Watersprite Film Festival, the world’s largest international student film festival, will return for its “most ambitious edition yet”, welcoming a record number of submissions and countries from across the globe.
Running from Friday 6 to Sunday 8 March in Cambridge and online, the festival invites audiences to discover the filmmakers shaping the future of film and television – all for free.
Across the festival, audiences can experience a “rich programme” of international short film screenings selected from 2,243 submissions across 108 countries, alongside talks, panels and Q&A sessions with some of the most respected voices working across film and television today.
Highlights from this year’s programme include the team behind 100 Nights of Hero at the Closing Ceremony.
Fresh from the film’s release and its role closing the BFI London Film Festival, Watersprite organisers will be joined by Julia Jackman, Helen Simmons, Stephanie Aspin and Isabel Greenberg for insight into the process of adapting a graphic novel for the screen.
Across the weekend, the programme features Q&A talks with actor and comedian Doc Brown, pioneering producer Nadine Marsh-Edwards, stop-motion cinematographer Tristan Oliver BSC and historical consultant Hannah Grieg.
From Facing the Future of the Screen Industries, a panel including the incredible Hilary Strong, CEO of John Gore Studios, Ade Rawcliffe, the chief people & inclusion officer at ITV, and Sam Lavender, executive producer at Java Road Pictures, to Filmmaking on the Frontline with Ramita Navai, the weekend promises to be a rich exploration of the key issues shaping today’s screen industries.
The festival will also examine genre and industry trends, with a session on Resurrecting Horror, featuring representatives from Hammer Films and Silver Salt Restoration, and Writing Timeless TV with Lisa Holdsworth and Thara Popoola.
Friday 6 will begin with a free educational Creative Futures Day for young people. Bringing together 16-18-year-olds for hands-on workshops led by local industry talent – including RTS East, Vine FX and Dragonlight Films – alongside a session on the making of Grantchester, the day promises to inspire young people, demystifying careers in the screen industries whilst celebrating the South East’s thriving screen sector.
The Watersprite Awards Ceremony will take place on Saturday 7 March, celebrating and platforming outstanding international student filmmaking across 18 categories, with nominated filmmakers joining in person from 17 countries across four continents.
These countries are: Mexico, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Colombia, Brazil, Germany, South Korea, Singapore, Uzbekistan, Iran, Turkey, Spain, Russia, Guatemala, Belgium, Iceland and Lithuania.
More information is available on the Watersprite website.
