Purbeck Shorts 2026: Shortlist Screening, Judging and Awards Ceremony
Sunday 1 Nov – from 7pm
Tickets to the Purbeck Shorts are included with all our
Friends of the Festival Passes!
4pm – 5 pm: Filmmaker’s Focus: Cinematographers’ Forum
5.30 pm – 6.30 pm: Shorts Social
7 pm–10.15 pm: Main Shorts Presentation and Awards including interval for the judges’ deliberations
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 and Awards 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.
Focus on Filmmaking: Cinematography Forum
Before the Awards Ceremony, we’ll be hosting an open, relaxed forum exploring the craft of cinematography. We are delighted to welcome award-winning Director of Photography John Sorapure (pictured right), whose extensive work includes work as 2nd Unit Director on the Project Hail Mary, Barbie and DoP on television favourites such as Ted Lasso and The Detectorists. John will be joined by two 2023 AUB graduates now making their mark in the industry: camera department technician Jed Warren and production professional Scarlett Pivaro Monaghan. The floor will be open for your questions, offering a chance to hear directly from professionals working at the highest levels and those just starting out. Whether you are an aspiring filmmaker, a student, or simply curious about life behind the lens, please join us for this informal discussion.
Sunday 1 Nov. 4 pm Free with tickets to the evening event – but please reserve your spot:
2026 Shorts Social
Join us at the Mowlem Theatre bar ahead of the 2026 awards for 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 will be our Cinematography Forum guests as well as concept artist Kim Day (The Bride, Rings of Power, Tomb Raider, No Time to Die, 1917), art director Pippa Punch (Andor, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Blade Runner 2049) and other members of our local filmmaking community.
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.
Sunday 1 Nov. 5.30 pm
Enter Purbeck Shorts 2026 - CLOSED
We welcome submissions of short films (under 10 minutes) from around the world, across all genres—documentary, animation, romance, horror, and more. Our goal is to provide emerging filmmakers—students, amateurs, and professionals alike—a platform to showcase their work and gain industry recognition.
Finalists will be invited to a special screening at the Mowlem Cinema, Swanage, on the Festival’s closing night (Sunday, Nov 1, 2026). A preliminary panel selects the finalists, whose films will be judged live at the event, with winners announced that evening.
**Entries are now closed for 2026**
Congratulations to our 2025 Winners
The Student prize went to Aaliyah Hussein for the gentle and heart-warming stop motion short Michelle Is Feeling Subpar.
The Audience Award for Animation went to the charming and whimsical squirrel-led animation Nutissimo.
The Audience Award for Live Action was 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 romance Bird Drone but their main prize, the overall winner, was for Spanish short Do You Have A Minute? (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. We are very grateful to AUB for supporting this event.