Film Submissions
Thank you for considering submitting to Exit 6 Film Festival.
Now a staple on the UK short film festival circuit, Exit 6 is for filmmakers as well as film-lovers, and in 2026 will be celebrating our 11th edition.
THE FESTIVAL #EXIT626
Exit 6 Film Festival is an annual celebration of short films kicking off with an in-person screening showcase across one day at Vue cinema, and then online via our festival portal the following a week.
As filmmakers ourselves, we know how important it is to share your work with new audiences, and to have the opportunity to share insights into how that work was brought to life. That's why we invite representatives of each selected film to take part in Q&A's online, and in person with those who are able to join us on the physical festival day.
DATES & DEADLINES
OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS:
23 July 2025
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EARLYBIRD DEADLINE
22 October 2025
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REGULAR DEADLINE:
13 MAY 2026
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LATE DEADLINE:
17 JUNE 2026
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NOTIFICATION DATE:
15 JULY 2026
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MAIN EVENT
19 September 2026
RECOGNITION & REWARD
The Exit 6 judging panel will decide the Official Selection, plus the nominations for each of our special award categories, including those that will form the much-coveted Judges' 6 - the top films in contention to win Best Film.
Nominees for our special award categories - Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay, Best Performance and Best Editing - will be chosen from the entire Official Selection, and notified as such during the festival week.
The winners will be selected by our special guest judges for each category, who in recent years have included Burn Gorman (Pacific Rim), Jeffrey Ford (Avengers: Endgame), Nanu Segal (The Levelling), Shelley Conn (Liar), James Callis (Slow Horses), Mark Towns (Saint Maud), David Rom (Ted Lasso), Benedict Spence (End of the F***ing World), Ben Willbond (Ghosts), Angela Workman (The Zookeeper's Wife), and Dean Cundey (Jurassic Park).
In addition, our 6th award of the festival is the Audience Choice award, for which all of the films in the festival programme can be voted for by ballot across the week. All winners will be announced during our live awards ceremony.
See full terms and submit exclusively via FilmFreeway
REVIEWS
"Exit 6 completely deserves the best review. Its heart is in exactly the right place - great films, and a festival atmosphere that is just fun...
It’s welcoming from before the festival even begins, with a party to celebrate the announcement, and then they bring that party atmosphere to Basingstoke.
Go to this festival now whilst it is at its coolest - this one will be a future biggy. Oh and make sure you book a hotel - it’s a blast!"
- Joe Warner
"Exit 6 have taken all the best bits of short film festivals and merged them into one.
Every part of the festival was very carefully considered, from the very warm welcome, the excellent programming and very useful lanyards!
A lovely touch from the Exit 6 team was that after each film was screened it was immediately followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers. This gave everyone a chance to process and appreciate each short for its own merit.
All in all, this is an excellent film festival and one of our top festival experiences."
- Steven Boyle
