Encounters Film Festival announces 2025 return

Bristol’s globally respected Encounters film festival will make a comeback in September next year following a change of management which sees Dave Taylor-Matthews take over as Executive Director.

The festival – widely praised for its knack of discovering new talent – cancelled its 2024 edition and cast doubts about the future after it was hit by a series of challenges triggered by Brexit’s impact on access to European funding and the pandemic.

But now Dave Taylor-Matthews, a veteran producer of festivals and live cinema events in the UK and beyond, is working on a re-launch - fixing 24 to 28 September 2025 as the dates of the landmark 30th Encounters and opening the call for entries.

Taylor-Matthews says:  “There is no way that Bristol – a UNESCO City of Film – nor the sector was prepared to let go of a festival which has a 30 year track record of showcasing brilliant short film, nurturing emerging film-makers and identifying talent and whose alumni include such stand-out figures as Andrea Arnold, Rungano Nyoni, Ruben Östlund, Martin McDonagh, Lynne Ramsay, and Denis Villeneuve. We are determined to lead the fight against ‘enshittification’ and are powering ahead with a 2025 programme which will screen bold and inventive new works, feature headline events of wide appeal, provide a space where new creative projects and partnerships are born and where all film fans feel welcome. 30 years of Encounters deserves an epic celebration!”

Image: Encounters Film Festival 

Entries are being invited now via https://filmfreeway.com/encountersfilmfestival for live action, animated, documentary or experimental films of under 40 mins in length and (to make up for the 2024 festival’s cancellation), completed on or after 1 January 2023.

There will be cash prizes for the top performing films in competition for the international and national grand prix plus the chance to qualify for entry to the British Independent Film Awards or BAFTAs &/or get nominated for a European Film Award.

Among those welcoming the return of Encounters to Bristol’s events calendar are Aardman co-founder David Sproxton; Mark Cosgrove, Cinema Curator at Watershed, and Natalie Moore, manager of the Bristol UNESCO City of Film programme.

Image: Encounters Film Festival

Natalie Moore says: "For thirty years, Encounters has played a pivotal role for Bristol; nurturing and springboarding film talent, leading industry conversations, and elevating our international profile. The festival's return in 2025 is fantastic news for both filmmakers and audiences, and the 30th edition promises to be a celebration of everything Encounters does best - gathering film lovers, filmmakers and industry figureheads to enjoy the best shorts around and create film experiences to remember."

Image: Encounters Film Festival

To stay up to date with Encounters’ news, sign-up for the free e-bulletin via the festival’s website www.encounters.film or find/follow the festival’s accounts on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, Vimeo or YouTube.