Made In Leicester: : A guide to film festivals happening in Leicester

Cannes, Sundance, Tribeca… When you think about film festivals, you imagine sunny destinations, glamorous red carpets and sophisticated film screenings. Leicester may not come to your mind as a place for film festivals, especially in a place like the UK, where the British film industry is majorly London-centric.

However, Leicester also has its fair share of film festivals which not only shows the best of British and international cinema across diverse genres and formats, but also gives local filmmakers a platform to showcase their talent.

Here is a list of all of the film festivals taking place in Leicester. Some of these festivals are currently taking in submissions for their next edition, so submit your film as soon as you can!

Codex Film Festival:

Getting its name from Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous cryptic manuscript, the Codex Leicester film festival (conceptualised by DMU students and Phoenix Cinema), is dedicated to films that not only celebrates Leicester’s history, but also hold themes of mystery, and the unknown. They hold film screenings across different venues across Leicestershire, such as the LCB Depot, Phoenix

They held their last edition from 26th March – 3rd April 2022. Some of the films that were screened here include The Matrix, The Imitation Game, and Knives Out.

SDG Film Festival:

The SDG Film Festival is a collaboration between 5 universities: De Montfort University; LSPR, Jakarta; APU, Malaysia; AUPP, Cambodia; and Coventry University, in association with Phoenix Cinema. This film festival has a unique approach towards creating social change through cinema, as each shortlisted film reflects one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The next edition of the SDG film festival is to take place in June 2023.

Banff Mountain Film Festival:

The Banff Film Festival is a UK-wide festival tour showcasing some of the most exhilarating, adrenaline-packed short films based around mountains and mountaineering. Not only do adventure buffs get to see exciting films, as well as buy merchandise and vote on the best film!

The next edition is taking place on the 4th of October 2022, at the De Montfort Hall, Leicester.

Independent Indian Film Festival:

The Independent Indian Film Festival aims to go beyond mainstream “Bollywood”, and instead curates independent, contemporary films from the South Asian diaspora, that explores issues such as identity, caste and social class. Films that have been screened here include Masaan, Miss Lovely, and Bulbul Can Sing.

This festival took place from 8th- 12th April at the Phoenix Cinema, Leicester. You can see the video we made about the festival on our YouTube channel

The Short Cinema: Show and Tell:

Hosted by Phoenix Cinema and The Short Cinema, and supported by the BFI Film Hub Midlands, Show And Tell is a regular platform for local talent to showcase their exceptional short films, and network with industry professionals within Leicester’s filmmaking community.

This event is taking place on the 28th July 2022 at 8pm, with a drinks reception at 7pm.

Here are some of the festivals that are currently taking in submissions:

Indie Filmmaker Showcase, Groby:

Groby has its own filmmaker’s showcase, where films of all formats and of all genres are presented and screened at the IFS International Film Festival. All the films are curated by a team of film industry professionals and enthusiasts; and lucky winners receive a trophy and certificate, as well as a chance to attend the IFS International Film Festival for a screening + QnA of their film.

Deadlines for IFS Groby are 1st August 2022 and 1st September 2022. You can find out more and submit your film here.

Leicester Film Festival:

The Leicester film festival is an annual festival that has been running successfully for the past five years. It is a celebration of short film from all over the world, from all genres. Festival winners get the opportunity to have their film screened for an audience at The Shed, Leicester, and also receive festival laurels and an official certificate. The best part of this is that all proceeds go towards Wishes 4 Kids charity.

This year’s edition is taking place on the 24th of September 2022.The final deadline for submission is 31st July 2022, so if you have a short film you want to showcase, submit here!

Grindhouse Film Festival:

The Grindhouse Film Festival delves into some of the goriest, most graphic, and downright gruesome films of Grindhouse, a genre that is infamous for its mishmash of action, horror, sci-fi and exploitation. The best of this genre is curated by Grindhouse film aficionados and screened at the Grindhouse Film Festival, where film buffs have a chance to buy rare memorabilia and attend QnAs with the best Grindhouse filmmakers.

Grindhouse Planet are currently taking in submissions for the next edition, and their next deadline is the 31st August 2022. To find out more, visit their FilmFreeway page!

Film Leicester will keep you posted on all the happening film events and festivals in Leicester. Watch this space for new blog posts and don’t forget to follow us on our social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube and LinkedIn)!