# Encounters Film Festival

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**Encounters Film Festival** is an international film festival held annually in Bristol, England. Founded in 1995, it is the UK's longest-running short film competition.[1] The festival takes place each September on Bristol's harbourside, with its main venues at [Watershed](/source/Watershed_(Bristol)), [Bristol Beacon](/source/Bristol_Beacon) and [Arnolfini](/source/Arnolfini,_Bristol). Bristol is a [UNESCO City of Film](/source/UNESCO_Creative_Cities_Network).

Encounters is a qualifying festival for the [BAFTA](/source/BAFTA)[2] for Best British Short Film and Best British Short Animation, the [British Independent Film Awards](/source/British_Independent_Film_Awards)[3], and the [European Film Awards](/source/European_Film_Awards).[4]

## History

The festival began in 1995 as Brief Encounters, a one-off event. Animated Encounters was set up in 2001 to celebrate and showcase animation. In 2006 the two festivals united as the Encounters Short Film Festival.[5]

In 2010 Encounters became a qualifying festival for the Academy Awards for short film categories.[6]

In 2011 Encounters announced a new partnership with the European Film Academy Short Film Initiative, becoming one of fifteen European festivals that present nominations for the European Film Awards.

The festival celebrated its 30th edition in September 2025.[7]

## Programme

The festival's centrepiece is its international short film competition, which screens over 200 films drawn from more than 50 countries across competitive and curated programmes spanning fiction, documentary, animation, and experimental work. The festival does not require premiere status for submissions.

The 2025 programme featured 44 premieres, including 33 UK premieres, with world and international premieres from China, Kazakhstan, Poland, Norway, and the USA.[8]

Encounters also runs DepicT!, a micro-shorts competition open to films of 90 seconds or under, which has run since 1998.[9]

The festival's industry programme includes talks, masterclasses, and panel discussions with leading figures from the screen industries. The 30th edition in 2025 welcomed 2,000 guests and 650 industry delegates across more than 80 screenings and events.[9]

## Awards

The festival presents awards across several categories. The principal awards are the Brief Encounters Grand Prix for live action short film, the Animated Encounters Grand Prix for animated short film, and the Documentary Encounters Grand Prix for documentary short film. Additional awards include Best of British (Live Action), Best of British (Animation), the Audience Award, and the DepicT! Award.

### 2025 award winners

Source:[9]

- Brief Encounters Grand Prix – *The Last People*, directed by Nicolás Pindeus
- Animated Encounters Grand Prix – *Two Black Boys in Paradise*, directed by Baz Sells
- Documentary Encounters Grand Prix – *Incident*, directed by Bill Morrison
- Best of British (Live Action) – *There Will Come Soft Rains*, directed by Elham Ehsas
- Best of British (Animation) – *Dédé (Ancestor)*, directed by Yasmine Djedje-Fisher-Azoume
- Audience Award – *Hunting*, directed by Lea Favre
- DepicT! Award – *Full of Sh*t*, directed by Clarissa Kumala

## Notable alumni

Encounters has screened early short films by filmmakers who have gone on to significant careers in international cinema. Notable competition alumni include [Denis Villeneuve](/source/Denis_Villeneuve),[10] [Lynne Ramsay](/source/Lynne_Ramsay), [Rungano Nyoni](/source/Rungano_Nyoni), [Julia Ducournau](/source/Julia_Ducournau), [Charlotte Wells](/source/Charlotte_Wells),[11] [Ruben Östlund](/source/Ruben_%C3%96stlund),[12] [Joachim Trier](/source/Joachim_Trier), [Molly Manning-Walker](/source/Molly_Manning_Walker), and [Radu Jude](/source/Radu_Jude).[13].

## Special guests

Past headline guests at the festival have included screenwriter and director [Charlie Kaufman](/source/Charlie_Kaufman) and director [Michel Gondry](/source/Michel_Gondry), who appeared together at the 30th edition in 2025,[14] [15][16] [Hayao Miyazaki](/source/Hayao_Miyazaki),[17] [Ray Harryhausen](/source/Ray_Harryhausen),[17] [Andrea Arnold](/source/Andrea_Arnold),[18] and [Matt Groening](/source/Matt_Groening).[19]

## Partners and supporters

Encounters works in partnership with leading organisations across the UK screen industries, including BBC Writers Room, [Aardman](/source/Aardman_Animations), [The Bottle Yard Studios](/source/The_Bottle_Yard_Studios), the [BFI](/source/British_Film_Institute), the [British Council](/source/British_Council), the [National Film and Television School](/source/National_Film_and_Television_School), [Watershed](/source/Watershed_(Bristol)), [Bristol Beacon](/source/Bristol_Beacon), and [Arnolfini](/source/Arnolfini,_Bristol). The festival is supported by the BFI Film Audience Network, the [University of Bristol](/source/University_of_Bristol), and [UWE Bristol](/source/UWE_Bristol).[20]

## References

1. ["About"](https://www.encounters.film/about). *Encounters Film Festival*. Retrieved 18 May 2026.

