Submit your film to LIFF 2026
We are delighted to accept submissions for the 40th Leeds International Film Festival, 29 October to 15 November 2026.
LIFF is an Oscar® Qualifying Festival for the categories of Live Action Short Film and Animated Short Film through our Louis le Prince and World Animation grand prizes. LIFF is also BAFTA and BIFA-qualifying for British short films.
Why Submit?
Presenting more than 250 films over 18 days every November, LIFF is an epic celebration of global film culture with a focus on supporting new filmmaking talent.
LIFF presents two feature film competitions, feature film audience awards, and nine short film competitions with cash prizes.
There is a combined total of £8,000 in cash prizes, split up by the following categories:
Louis le Prince International Short Film Competition (£2000 cash prize)
World Animation Competition (£1000 cash prize)
British Short Film Competition (£1000 cash prize)
Documentary Short Film Competition (£1000 cash prize)
Fantastic Short Film Competition (£1000 cash prize)
Yorkshire Short Film Competition (£500 cash prize)
Leeds Screendance Competition (£500 cash prize)
Leeds Queer Short Film Competition (£500 cash prize)
Leeds Music Video Competition (£500 cash prize)
Each competition’s winners are chosen by esteemed juries of filmmakers, critics, programmers and industry professionals. We welcome filmmakers to attend the festival, providing opportunities to network and meet other filmmakers and our programmers.
Our Programmers
We have a team of over 21 programmers at LIFF who specialise in each submission category.
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How to Submit
To submit to LIFF head to our filmfreeway page, make sure to read our terms and eligibility listed on our page: Leeds International Film Festival - FilmFreeway.
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Deadlines & Dates
11 December - Super Earlybird Deadline
26 March - Earlybird Deadline
25 June - Regular Deadline
30 July - Final Deadline
17 September - Filmmakers will be notified of the status of their submissions
29 October - 15 November - Leeds International Film Festival -
More Information
If you have any further questions please get in touch at leeds.film@leeds.gov.uk.
Contact Us
If you have any further questions please get in touch at leeds.film@leeds.gov.uk.
