conditions available on FilmFreeway
Key Dates for MFF27
Breakthrough Film Fund
Entries to the second Breakthrough Film Fund are now open, with a £5,000 cash prize to produce a short film, plus mentorship from a BAFTA and Oscar-nominated Executive Producer team.
Nominees will pitch live in front of the Manchester Film Festival audience in March 2027, with the winning film from the first year also being screened at the event. Scripts must be 10 pages or less and able to be produced within the £5,000 cash budget. Filmmakers and production must be based in the UK.
Generously supported by ABC Buildings, Rooms4Production and Bolton Film Office — who are generously supporting some free entries for Bolton-centric applications (see site for full terms). Follow on Instagram @breakthroughfilmfund.
Ready to Submit?
All submissions are handled through FilmFreeway. Create a free account to get started.
Can't afford the submission fee? Request a fee waiver.