SWIF digest 📬 14 July 2026

👋 Hey filmmakers! Thanks for the great conversations at Sistaland Festival last weekend. It was a brilliant retreat / inspiration / celebration experience. Looking forward to next year.

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Here’s your weekly digest for independent film in the South West:

🎞️ Learn to develop black & white film at Cornwall Community Darkroom on Fridays this summer. - Eventbrite

🤝 Women in Film & TV's next in person meet up in Cardiff takes place on 22 Jul. - WFTV

⚖️ Watch a screening of documentary Operation Recomply in Bristol on 28 Jul followed by a panel discussion. Told through the eyes of the Filton 25's loved ones, the film documents their fight for justice. - Headfirst

🤩 Catch a screening of The Stimming Pool in Cardiff on 28 Jul with by a Q&A with Hjinx Academy, an all-Wales network of actors with learning disabilities and/or autism. - Chapter

☕️ Join Creative Cardiff for their creative cuppa on 29 Jul to meet, connect and learn from other creatives, whether you're just starting out or have years of experience. - Creative Cardiff

🚓 Feature debut Ish screens in Bristol on 2 Aug with a Director & Producer's Q&A. - Watershed

⚡️ Jolt Gloucester's creative networking for under 30yrs is on 6 Aug. - Jolt

📽️ Exmouth Clips Club's short film night takes place on 8 Aug. - Eventbrite

💀 Catch a screening of new films from Mystic Realm Creations in Caerphilly on 27 & 28 Aug. - Eventbrite

🍜 Exeter Phoenix are hosting a talk on Studio Ghibli’s art on 1 Sep. - Eventbrite

🎂 SWIF's 3rd birthday party & filmmaker mixer takes place on 11 Sep in Bristol. - SWIF

🇬🇧 If you think National Lottery funding should continue to support film & the arts, then make sure you take part in the first public consultation for over 30 years. Deadline 23 Sep. - BFI

🎥 St Ives Film are hosting workshops working with 16mm & 8mm film on 22-23 Jul & 16-17 Oct. - St Ives Film

🙋🏽‍♀️ NFTS Cymru & BBC are offering fully funded places on their 'female self-shooters' short course for women working as Producers / Assistant Producers in unscripted TV. Open to Wales based and south west based applicants. Deadline 23 Aug. - NFTS

👩🏼‍🤝‍👩🏾 Women in Film & TV's mentoring scheme for mid-career women is open for applications until 4 Sep. - WFTV

🦍 Head of Technology needed at Gorilla Group for Cardiff & Bristol. Deadline 14 Jul. - Gorilla

🐞 Shooting Assistant Producers & Researchers needed at Plimsoll Productions in Bristol for a series about British wildlife. Deadline 14 Jul. - Plimsoll

🐺 Floor Runner Trainee & Principal Make-Up Trainee needed at Bad Wolf in Cardiff. Deadline 15 Jul, Welsh residents only. - Screen Alliance Wales

👨🏽‍💻 Plimsoll Productions need Edit Producers for a new history series for a US broadcaster. Deadline 15 Jul. - Plimsoll

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Wales based Trainees needed across departments for a BBC Studios TV series in Cardiff. Deadline 16 Jul. - Beamery

🏃🏿‍♀️ Doghouse Post Production in Bristol are accepting CVs for their Runners pool for last minute opportunities. - Doghouse Post

🏴‍☠️ Crew needed across departments for a short film about pirates shooting in Falmouth for one day in Sep. - Email

😂 Crew call across departments for a three day Bristol shoot of vertical comedy sketches. - Email

🤑 The Large Format short film fund has its deadline on 16 Jul. - Centre Frame

📱 First Flight's Vertical Pilot Fund is open for submissions and has its early deadline on 24 Jul. - First Flights

🏞️ Kendal Mountain Festival's short film fund, for projects that explore all aspects of nature, adventure, environment, exploration and the human connection to the outdoors, is open to applications until 1 Aug. - KMF

💰 Amazon’s Regional Creatives Fund is offering grants of up to £30k for charities, CICs & CIOs which support new entrants into creative industries careers in the UK. Deadline 2 Aug. - Amazon

💷 Bristol City Council's culture fund for artists, creative freelancers & organisations, offers £500 - £5k for projects making arts & culture accessible to everyone. Deadline 6 Aug. - Quartet Community Foundation

📮 Upcoming film festival submission deadlines: Bath (15 Jul), Gloucester Independent (18 Jul), Cornwall (24 Jul), Two Short Nights, Pigeon Laughs, Pompeywood Genre (all 31 Jul), International Film Festival of Wales, Bournemouth International (both 1 Aug) & Screams by the Sea (9 Aug) . - FilmFreeway

🎞️ Cinema Rediscovered Film Festival takes place in Bristol on 22-26 Jul. - Watershed

🏔️ Bristol Documentary Film Festival takes place 3-5 Sep. - BDFF

😺 ANiMiNSPO Mini Animation Festival takes place on 12 Sep in Bristol. - Animinspo

🎬 Encounters Film Festival takes place 23-27 Sep in Bristol. - Encounters

🍿 On film club: You Can Live Forever dir. Sarah Watts & Mark Slutsky (on NowTV Cinema) & Cuba and the Cameraman dir. Jon Alpert (on Netflix).

📣 Have something to share on the next digest? Could be an event, workshop, behind the scenes updates, crew call, showcasing your work or a personal ad. Get in touch! hollyholdsworth@gmail.com

💌 If you found this helpful please forward it to a friend.

Until next week!
Holly Holdsworth (she/her)
Writer/Director
watch my films

Inclusion in this email does not denote endorsement. I will always try to platform the best opportunities for this community and am not affiliated with any organisation, unless explicitly mentioned besides the link.