​Submission Deadlines:
31 October  Don't Look Now  (earlybird)
30 November  Nosferatu
31 December  Black Christmas
31 January  The Wicker Man    
28 February  Titane
31 March  Suspiria
30 April  Under The Skin
31 May  Possession
31 June  Candyman
21 August  The Exorcist​
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS will be notified on/before 31 August 2026
THE SCREENING PROGRAMME will be published on 15 September 2026
WINNERS will be revealed at the festival 30 October - 1 November 2026
SUBMISSION CATEGORIES:

Short Films
Runtime must be less than 30 minutes​
  • ANIMATION
  • COMEDY-HORROR
  • DOCUMENTARY
  • DRAMA
  • EXPERIMENTAL FILM
  • FANTASY
  • FEATURE FILM
  • HORROR
  • LITTLE HORRORS (under 12 Yrs)
  • MADE IN HASTINGS
  • MICRO-BUDGET FILM
  • PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR
  • QUEER HORROR
  • SCI-FI
  • STUDENT FILM
  • VOICES IN THE DARK (13 - 18 Yrs)


​Feature-Length Films
Runtime must be more than 30 minutes. All genres admissible.

RULES:
​
  • "Little Horrors" - principal filmmakers should be aged under 12 years old.
  • "Voices in the Dark" - principal filmmakers should be 13 - 18 years old.
  • "Made in Hastings" - at least 2 scenes must be set/filmed in Hastings. All genres eligible.
  • "Micro Budget Film" requires a production budget of less than £1000.
  • "Student Films" must have at least 2 crew members in full-time education.
  • "Young Performance" - actors must be under 16 years of age.
Awards

Films that fit Hastings Rocks’ ethos will be awarded Official Selection status – Finalists and Winners will be designated in each submission category

All OFFICIAL SELECTIONS will be screened at our ANNUAL FESTIVAL on 30 October - 1 November 2026

HONOURABLE MENTION OFFICIAL SELECTIONS will receive an ONLINE SHOWCASING at the ROCKS SCREENING ROOM

There will be WINNERS in each of the following Short Film Categories:
ANIMATION / COMEDY-HORROR / DOCUMENTARY / DRAMA / EXPERIMENTAL FILM / FANTASY / FEATURE FILM / HORROR / LITTLE HORRORS / MADE IN HASTINGS / MICRO-BUDGET FILM / PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR / QUEER HORROR / SCI-FI / STUDENT FILM / VOICES IN THE DARK

Official Selections are automatically considered for the following awards:
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY / DIRECTOR / EDITING / ORIGINAL SCORE / PERFORMANCE (up to 3 awards) / SCREENPLAY / SET DESIGN / SPECIAL EFFECTS / THE SPIRIT OF HASTINGS AWARD
​
Terms and Conditions

All films must be in English or have English subtitles
Productions must have been completed after 1 January 2021
Filmmakers retain the rights to their films
Filmmakers are responsible for acquiring copyrights, licenses and releases for media used in their films
By submitting their film, filmmakers gives Brighton Rocks the right to post their posters, trailers, website and social media links on our website
Brighton Rocks reserves the right to move films into categories different from the one(s) submitted to.​
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