SWIF digest 📬 24 February 2026

👋 Hi filmmakers. I'm about to go into two short films back to back as 1st AD. Follow updates on both films here - Roisin & Raela and Text Me When You're Home. If next week's digest is a little wobbly because of this, please forgive me.

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

📸 BTS from the Swindon shoot for short film Kahaani, which focuses on South Asian Heritage. - Instagram

🎬 Filmmakers Plymouth Social's next meet up is 26 February. Chat all things filmmaking & win tickets to Everyman Cinema! - Foto Now

📝 New group Bristol Writers is organising meet ups on the last Thursday of each month. Next one is 26 Feb. - Instagram

🧚 Support a Falmouth short film by attending their live event fundraiser on 28 Feb. Expect live folk music, dancing, storytelling, tarot, and revelry in support of a film which pays homage to mid-century fairytale movies. - Eventbrite

🤩 Watch an afternoon of empowering short films by women from across Wales on 1 Mar in Swansea. This free screeening is part of the Women Who Create Wales St David's Day programme. - Eventbrite

🍻 Film & creative industries networking drinks takes place on 3 Mar in Bristol. - Eventbrite

📀 Discover the art of cinema curation and how programmes are put together from the teams at Exeter Phoenix, the BFI, local film festivals and museums. For 16-25yrs only. 6 Mar in Exeter. - Eventbrite

📽️ Learn about the golden age of cinema in Devon in a talk on 12 Mar in Exeter, focusing on 1920’s - 1960’s, with a bit of a glance at both earlier and later times. - Eventbrite

👻 Screams by the Sea Film Festival in Bournemouth have announced their full programme for 13-14 Mar, including a live horror podcast recording, market, meet the festival organisers, networking, shorts, features and more. - SbtS

🎪 Normal Girl is hosting its first-ever multi-media festival on 13 Mar in Bristol, featuring a writing workshop, panel discussion, open mic and a short film screening. - Headfirst

🟦 Bluescreen open short film night in Bristol next takes place on 25 Mar. Submit your films by 15 Mar. This is a regular favourite of mine. - Cube

🏄 Watch a screening of Sand Dancers on 26 Mar near Salcombe. An award-winning short documentary following Jimmy Simpson, a quadriplegic man with cerebral palsy as he trains in South Devon to become an competitive adaptive surfer. - Eventbrite

🎇 The Studio Barn Chippenham are offering 30% discount on all bookings until the end of March to celebrate their 30th anniversary this year! - Studio Barn

🎺 Documantary filmmakers, Yahoo & The Nonfiction Hotlist have open submissions for their distribution pathway. Deadline 8 Mar. - Nonfiction Hotlist

👀 Casting Director Lucy Pardee is looking for a Casting Assistant based in or near the Welsh Valleys for a feature film project. This is a community-facing role focused on both street casting and conventional casting. - Screen Alliance Wales

🧑‍💻 Producer needed for a contained psychological thriller feature exploring fractured identity and moral consequence. At development stage with help needed to shape the project toward UK funding routes & production planning. - Andrew Compton

🪲 Assistant Technical Producer needed at the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol. Deadline 25 Feb. - BBC

🧑🏽‍🔬 Doc Society are hiring a Talent Development Manager & a Production Assistant. Deadlines 2 Mar. - Independent Cinema Office

🧑‍🎨 Head of Arts needed at membership organisation & charity A&B Cymru, which promotes, enables, develops and sustains mutually beneficial partnerships between business and the arts. Deadline 16 Mar. - Screen Alliance Wales

✍🏾 Writer call out from Running Cliché Productions who are looking to connect with writers for potential submissions to the BFI Network England short film funding. Deadline 3 Mar. - Screen Alliance Wales

🍒 Applications for the short film micro-fund from Are You Seeing This? close on 8 Mar. - AYST

🤑 Exeter Phoenix's short film funds are open for applications until 22 Mar, with online Q&As on 4 & 11 Mar. - EP

🌍 Apply to the mentoring programme 'Cultivating Diasporic Futures - Uprooting Hate' for intersectional photographers under 31 years old to envision and create transformative futures. Deadline 23 Mar. - Uprooting Hate

🔊 Aesthetica & Audible's 'The Listening Pitch' grant for documentaries is open for submissions until 20 Apr. - Aesthetica

👩‍❤️‍👩 The personals: Nothing this week, get in touch for a free listing.

📮 Upcoming film festival submission deadlines: Wildscreen (24 Feb), Carmarthen Bay (2 Mar), Pompeywood Genre (5 Mar), International Film Festival
 of Wales, Pigeon Laughs (both 6 Mar), Bristol Independent (11 Mar), Bristol Documentary (14 Mar), Encounters (16 Mar) & Cardiff Mini (17 Mar). - FilmFreeway

📷 Two Short Nights Film Festival takes place in Exeter 5-6 Mar. - TSN

📺 Women in Film & TV Festival in Cardiff takes place 11 Mar & includes a panel on producing drama in Wales with with Bad Wolf & Screen Alliance Wales. - WFTV

👻 Screams By The Sea International Film Festival takes place in Bournemouth 13-14 Mar. - SBTS

🍿 On film club: The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant dir. Rainer Werner Fassbinder (on BFIplayer) & Witches dir. Elizabeth Sankey (on Mubi).

📣 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

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Until next week!
Holly Holdsworth (she/her)
Writer/Director
where I am on the net

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.