Unfortunately we still have to have rules. So please find following the conditions under which you can enter your film into our annual Film Festival.
CITY LIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
ABOUT
CITY LIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL (formerly Tweetfest Film Festival) is a BIFA qualifying film festival, a founding member of AIFF and a member of Film Hub London. Our VIP judges for from previous years have included Blaine Brothers (Nina Forever), Manuel Puro at Puro Casting (Moon, The Machine), Simon Blake (Still), Jessie Mangum from Goalpost Films (The Sapphires, The Trip, The Escapist) and BAFTA nominated producer Alex Moody (Alan Carr, Argumental, BAFTA nominated Funny Valentines) to name a few. More can be seen on our website.
This festival started in 2015 as part of the UK Actors Tweetup (now known as City Nights), which has been running since 2010. This is the UK branch of a cross-Atlantic branch of Tweetups that happen in LA, NY, London, Ireland and Nottingham. It is the only networking event of its kind in the UK with the aim of providing a fresh and affordable platform for industry professionals to meet in person and create incredible opportunities in film, television and theatre.
City Lights will consider entries in the following categories for inclusion in the festival: Animation, documentary, sci-fi, action, fantasy, drama, comedy, horror or thriller. And International short films.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS 2026
City Lights Film Festival is a British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) qualifying short film festival and also an approved film festival on IMDb.
The 2026 VIP judging panel for this year will be announced in 2026. More information on the VIP jury can be found on our official website, and this indicates the excellent calibre of the jury we have had in the past.
City Lights Film Festival will consider entries in the following categories for inclusion in the festival: Animation, documentary, sci-fi, action, fantasy, drama, comedy, horror or thriller. You can also submit an International film in the International Film category.
The Best Short Film Award is open to UK and Irish entries only.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS 2026
1. Our deadlines are as per the FilmFreeway website.
2. The duration of your film must not exceed 25 minutes 0 seconds, including titles and credits.
3. Any film that is a brand film or advertisement cannot be accepted. This is at the City Light Film Festival’s discretion as to what is deemed as advertising.
4. Only films completed since January 2025 may be submitted.
5. If the original language is not English, please ensure the film includes English subtitles. If a foreign language film is submitted without English subtitles, it will not be considered for selection.
6. If your film is shortlisted, you will be asked to send an exhibition copy of the film in high/full resolution and we will also require a DCP. Specific details of the format we’ll need for screening and where to send it will be discussed with the team of the successful films nearer the event date (in accordance with the Screening and Selection criteria below). The shortlisted team that submitted their short film will be responsible for making sure the exhibition file and DCP are sent to the TweetFest team within the specified timeline for it to be judged and screened at the live event.
7. The film and/or the director(s) will be credited on the website and any other promotional material. In the case of shortlisted and/or winning co-directors, multiple prizes may be granted at the discretion of the organisers.
8. To keep informed on the details of the film festival, you can subscribe to the mailing list here: https://city-lights.kit.com/e7c1ff0f08
PLEASE NOTE: You agree by entering the festival that City Lights and City Nights (formerly TweetFest Film Festival and UK Actors Tweetup) may collect, use and disclose your personal data which you have provided in your booking, for providing marketing material that you have agreed to receive, in accordance with our privacy policies, which can be found here: https://uktweetfest.com/terms-and-conditions/
9. The primary contact completing the submission process must be authorised to submit the film and must have obtained the necessary permissions for the inclusion of copyrighted music and/or images within the films.
10. You must have a version of the short available to download in a high-resolution version if you are successful and chosen to be screened at the Film Festival. Information will be provided and sent to you prior to this date.
The City Lights Film Festival (formerly TweetFest) team’s decision is non-negotiable and final.
The City Lights Film Festival (formerly TweetFest) team reserves the right to change the date of the screening of City Lights Film Festival at their discretion.
Terms and Conditions are copyright 2026 to City Lights Film Festival LTD.
City Lights Film Festival 