The end of summer signals the start of festival season in the North - one of the busiest and best periods of the year for local filmmakers and our BFI NETWORK team.

We’re pleased to be starting the 2023 season with a bang, with a handful of films from our BFI NETWORK Short Film Fund slate making appearances at festivals across the UK, and our very own showcase event coming soon as well.

First up, FrightFest! Congratulations go to the team behind Vestige - Guðni Líndal Benediktsson (writer), Joseph Simmons (writer-director), Lewis Coates (producer) - which makes its world premiere at the big beast of UK genre festivals. Vestige, the story of a young man searching for traces of his father amongst a pile of old cassettes and the fossils washed up on the Durham coast, receives its first public outing at Cineworld Leicester Square on Monday 28 August.

Closer to home, in September, two films from our slate screen at Women X: the North East’s festival of female filmmakers. Mug - written and directed by Jo Lane, produced by Daljinder Johal - wraps up a festival run that’s taken in more than 20 UK and international events, and receives two award nods at Women X. While A Television Broadcast From Outer Space - written and directed by Mo & Steph, produced by Mikel Iriarte - kicks off its extraordinary journey with a berth in Darlington and a trio of award nominations.

By the time we reach Bolton International Film Festival in early-October, festival season is in full-swing. A handful of Hub-funded shorts screen in the official selection, and we’re hosting our own showcase event on Thursday 5 October where we’ll be sharing even more new work from our slate.

Among the official selection, Vestige makes another appearance in the festival’s genre strand. Bury the Dogs - written and directed by Beth Rowland, produced by Hollie Bryan - features in a UK shorts showcase alongside Fist - written by Lee Mattinson, directed by Andrew McVicar, produced by Justin McDonald and Kate Hodgson. And a second Hub double-header rounds out another UK highlights programme, with Starling - written and directed by Matthew Boyle, produced by Tara Langford - screening with The Witch’s Daughter - written by Emily Carlton, directed by Emma Swinton, produced by Diva Rodriguez.

Well done to all of the filmmaking teams on their recent festival success. We can't wait to see where they'll screen next.