08/06/2026
🎬 WEST LOTHIAN FILM FESTIVAL UPDATE 🎬
The wait is over...
✅ All Finalist notifications have now been sent via FilmFreeway.
Firstly, congratulations to every filmmaker, cast member and crew member who has secured Finalist status. The standard of submissions this year was incredibly strong, making the judging process a genuine challenge. Timelines and deadlines were pushed to the limit to ensure every submission was given all the attention needed to judge fully. I shout out to Matthew Farnham, Hannah Baillie, Kirsty Elizabeth Lily, Eli Forbes, Tamara Pearson, Sarah Curran, Spike Nisbet, Indigo Pearson, Connor Denholm, Max Agnew, Ross Woodward, Skye Watson, Rosie Hughes, Paul Hamilton, Bobbie Clark, Saloni Mahajan, the team at Condor Entertainment (who judged all the documentaries) and the team at West Lothian Television (who judged all the Young Person Film submissions).
For those still waiting to hear from us, Honourable Mention notifications will be following shortly.
Now that Finalists have been confirmed, the anticipation can really begin to build. We appreciate that many filmmakers will be eager to know where they stand in the competition, however Finalist status will remain in place until our awards ceremony in November, when the winners will finally be revealed live at a black tie event.
🎥 SPECIAL SCREENING EVENTS
Behind the scenes, we are continuing to work closely with West Lothian Council to secure dates and venues for a number of special screening events across West Lothian, including:
• Blackburn Partnership Centre
• Bathgate Partnership Centre
• Armadale Partnership Centre
• Strathbrock Community Centre
• Torphichen Community Centre
Several of these events are intended to act as complete fundraisers for our charity partner, Breast Friends and Family, and for Bathgate Community Council. Because of this, we want to ensure that every booking is perfect for the audience and the organisations we are supporting.
Our intention is currently to launch the first special screening event in July which is due to be a fundraiser for Brest Friends and Family. However, if venue confirmation timelines leave insufficient time to properly promote and sell tickets, we will postpone rather than compromise the event's success. We believe filmmakers deserve full audiences, and our charity and community partners deserve the strongest fundraising opportunity possible.
🏆 THE MAIN FESTIVAL & AWARDS CEREMONY
Recently, we asked our community for feedback on the possibility of hosting the main festival and awards ceremony outside West Lothian.
Your response was loud and clear.
(Some) Special Screening Events outside West Lothian? Yes, fill your boots.
Moving the main festival outside West Lothian? Eh, naw.
The overwhelming majority of respondents felt strongly that the West Lothian Film Festival should remain firmly rooted in West Lothian, and we have listened.
With that in mind, we'd love your thoughts on one possibility for the Black Tie Awards Ceremony:
🤔 Nothing booked yet, but… how would you feel about Macdonald Hotels & Resorts Houstoun House hosting the awards ceremony? Let us know in the comments.
📅 FESTIVAL DATE UPDATE
Following discussions and a review of Scotland's increasingly busy cultural events calendar, particularly across the Central Belt, we have made the decision to move the main festival to November.
This allows us to position the festival on a date with the least possible competition for audience attention, helping us maximise attendance for filmmakers, guests, partners and supporters alike.
📩 FINALISTS PLEASE NOTE
Many filmmakers submitted their projects into multiple categories. Thank you for that, we love it! As a result, it may not always be immediately clear on FilmFreeway which category or categories your Finalist status relates to. Further communications will be issued shortly confirming category-specific selections and additional festival information.
The screening status will be confirmed the moment we can green light our venues. We also asked over the last month or so if you know of a venue that would be keen to be a special screening event host, that is still open for suggestions.
Thank you all for your continued support. The journey to November starts now.
