Leeds Filmmaker Wins Berlinale Short Film Contest

Leeds filmmaker Alfie Barker has been announced as the winner of the second edition of The Dream Makers: Short Film Contest by CUPRA at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Barker first engaged with Leeds Young Film Festival at the age of eight, taking part in an animation workshop that helped spark his interest in filmmaking. He went on to return to the festival across multiple years, later joining MediaFish, the Leeds Young Film programmers’ group. At 16, he joined the BFI Film Academy in Leeds, hosted by Leeds Young Film.

“Looking back, that early exposure to diverse cinema shaped how I think about storytelling and making films that resonate. LYFF also ran short film competitions, which gave me the belief I could make something and see it on the big screen. That validation early on was hugely inspiring.” - Alfie Barker, State of the Arts, October 12, 2025

Barker went on to win Best British Short at Leeds International Film Festival 2023 for his short film Half Way, alongside further recognition at BFI London Film Festival and Encounters Film Festival for his previous short, Hanging On.

Winning The Dream Makers: Short Film Contest, promoted by CUPRA in partnership with Berlinale, Berlinale Talents and Studio Babelsberg, will support Barker in producing his next short film, The Zebra, which will be developed for the big screen with funding of up to 250,000 Euro.

Having supported Barker’s development from an early age through Leeds Young Film Festival, it is great to see his work gaining international recognition and contributing to the growing profile of Yorkshire filmmaking.

(All images courtesy of CUPRA)