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I've personally known Adrian Barber, the Festival Director of Bolton International Film Festival, for many years. In fact I remember him calling me to chat about the festival and to pick my brains for the first edition. Coming up to its 10th edition in 2026, it's been a pure joy to see the festival develop to the short film destination it is now.
Geographically, the location is in the shadow of Manchester (UK), but this festival holds its own and brings short filmmakers from all over. The festival programme has film and VR projects from all over. This year the breakdown welcomed films from places such as Australia, China, Iran, Mexico, Norway, Kosovo and Senegal. Whilst not a comprehensive listing, it goes to show that filmmakers are beginning to understand the international appeal of this festival. This year saw 120 filmmakers attend, with 34 World Premieres, 16 European Premieres and 62 UK Premieres.
The festival is both BAFTA and BIFA qualifying and holds a special place in the heart of UK based filmmakers, and it's easy to see why.
The festival is known for the buzz of being where everyone else is - screenings, panels, parties... The unofficial karaoke stint till 5am. But I'll step back to the panels as they're something that the festival put a lot of thought into.
With the festival being a place for newcomers as well as advanced filmmakers, they put a lot of attention on the panels, making sure they cater to all levels. This year saw masterclasses covering Cinematography (with Rick Joaquim), Editing (with David Arthur), and several honest talks from commissioners like Film4, Arts&Graft and BBC Writersroom. Then there was the Slick Film Fund pitch event too – throw in the roundtables and networking sessions and you were never far from an event going on. Putting together a strong industry strand, whilst also paying due care to a stellar program, is no easy feat.
One thing I do want to highlight, is the focus of categories that the festival has. We're big fans at Festival Formula when a festival knows what they want to see coming in, which in turn helps filmmakers find where they can submit. With special categories leaning into highlighting Northern and UK based creatives, the festival also includes: Comedy, LGBTQ+, Dance, Fashion, Experimental, d/Deaf Audience Films (*screened with BSL Interpreters), and Three Minute Quickie callouts. This is alongside the usual fare such as International, Documentary, Animation and so on. Another thing we like about this festival is that they openly promote that you submit to just one category. This can help filmmakers wade through more untoward festivals who do the opposite:
"Submit to the category that you feel best represents your short. If accepted into the Official Selection, our programmers will find the best place for the film. You DON'T need to enter multiple categories." - Bolton's Film Freeway
After attending this festival, for most of the years it's been running, I can tell you it's one run by the good folks, people who are doing it for the right reasons. There's a general feeling in the UK that the further North you go, the friendlier it gets. And it's true. This is a festival that welcomes all, runs a lot of events throughout, and remains laidback and welcoming. Adrian and Zoe who head it up (partners in life as well as film festival duties) really do throw an arm 'round you and make sure you're having a great time. The masse of talkative and smiling filmmakers seal the deal.
The festival is now open for submissions for its 10th edition, and if you have a short film I highly recommend that you look closely at this festival (another bonus: they have their archive online). I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's a personal favorite (and I hate picking favorites). I'm also proud to say it's one of the best loved festivals in the UK for very good reason.