1. ["BAFTA Qualifying Festivals List – British Short Film"](https://bafta.alchemy.construction/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/british_short_film_qualifying_festivals_list_2025-1.pdf). [BAFTA](/source/BAFTA). 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2026.

1. ["BIFA Qualifying Festival Lists"](https://www.bifa.film/about/rules-and-eligibility/bifa-qualifying-festivals/bifa-qualifying-festivals-list/#shorts). [British Independent Film Awards](/source/British_Independent_Film_Awards). Retrieved 6 April 2026.

1. ["Short Film Network"](https://www.europeanfilmacademy.org/about/european-film-academy-short-film-network/). European Film Academy. Retrieved 6 April 2026.

1. Mitchell, Wendy (2006). ["Encounters to host Ken Russell and Frank Cottrell Boyce"](https://www.screendaily.com/encounters-to-host-ken-russell-and-frank-cottrell-boyce/4028587.article). *Screen Daily*. Retrieved 18 February 2021.

1. ["92nd Academy Awards Short Films Qualifying Festival List"](https://www.oscars.org/sites/oscars/files/92aa_rule19_short_festivals.pdf). Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 18 February 2021.

1. Dalton, Ben (2024-12-11). ["Encounters film festival to return in 2025 with new executive director"](https://www.screendaily.com/news/encounters-film-festival-to-return-in-2025-with-new-executive-director/5200042.article). *Screen*. Retrieved 2025-02-21.

1. ["International Competition Programme 2025"](https://www.encounters.film/programme-announcement25). Encounters Film Festival. Retrieved 29 September 2025.

1. ["Encounters Film Festival: 2025 Animated Award Winners"](https://www.skwigly.co.uk/encounters-2025-awards/). *Skwigly Animation Magazine*. 29 September 2025. Retrieved 29 September 2025.

1. Villeneuve, Denis, [Next Floor](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1255891/) (Short, Comedy), Simone Chevalot, Luc-Martial Dagenais, Kenneth Fernandez, Phi, retrieved 21 February 2025

1. ["Blue Christmas - Directed by Charlotte Wells"](https://nationalboardofreview.org/student-film/blue-christmas-directed-charlotte-wells/). National Board of Review. Retrieved 21 February 2025.

1. ["Encounters Film Festival and Bristol Ideas"](https://www.bristolideas.co.uk/read/encounters-film-festival-and-bristol-ideas/index.html). Bristol Ideas. 17 April 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2025.

1. ["Encounters Short Film Festival announces winners"](https://www.screendaily.com/encounters-short-film-festival-announces-winners/4036026.article). Screen Daily. 2007. Retrieved 6 April 2026.

1. ["Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind duo reunite for launch of 30th edition of Encounters Film Festival"](https://www.visitwest.co.uk/news/read/2025/09/eternal-sunshine-of-the-spotless-mind-duo-reunite-for-launch-of-30th-edition-of-encounters-film-festival-b6162). Visit West. 5 September 2025. Retrieved 29 September 2025.

1. ["Oscar-winning filmmakers' premiering works at festival"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdr6335z255o). [BBC News](/source/BBC_News). 24 September 2025. Retrieved 6 April 2026.

1. ["Hollywood has everything to do with the terrible state of the world: Charlie Kaufman on artificial intelligence, Eternal Sunshine and toothache"](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/sep/12/hollywood-has-everthing-to-do-with-the-terrible-state-of-the-world-charlie-kaufman-on-artificial-intelligence-eternal-sunshine-and-toothache). [The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian). 12 September 2025. Retrieved 6 April 2026.

1. ["Animated Encounters 2003"](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/animated-encounters-2003). Animation World Network. Retrieved 21 February 2025.

1. Cooper, Sarah (16 November 2009). ["Encounters Short Film Festival to screen 150 films over five days"](https://www.screendaily.com/encounters-short-film-festival-to-screen-150-films-over-five-days/5008194.article). Screen. Retrieved 21 February 2025.

1. ["BBC - Bristol - Bristol Features - The website Matt Groening loves"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/bristol/content/features/2002/animated_encounters/groening2/groening.shtml). BBC. Retrieved 21 February 2025.

1. ["Supporters"](https://www.encounters.film/supporters). Encounters Film Festival. Retrieved 2025.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Encounters Film Festival](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encounters_Film_Festival) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encounters_Film_Festival?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.