City of Film

Are you based in Bradford, Bristol, or Kathmandu? Show us what makes your city so special

Closing date - Mon 30 Sep

Competition closed

This competition has now closed. For other competitions, please see our competitions page.

Are you based in Bradford, Bristol, or Kathmandu? If so, you're living in a UNESCO City of Film!

We at Into Film are celebrating these cities, with support from the British Council, and we want to see films from your students showing us what makes them so special. Whether you're celebrating the history, the friendliness, the diversity, the green spaces, or even the public transport, we want to hear from you with a short documentary film that really celebrates the city. Anyone based in the UK or Nepal can enter, but your documentary must be in celebration of one of the cities of Bradford, Bristol or Kathmandu.

Ten winners will be selected. Each winner will receive a special certificate, and all ten winning documentaries will be screened at a big screen celebration cinema event in Kathmandu, Nepal, organised by our partners The Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival. (Note: the prize does not include travel to or attendance at the event).

And remember - you don't have to live in one of the UNESCO Cities of Film to enter. Perhaps you've been on holiday to one, or used to live there, and have great memories? We invite all schools, educators and young people in the UK and Nepal aged under 18 to submit their documentary films celebrating Bradford, Bristol, or Kathmandu. Films can be made on a mobile device, tablet or camera, and must be a a maximum of 5 minutes long (including credits), include no copyrighted music or images, and be in English (or in Nepali with English subtitles). The deadline for submissions is 23:59 PM GMT on Monday 30 September 2024.

If you are new to filmmaking or would like to improve your craft, then please download the resources on this page to start learning. Our resources cover everything you need to know to start making a great documentary. They also provide invaluable information on staying copyright-free when making your film. We strongly recommend downloading and reading these resources before you get started. Any entry that uses copyrighted music or visuals will unfortunately not be seen by the judges.

To submit your completed documentary, simply complete the submission form. You will then be instructed to upload your film. You will receive confirmation on the upload page that your upload has been successful.

Please make sure you ask a parent or guardian to complete the Entrant Details part of the form. Films can also be entered by a parent/guardian, school, teacher or other adult on behalf of a young person or group of young people.

We are looking for the most creative and engaging short documentary films that celebrate Bradford, Bristol, or Kathmandu. In order to be shortlisted for the judges' consideration, submitted films must meet the following criteria:

Your film must be a documentary and can be either live action or animated
Films may be made using any equipment, be it a mobile phone, tablet, camera, or anything else.
All contributing filmmakers must be aged between 5 and 18 at the time of submitting the film.
Films must be a maximum of 5 minutes in duration, including titles and credits.
Any music, video or still images used in the film should be cleared for use by the copyright holder or be copyright free.
You must NOT feature the surnames of any young people under the age of 18 anywhere in the film, including the titles and credits. Into Film are committed to the protection and safety of young people, and the addition of surnames in your films can compromise this. If surnames are included in your film, your entry may not be considered.
You must have gained permission to film anyone who appears in the film. Anyone aged under 18 who appears in the film must have their parent or carer's permission to appear. You can use the following forms to collect permission.

We will not be judging films on technical ability alone. Judges will use the following criteria to make their decisions on the winning film:

Idea - the film is engaging/interesting and captures an audience's attention
Story - the film shows strength in structure to support the idea
Look - the use of camera, movement, and lighting supports the film well
Sound - the dialogue is clear throughout and strengthens the film, with great use of music and other sounds
Celebration - the concept of celebration has been incorporated well/imaginatively

The closing date is 23:59 PM GMT on Monday 30 September 2024. No entries will be accepted after this date.
All films submitted must be a maximum of 5 minutes long (including credits). Films longer than five minutes will not be considered as part of the competition.
Call is run by Film Nation UK Ltd of 31 Islington Green, Islington, London N1 8DU. All entrants must be residents of the UK or Nepal.
The competition is open to children and young people aged 5-18. All entrants under 18 must have gained the consent of a parent/carer/guardian to enter the competition. All entries from children and young people under 18 must be submitted by a parent/carer/guardian.
All personal data provided when submitting the film will be used only to contact winning entrants, unless the entrant has given communications consent. Personal data will be deleted within six months of the competition closing.
This competition is not open to employees of Into Film or members of their immediate families or agents and anyone else connected with the promotion.
Winners will be notified by phone or e-mail and their first name will be published on the Into Film and British Council website social media pages.
The judges' decision will be final, and no correspondence will be entered into.
No part of any prize is exchangeable for cash or any other prize.
Into Film will not be held liable for any injury sustained as a result of filming content for this competition.
Into Film reserves the right to disqualify any entrant it has reasonable grounds to believe has breached any of the rules of the competition.
In all cases, the entrant will be bound by the competition Terms and Conditions and Into Film's Privacy Policy as detailed on the Into Film website.

1. The person submitting content must represent, warrant and agree that they are the owner of all the rights in the content.

2. The person submitting content must guarantee that it will not: be defamatory, abusive or offensive; infringe the copyright, moral right, performing rights, rights of privacy, trade mark or other proprietary right of any third party; constitute a misuse of any confidential information of a third party, advertise, promote or endorse any products or services, adversely affect the reputation of Into Film.

3. The person submitting the content must guarantee that all individuals appearing in the film will have given their written consent to do so. Participants in the film who aged under 18 will have written consent from their parent/carer/guardian to appear.

4. The person submitting the content must guarantee that any necessary consent, waiver, clearance, licence or approval required for Into Film to make use of the content has been obtained and that any fees or payments relating thereto have been paid; and you have not entered into, nor will you enter into, any agreement or arrangement which could conflict with your obligations to Into Film under these terms and conditions.

5. Any music, video or still images used in the film should be cleared for use by the copyright holder or be copyright free.

6. You must NOT feature the surnames of any young people under the age of 18, anywhere in the film, including the titles and credits. Into Film are committed to the protection and safety of young people, and the addition of surnames in your films can compromise this. If surnames are included in your film, your entry may be disqualified.