WeMakeFilms International Film Festival

Overview

IMDb Qualifying Festival Whilst submitting our own films to film festivals, we discovered that our films were up against films with much higher budgets than ours typically enjoy. Sometimes the production budgets for short films can be £15,000+. This means we are competing on an uneven playing field. After some research, I discovered that this is a fairly recent phenomenon. Nowadays, it is very easy for films with big budgets to enter "low level" festivals with a click of a button, whereas in the past, it was too expensive and took too much effort. This means that small indie filmmakers don't get much of a look in. So we have decided to run a film festival that levels the playing field. We will have 4 main categories of short films (under 15 mins), any genre. Three out of the four categories will be categorised by the production budget value. The fourth is a completely different category and that is animation. We believe that you cannot compare animation with "live-action" films. So to that end, we have a separate category for animation. We accept animations with a budget of under £5000. The first category will be short films with a production value of under £500/$650. The second will be under £1,500/$1,900. The final main category is with a production value of under £5000/$6000. So, if the film has an obviously higher production value, the film will be rejected. If we deem it as being close we may contact you to have a discussion. We're looking for the good stories, where the filmmakers have had to make something out of nothing, which is kind of what we have to do at WeMakeFilms.

Last updated Sep 4, 2026

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Festival Details

FilmFreeway communityGold festival

• Filmmaker

  On behalf of CESO ENTERPRISES, INC., Alyssa Dann, and Chris Oledude, I would like to compliment the organizers and operators of WeMakeFilms International Film Festival. We are proud to have had the opportunity to showcase our work, “Orange Blues 24” in your festival, as well as share the spotlight with so many talented film makers. Submitting our film was a simple process, and everyone who contacted us on behalf of this festival was helpful, and easy to communicate with. Although we were not able to attend in person, this will remain a highlight of our year, and we recommend submitting your work to this wonderful festival! We certainly intend to participate again in the future. Thank you WeMakeFilms! -Alyssa and Chris

• Filmmaker

  Thank you so much, it was a pleasure being a part of this

• Filmmaker

  On behalf of the cast and crew of Sensus Mori (2025), we thank WeMakeFilms International Film Festival for the opportunity to showcase our film to bright new audiences and share our story in new collaborative spaces.

• Filmmaker

  Excellent festival and a really good idea to have budgetary categories. My film Spoiler Alert wasn’t a winner, but I was honoured to reach Semi-Final stage. I’ll definitely enter again!

• Filmmaker

  Winning Best Short Documentary at We Make Films for It Didn’t Happen to You was especially meaningful because it felt as though the film had been met with real attention and care. This is a festival that clearly respects filmmakers and takes the work seriously. This is a festival that truly pays attention, not just to polish or surface, but to the ideas, risks, and emotional core of the work. I was grateful not only for the recognition, but for the sense that independent films are being watched thoughtfully and responded to in a spirit of generosity and engagement. I’m very proud to have been part of it. I came away feeling both encouraged and very grateful.

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