The Purbeck Short Film Competition
A celebration of emerging filmmakers, culminating in a special screening and awards night at the Mowlem Theatre.
The Purbeck Short Film Competition
The Purbeck Short Film Competition is a cornerstone of the Purbeck Film Festival. The aim is to offer emerging filmmakers a platform to showcase their work and gain recognition within the industry. With an open call for entries, the competition provides an inclusive environment that attracts submissions from all over the world.
The competition culminates in a screening evening at the Mowlem Theatre in Swanage on the final weekend of the Purbeck Film Festival. The shortlisted finalists’ entries are shown and prizes awarded both by the audience and by judges from local film schools and the BFI and the media industry.
Enter Purbeck Shorts 2026
We welcome submissions of short films (under 10 minutes) from around the world, across all genresโdocumentary, animation, romance, horror, and more. Our goal is to provide emerging filmmakersโstudents, amateurs, and professionals alikeโa platform to showcase their work and gain industry recognition.
Finalists will be invited to a special screening at the Mowlem Cinema, Swanage, on the Festivalโs closing night (Date TBA, early Nov 2026). A preliminary panel selects the finalists, whose films will be judged live at the event, with winners announced that evening.
Congratulations to our 2025 Winners
The Student prize went to Aaliyah Hussein for the gentle and heart-warming stop motion shortย Michelle Is Feeling Subpar.
The Audience Award for Animation went to the charming and whimsical squirrel-led animationย Nutissimo.
The Audience Award for Live Action wasย Lizzie, a delightful comedy with a Jane Austen heroine on holiday in modern-day Brighton.
The Judges had a special mention for the animated seagull romanceย Bird Droneย but their main prize, the overall winner, was for Spanish shortย Do You Have A Minute?ย (pictured here). The judges felt it was tense and concise with a very clever twist.
Congratulations to all and you can look out for some of these winning short films at our Cinema Under the Stars Summer screenings in August and September.ย We are very grateful to AUB for supporting this event.
2025 Shorts Social
Held at the Mowlem Theatre bar ahead of the 2025 awards, the Purbeck Film Festivalโs first-ever Shorts Social was an informal gathering that brought together aspiring and professional filmmakers, as well as keen cinema-goers, to connect before the short film screenings.
The event offered an opportunity to meet fellow creatives and engage with local film industry professionals who attended to support the short filmmakers. Among those present were producer Andy Paterson (The Railway Man, Girl with the Pearl Earring, Hilary and Jackie) and art director Pippa Punch (Andor, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Blade Runner 2049), both pictured here.
The event was a great success and we hope to hold it again for the 2026 festival. If you’re a local filmmaker interested in attending, please reserve your spot when our brochure launches in late Summer. Sign up to our newsletter to be notified as soon as tickets are released.ย