Glasgow Short Film Festival

Glasgow Short Film Festival

Also known as: GSFF
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The Bill Douglas Award for International Short Film and a separate Scottish competition form the core of Glasgow Short Film Festival (GSFF). Its programme spans fiction, documentary, animation and artists’ moving image, with retrospectives and thematic screenings alongside workshops, discussions and one-to-one industry sessions. The international competition emphasises formal innovation and storytelling through sound and image.

The festival traces its origins to a short film weekend established in 2008 within Glasgow Film Festival and operates as an independent Scottish charity. Its Young Scottish Filmmaker Prize, presented with Glasgow Film Theatre, recognises filmmakers aged 18–25 in categories for work with and without formal support. The 20th edition takes place in Glasgow, United Kingdom, on 17–21 March 2027.

Country

United Kingdom (UK)

Focus

Animation, Documentary, Experimental

Categories

Animation, Documentary, Experimental, Short

Dates

17 March 2027 — 21 March 2027

Awards and prizes

The Bill Douglas Award for International Short Film recognises international work demonstrating honesty, formal innovation and cinematic storytelling centred on sound and image. International competition films are also eligible for the International Audience Award. Scottish entries compete for the Scottish Short Film Award and Scottish Audience Award. The Young Scottish Filmmaker Prize, presented by Glasgow Film Theatre in partnership with GSFF, has separate categories for films made with formal support and without formal support. Shortlisted filmmakers receive festival screenings and Glasgow Film Festival Industry Focus passes; the 2027 category winners receive places on Glasgow Film Festival’s New Talent Mentorship Scheme.

Festival rules

For the 2027 international and Scottish competitions, films must be completed after 30 September 2025 and run no longer than 40 minutes including credits. All production techniques, forms, genres and budgets are eligible. Previously submitted films are not reconsidered; substantial structural revisions should be discussed with the submissions team. There is no premiere requirement, and films available online are eligible. Picture-locked works in progress are accepted with details of remaining work. Non-English dialogue or text requires English subtitles unless this conflicts with artistic intention. The submitter must hold the necessary screening and copyright permissions. Scottish competition eligibility requires at least two of director, writer and producer to be filled by people resident in Scotland, with exceptions at the festival director’s discretion. A film cannot enter both competitions. Submit digitally through the festival portal or FilmFreeway. Entry fees apply; the final deadline is 27 October 2026, and decisions are communicated by 29 January 2027. Competition screenings use DCP, and selected films enter the accredited online video library for one month after the festival. The separate Young Scottish Filmmaker Prize is open to Scotland-resident filmmakers aged 18–25; its 2027 call closes on 13 November 2026.

Contacts

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