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A brand new film festival is being launched in Preston.
The North West Independent Film Festival (NWIFF) is now open for submissions and will run each year in June, showcasing British short films from across the country.
The festival has been created by Preston-based filmmaker Martin Law, the director of the gritty northern feature film Reputation.
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“It’s crazy to me that Preston doesn’t already have a film festival,” said Martin.
“We’re pretty much in the middle of the UK, between Edinburgh and London, and we have great transport links, so it’s an ideal location.
“The idea is to start small and only screen short films, but in the future I’d like to expand it and show features, as well as international films.”
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Martin decided to create the event after attending multiple festivals around the UK with his own films.
He said: “The North West already has a few film festivals. Bolton is actually one of the biggest in the UK. But Preston is a much better location.
“I also wanted to launch something more financially accessible to filmmakers. Some festivals charge over £30 for a filmmaker to submit a 10 minute film. That’s ridiculous. Submission fees will be capped at £10 for short films.”
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The location for the festival is yet to be confirmed. The NWIFF is also looking for sponsors to help.
Martin added: “As a sponsor, you will be highlighted within all marketing materials, including posters, festival programme and roller signs. I’d love local businesses to support and help bring a bit more culture to our city.”
To find out more about the North West Independent Film Festival (NWIFF), visit the FilmFreeway website.
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This story was made possible by you, our readers, and a host of organisations in the city, through our Crowdfund Lancashire appeal, which unlocked support from the Lancashire Culture and Sport Fund provided by Lancashire County Council. You can see all our coverage and, if you know of an arts project or event in the city we should be covering, you can submit it for our event listings and/or send details to [email protected] for us to cover it as a story on the Blog.
