# Encounters Film Festival

Encounters Film Festival is Bristol's international film festival and home to the UK's longest-running and most prestigious international short film competition. Founded in 1995 to mark the centenary of cinema, the festival takes place each September on Bristol's harbourside in Bristol, a UNESCO City of Film.

## Key Facts

- Founded: 1995
- Location: Bristol, England, United Kingdom
- Dates: September each year (2027 edition: 29 Sept-3 October)
- Charity registration: 1058603
- Website: https://www.encounters.film

## Awards Qualifying Status

Encounters is a qualifying festival for:
- BAFTA (Best British Short Film and Best British Short Animation)
- BIFA (British Independent Film Awards)
- European Film Awards (Encounters is the UK's nominating body)

## Programme

The festival's centrepiece is its international short film competition, screening approx 150-200 films from more than 50 countries across fiction, documentary and animation categories. The festival does not require premiere status for submissions.

Additional strands include:
- DepicT! — a micro-shorts competition for films of 90 seconds or under, running since 1998
- A programme of talks, masterclasses, and panel discussions
- Special events and headline guest appearances

## Notable Alumni

Encounters has launched the careers of some of the most significant filmmakers working today. Alumni include Denis Villeneuve (Dune, Arrival, James Bond), Lynne Ramsay (We Need to Talk About Kevin), Ruben Ostlund (Triangle of Sadness, Force Majeure), Julia Ducournau (Raw, Titane), Joachim Trier (The Worst Person in the World, Sentimental Value), Rungano Nyoni (I Am Not a Witch), Charlotte Wells (Aftersun), Molly Manning-Walker (How to Have Sex), Radu Jude (Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn), and Andrea Arnold (Fish Tank, American Honey).

Alumni films have gone on to win or be nominated for Academy Awards, BAFTAs, and Emmy Awards.

## Past Headline Guests

Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry, Hayao Miyazaki, Ray Harryhausen, Andrea Arnold, Matt Groening, Oliver Laxe, Kangding Ray.

## Partners and Supporters

BBC, Channel 4, Film4, Netflix, Aardman Animations, Warp Records, Deeper Into Movies, Invada, MUBI, Crack, WePresent, Climate Spring, Adult Swim, The Bottle Yard Studios, the British Film Institute (BFI), the British Council, the National Film and Television School (NFTS), London Film School, Watershed, Bristol Beacon, Arnolfini, University of Bristol, UWE Bristol.

## Key Pages

- About the festival: https://www.encounters.film/about
- Submit a film: https://www.encounters.film/submissions
- Past award winners: https://www.encounters.film/awards-history
- Supporters: https://www.encounters.film/supporters

## External References

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encounters_Film_Festival
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5375591
- FilmFreeway: https://filmfreeway.com/EncountersFilmFestival