Phoenix Rising International Film Festival

Phoenix Rising International Film Festival A yearly film festival holding screenings and an awards ceremony. A Film Fund, up to £5000 (PRIFF power by Genera).

Meet Team Hepburn, the jury group judging Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best...
23/09/2026

Meet Team Hepburn, the jury group judging Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Casting and Best Ensemble across our short film categories this year.

Short films demand an enormous amount from performance. With limited screen time, actors often have to establish character, chemistry and emotional stakes almost immediately, while casting and ensemble work can determine whether that world feels fully inhabited from the very first scene.

Together, Team Hepburn brings experience across acting, casting, writing, directing, voice work, theatre and independent filmmaking. Their collective credits span major film and television productions including Peep Show, Daredevil: Born Again, Long Bright River and Apple TV+, alongside theatre, commercial work, award-winning independent films and extensive experience behind the camera.

Across the group, they bring a strong understanding of character, performance, casting, originality and ensemble chemistry, combining the perspectives of trained actors, filmmakers and an experienced casting director.

Welcome aboard, Team Hepburn.

Meet Team Day-Lewis, the jury group judging Best Lead Performance, Best Supporting Performance, Best Casting and Best En...
23/09/2026

Meet Team Day-Lewis, the jury group judging Best Lead Performance, Best Supporting Performance, Best Casting and Best Ensemble within our feature film categories this year.

Performance is where character, writing and direction finally become human. A great lead can carry the emotional weight of an entire film, while supporting performances deepen the world around them. Casting shapes that chemistry from the outset, and ensemble work depends on how convincingly those individual performances come together as one.

Together, Team Day-Lewis brings experience across acting, casting, directing, writing, producing, theatre and independent filmmaking. Their collective credits span film, television and stage, including Doctor Who, It’s a Sin, Gentleman Jack, Years & Years, Channel 4, ITV and Amazon Prime, alongside award-winning independent features and shorts.

Across the group, they bring particular experience in character-led storytelling, screen acting, representation, casting choices and ensemble dynamics, combining the perspectives of performers, filmmakers and a professional casting director.

Welcome aboard, Team Day-Lewis.

Meet Team Coppola, the jury group judging Best Animation, Best Student Film and Best Mid-Length Film this year.These cat...
23/09/2026

Meet Team Coppola, the jury group judging Best Animation, Best Student Film and Best Mid-Length Film this year.

These categories sit at very different stages of the filmmaking journey, but all demand a strong sense of voice, form and craft. From animation’s ability to build entirely new visual worlds, to student work introducing emerging filmmakers, to mid-length films navigating the space between the short and feature form, each offers filmmakers room to experiment with how stories are told.

Together, Team Coppola brings experience across animation, directing, producing, criticism, programming, film education and independent filmmaking. Their collective work includes BAFTA-nominated animation, films screened at more than 500 festivals, award-winning work recognised at Tribeca, Clermont-Ferrand and the British Animation Awards, as well as support and development through institutions including Sundance, Netflix, the Venice Biennale College, NYU Tisch and Gobelins Paris.

Across the group, they bring particular experience in emerging talent, animation, international cinema, festival programming and supporting filmmakers as they develop their craft and creative identity.

Welcome aboard, Team Coppola.

Meet Team Lanzmann, the jury group judging Best Documentary Short and Best Documentary Feature this year.For the first t...
22/09/2026

Meet Team Lanzmann, the jury group judging Best Documentary Short and Best Documentary Feature this year.

For the first time at PRIFF UK, our documentary categories have their own dedicated jury, allowing these films to be considered by a group with specific experience of documentary filmmaking, factual storytelling and the particular responsibilities that come with representing real people, communities and events.

Documentaries have an extraordinary ability to preserve testimony, uncover overlooked stories, challenge established narratives and bring audiences into lives and experiences far beyond their own. Their place within cinema continues to grow, with documentary increasingly occupying the same major international stages as fiction. Just this month, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor’s documentary NAZA competed for the Golden Lion at the 2026 Venice Film Festival and received the Special Jury Prize.

Together, Team Lanzmann brings experience across directing, producing, editing, screenwriting, documentary television, expedition filmmaking and film education. Their collective work includes Peabody, Emmy, BAFTA and RTS recognition, films screened at Cannes and IDFA, major broadcast work for ITV and Channel 4, and award-winning documentaries that have travelled to festivals around the world.

Across the group, their work has explored human rights, gender equality, conflict, identity, adventure, resilience and social change, bringing together filmmakers who understand both the creative possibilities of documentary and the responsibility of telling stories rooted in real lives.

Welcome aboard, Team Lanzmann.

Meet Team Bigelow, the jury group judging Best Woman Directed Short, Best LGBTQ+ Film and Best Micro Short this year.The...
22/09/2026

Meet Team Bigelow, the jury group judging Best Woman Directed Short, Best LGBTQ+ Film and Best Micro Short this year.

These categories celebrate distinctive filmmaking voices, from work shaped by women directors and LGBTQ+ perspectives to micro shorts that prove powerful storytelling is not determined by running time. Across all three categories, the focus is on originality, point of view and the ability to create something memorable within the form.

