Hundreds of film fans, students and filmmakers travelled from across the UK and overseas to attend the second Bournemouth International Film Festival (BIFF) on 9th and 10th October. Supported by local lead commercial partner Not Just Travel, many of the festival’s film screenings and industry workshops were fully sold out. Over 60 shortlisted films, including documentaries, short films, feature films and animations, were screened across several rooms at the Hilton Bournemouth, with winners announced at the black-tie awards night, which concluded the festival on Saturday evening. The festival also included special out-of-competition screenings of LOMU, a documentary about the late All Blacks rugby legend Jonah Lomu; and an exclusive pre-release screening of the comedy Hot Flash.
Over 50 awards were presented at the black-tie awards night to filmmakers at different stages of their careers, from students to seasoned filmmakers. In addition to the best film awards, accolades were also presented for best director, cinematography, editing, and sound/ composer, jury prize, social impact, young actor and outstanding Bournemouth or Local Filmmaker.
In the opening speech, Festival Director Steve McCarten said, “When we opened the doors to our first festival last year, we really didn’t know what BIFF would become. We knew what we wanted it to be. A festival that took emerging filmmakers seriously, that created opportunities, that championed voices that perhaps weren’t always being heard, and most importantly, that put the filmmakers themselves at the heart of it. A year later, we’re still here, And more importantly, we’re growing.
One of the things I’m particularly proud of is seeing what has happened to some of the films that came through BIFF last year. Our 2025 winner for Best UK Feature, The Caretaker, has since secured distribution, is now available on Amazon Prime in international territories, and will be arriving in the UK soon.
The standard for this year’s film submissions has been exceptional, which has made it really tough to judge. However, we’re really proud to announce the winners…”
Steve Witt, co-founder of Not Just Travel, added: “Making a film and putting it in front of an audience takes real nerve, and it was a privilege to see so many filmmakers do exactly that this weekend. It’s something we understand well at Not Just Travel. The vast majority of our consultants had never worked in travel before they joined us, and it took courage for them to back themselves and start something new. Supporting BIFF as it grows has been a natural fit for us, and I’d like to congratulate every winner and everyone who had a film screened.”
Over 300 submissions were judged by an award-winning line-up of industry judges, with 55 awards handed out to winners at the sold-out black-tie awards night.
Some of the big winners were:
- Jury Prize: The Hustler, directed by Fedor Kravchuk and Nikita Kravchuk
- Outstanding Bournemouth or Local Filmmaker: Nicole Sarah Fry
- Best UK Short Film: Life Goes On, directed by Kat Butterfield
- Best UK Animation: Trading Cards, directed by Radheya Jang
- Best UK Feature Film: Such a Vivid Imagination, directed by
Ina Lüders - Best International Short Film: Dusted Off, directed by Ayby Cetin
- Best Student Film: A Rose for Iris, Abolfazl Talooni
- Best Genre Short: Albert, directed by Joshua G.R. Fletcher
- Best Documentary Feature: Anarchy in High Heels: The Story of Les Nickelettes, directed by Betsy Newman
- Best Documentary Short: Among the Smoke, directed by Austin Salt-Cowell
- Best Short Script: Kathy Robinson, In Case of Emergency
Films winning multiple awards include:
- The Hustler: International feature award category: best international feature film, best director, best cinematography, best editing and best sound/ composer, and also winner of the jury prize
- Trading Cards: animation award category: best UK animation, best production design, best cinematography and best editing
- Such a Vivid Imagination: UK feature award category: best UK feature film, best director, best cinematography, best editing and best sound/ composer
- Dusted Off: International short award category: best international short film, best director and best sound/ composer
- Green Grass: UK short film award category: best editing and best sound
Awards going to local filmmakers:
- Outstanding Bournemouth or Local Filmmaker: Nicole Sarah Fry
- The Banjo Boys: Best sound/ composer in the documentary feature award; and best original score or song in the Special awards category. Directed by Neil Nayar and Bournemouth-based Johan Nayar
For a full list of all the winners of each of the categories, please visit www.bournemouthfilmfest.co.uk
