The British Horror Film Festival (BHFF) is an independent
film festival
A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upon ...
that takes place annually in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
and is one of four events hosted by the Film Festival Guild, including the
British Animation Film Festival
The British Animation Film Festival (BAFF) is a one-day animation festival founded in 2012 that takes place annually in West End of London, London's West End. The festival aims to highlight the best in British, independent and international anima ...
, the
British Independent Film Festival and the
International Film Festival of Wales. Founded in 2010, the festival celebrates the
horror and
thriller genres in film, showcasing the best of international and British horror films. The festival provides a platform for established and emerging
filmmakers
Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a Film, motion picture is #Production, produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through scr ...
to showcase their work, as well as opportunities for audiences to engage with the genre and its creators. The festival has previously been held in various locations throughout
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, starting with
Bournemouth
Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...
in 2010 before having its roots in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, which most often screened at the
Empire/Cineworld in Leicester Square before moving to the
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
in 2022. The British Horror Film Festival has featured a number of notable films and filmmakers including
Prano Bailey-Bond
Prano Bailey-Bond is a Welsh film director and writer. Her debut feature film, '' Censor'', premiered in 2021.
Career
Bailey-Bond studied at London College of Printing
The London College of Communication is a constituent college of the Univ ...
, who won the British Horror Award (best achievement on a low budget) alongside co-director Jennifer Eiss for the short film ''Short Lease'' as well as a Best Actress win for
Marysia Kay
Marysia Kay (born 14 December 1975 in Kilmarnock, Scotland) is a retired Scottish actress, singer, and fight performer. She is best known for her role in '' Forest of the Damned''.
Early life
Kay was born in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, in the ...
.
The festival includes screenings with
features
Feature may refer to:
Computing
* Feature (CAD), could be a hole, pocket, or notch
* Feature (computer vision), could be an edge, corner or blob
* Feature (software design) is an intentional distinguishing characteristic of a software item ...
,
short film
A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
s,
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
s and student films. BHFF also recognises the achievements of filmmakers through
award
An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration.
An awar ...
s in various categories, including Best Feature, Best Short, Best Director, and Best Actor/Actress amongst others.
The festival has attracted a growing audience of horror film fans, filmmakers and industry professionals over the years. In October 2022, the British Horror Film Festival was held at the
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
and was sold-out at full capacity. The festival has become a significant event in the horror film calendar for providing a unique opportunity to celebrate the genre, discover new talent, and
network
Network, networking and networked may refer to:
Science and technology
* Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects
* Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks
Mathematics
...
with industry professionals.
In addition to its typical in-person events, the British Horror Film Festival was also hosted online in 2020 and 2021
due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
Awards (2010-)
2010 British Horror Film Festival Official Selection & Award Winners
2011 British Horror Film Festival Official Selection & Award Winners
2012 British Horror Film Festival Official Selection & Award Winners
2013 British Horror Film Festival Official Selection & Award Winners
2014 British Horror Film Festival Official Selection & Award Winners
2015 British Horror Film Festival Official Selection & Award Winners
2016 British Horror Film Festival Official Selection & Award Winners
2017 British Horror Film Festival Official Selection & Award Winners
2018 British Horror Film Festival Official Selection & Award Winners
2019 British Horror Film Festival Official Selection & Award Winners
2020 British Horror Film Festival Official Selection & Award Winners
2021 British Horror Film Festival Official Selection & Award Winners
2022 British Horror Film Festival Official Selection & Award Winners
{, class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
!2022 Film Nominees (8 Films)
!Award Winners
, -
, ''The Evil is Inside'' (12mins, Dir. by Martin Sharpe)
,
, -
, ''The'' ''Microscope'' (10mins, Dir. by Elliot Vick & Reuben Vick)
, Best Short Film, Best Scare Award (Audience Voted)
, -
, ''Last'' ''Orders'' (21mins, Dir. by Jon James Smith)
, Best Cinematography
, -
, ''Mantis'' (8mins, Dir. by Luigi Sibona)
, Best Actress (Ann Samuel), British Horror Award, Fan Favourite Short Film (Audience Voted)
, -
, ''I. The Void'' (6mins, Dir. by Alexandros Papathanasopoulos)
,
, -
, ''The'' ''Wilds'' (15mins, Dir. by Greig Johnson)
, Best Supporting Actress (
Nicola Bryant
Nicola Jane Bryant (born 11 October 1960)[England & Wales Birth ...](_blank)
), Rising Star Award (Tom Bell)
, -
, ''Sucker'' (8mins, Dir. by Alix Austin)
, Best Sound Design, Best of London Award (Sponsored by Werewolf Beer)
, -
, ''Feed'' ''Me'' (96mins, Dir. by Adam Leader & Richard Oakes)
, Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Music (Benjamin Symons), Best Actor (Christopher Mulvin), Best Supporting Actor (Neal Ward)
, -
, ''OREAD'' (Unproduced screenplay by Lee Copeland)
, Best Unproduced Screenplay
, -
, ''Clown Hallow'' (Unproduced screenplay by Mark Giacomin)
, Unproduced Screenplay Special Commendation
, -
, ''Daisy Daisy'' (Unproduced screenplay by Paul Harker)
, Unproduced Screenplay Special Commendation
, -
, ''Mr. Bear Hugz'' (Unproduced screenplay by Armand Arekian)
, Unproduced Screenplay Special Commendation
, -
, ''The Glamorgan Strangler: A Love Story'' (Unproduced screenplay by Lewis Carter)
, Unproduced Screenplay Special Commendation
, -
, ''The Queens Gold'' (Unproduced screenplay by Kristen Humphrey-Taylor & John Vaughan)
, Unproduced Screenplay Special Commendation
See also
*
British Animation Film Festival
The British Animation Film Festival (BAFF) is a one-day animation festival founded in 2012 that takes place annually in West End of London, London's West End. The festival aims to highlight the best in British, independent and international anima ...
*
British Independent Film Festival
*
International Film Festival of Wales
References
External links
Official siteBritish Horror Film Festivalon
Filmfreeway
FilmFreeway is a website for filmmakers to submit their films to hundreds of film festivals globally.
It is the official sponsor of Orlando Film Festival, 2020.
Partners
Partial list of partners:
*Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
...
British Horror Film Festivalon
IMDb
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
Film Festival Guildon
Facebook
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Film Festival Guildon
Twitter
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Film Festival Guildon
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
Film festivals in London
Fantasy and horror film festivals in the United Kingdom