Together, Team Bigelow brings experience across writing, directing, producing, acting, criticism, curation, documentary and independent film. Their collective work has screened at major international festivals including Sundance, TIFF and Berlinale, received recognition from BIFA and the Teddy Awards, appeared on platforms including Netflix and the Criterion Channel, and spans work for the BBC, Discovery Channel and Apple TV.

Across the group, they bring particular experience in independent cinema, LGBTQ+ storytelling, underrepresented voices, international filmmaking and championing emerging creative perspectives.

Welcome aboard, Team Bigelow.

Meet Team McDaniel, the jury group judging Best Black, Asian & Global Majority Film and Social Impact Film this year.The...
22/09/2026

Meet Team McDaniel, the jury group judging Best Black, Asian & Global Majority Film and Social Impact Film this year.

These categories celebrate work that broadens whose stories are seen on screen, and films that engage directly with social, cultural and political realities. At their strongest, they create space for perspectives that have historically been underrepresented while using cinema to provoke thought, empathy and conversation.

Together, Team McDaniel brings experience across writing, directing, producing, international co-production, distribution, documentary, television, independent film and grassroots filmmaking. Their collective work includes BAFTA-winning projects, Oscar-longlisted and IDA-nominated films, Berlinale selections, major broadcasters and platforms including the BBC, Netflix, ITV and Channel 4, and extensive work centred on identity, migration, representation, human rights, community and social justice.

Across the group, they bring substantial experience in championing distinctive voices, supporting emerging talent and developing stories rooted in lived experience, cultural identity and social impact.

Welcome aboard, Team McDaniel.

Meet Team Zimmer, the jury group judging Best Score, Best Sound Design and Best Editing this year.These are the crafts t...
21/09/2026

Meet Team Zimmer, the jury group judging Best Score, Best Sound Design and Best Editing this year.

These are the crafts that shape rhythm, emotion and atmosphere, often determining how an audience experiences a film as much as what appears on screen. From the pace and structure of the edit, to the texture of a soundscape and the emotional language of a score, each plays a crucial role in how a story ultimately lands.

Together, Team Zimmer brings experience across film composition, editing, sound design, audio engineering, documentary, television and post-production. Their collective work includes BAFTA-winning and Oscar-shortlisted films, Emmy-nominated television, projects presented at Cannes, Sundance, Tribeca and the BFI London Film Festival, as well as credits spanning Netflix, Vice News and major international commercial work.

Across the group, they bring decades of experience working with picture, sound and music, and a strong understanding of both the creative and technical decisions that shape a finished film.

Welcome aboard, Team Zimmer.

Meet Team Edith Head, the jury group judging our Costume Design, Hair & Makeup and Set Design categories this year.These...
21/09/2026

Meet Team Edith Head, the jury group judging our Costume Design, Hair & Makeup and Set Design categories this year.

These crafts are central to how a film builds character, period, atmosphere and world. From the clothes a character wears, to the spaces they inhabit, to the practical details that transform a performer on screen, each plays a vital role in visual storytelling.

Together, Team Edith Head brings experience across production design, art direction, costume, styling, prosthetics, hair and makeup, creature design, props, sculpting, fabrication and practical effects. Their collective credits span major international film and television productions including Game of Thrones, Andor, The Acolyte, Ant-Man, The Witcher, Kung Fu Hustle, The Karate Kid and Iron Man 3, alongside award-winning independent film and short-form work.

They bring decades of experience in shaping characters, spaces and on-screen worlds across productions of every scale.

Welcome aboard, Team Edith Head.

Meet Team Sorkin, the jury group judging all of our Unproduced Screenplay categories this year.Together, the group bring...
21/09/2026

Meet Team Sorkin, the jury group judging all of our Unproduced Screenplay categories this year.

Together, the group brings experience across award-winning short film, feature development, screenwriting, script consultancy, directing, acting, producing, festival programming and international filmmaking. Their work has screened at major festivals, received industry recognition, secured BFI support and spanned projects across the UK and Europe.

They bring a broad mix of creative, practical and industry experience to this year’s screenplay judging.

Welcome aboard, Team Sorkin.

PRIFF SHORT FILM FUND — EARLYBIRD DEADLINE TODAYRound Two of the PRIFF Short Film Fund, powered by GENERA FILMS, is off...
14/09/2026

PRIFF SHORT FILM FUND — EARLYBIRD DEADLINE TODAY

Round Two of the PRIFF Short Film Fund, powered by GENERA FILMS, is officially open.

Filmmakers can apply for up to £5,000 towards their short film.

And for this round, we’re expanding the ways we can support filmmakers.

Already finished your film? You can now also apply for funding towards festival distribution and submission costs, helping you get your completed short onto the festival circuit and in front of audiences.

Whether you’re looking for support to get your film made, get it finished, or get it seen, we want to hear from you.

Applications open today, 14 September 2026.

🔗 priff.co.uk/filmfund

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