Fisheye International Film Festival 2027: Animation, Experimental Films and Music Videos Open
Fisheye International Film Festival will run from 15 April to 1 May 2027 in the United Kingdom, and its international competitions are accepting short films, micro-shorts, features and work across animation, experimental cinema and music video. The organisers run screenings drawing on both British and international submissions. Animation and experimental shorts can be submitted through 21 December 2026, while the last date for eligible feature films is 30 November 2026. There is an important difference between festival screening history and online public release: the official rules prohibit a film having been widely available to the public on YouTube or Vimeo before the event.
Who can submit what?
Animation shorts: up to 20 minutes, including credits.
Experimental shorts: dance and movement films, music videos, artists' moving-image work and other experimental formats up to 20 minutes.
Micro-shorts: at most 4 minutes.
Short films by makers aged 22 or under: at most 20 minutes, with age assessed at the film's completion date.
Features: narrative or experimental 80–120 minutes; documentary features 60–120 minutes.
Special 'Show Off Your Shorts' presentations require the filmmaker to attend the event in person; read that category's separate attendance clause.
Completion date and application deadlines
A short film must have been completed on or after 1 January 2026; a feature must have been completed after 1 May 2025. The regular entry date is 26 October 2026, an intermediate late short/feature deadline falls on 30 November, and the final date for shorts is 21 December. FilmFreeway specifies its own submission-window fees by category. As an example, the Animation Short Film class lists a standard fee of £15 at the current regular deadline, £18 at the late November stage and £20 at the final December stage. Check the live platform's total before paying rather than assume the festival is free.
Technical, subtitles and rights rules
All works must be complete; no works in progress are admitted. Films not in English need English subtitles embedded in the video. The judges require a secure screening link via FilmFreeway or the festival's associated submission route. If selected, filmmakers must deliver an exhibition-quality file and supporting stills, poster, brief biography and credits in time for programming; the 2027 public rules cite 14 February as the screening-file planning deadline. The organisers say they do not pay screening fees or the filmmaker's travel and lodging costs. Applicants must obtain the necessary rights to music, photographs, performances and other third-party assets.
Premieres and internet availability
There is no blanket world-premiere requirement, so prior festival screenings are allowed. However, the organisers explicitly state that films already publicly accessible online before Fisheye cannot compete under the standard rules, and films already distributed through VOD before the festival need special consideration. This distinction matters for creators promoting an animation trailer or full music video on public channels. Sharing a private password-protected screener for jury evaluation is a different situation from releasing the finished film to everyone.
The festival's record and why it is worth checking
Fisheye began in 2016 and has held repeated competitions and showcases with films from many countries. Its 2027 website and FilmFreeway terms publicly list runtimes, categories, costs and age limitations. Those sources allow filmmakers to assess eligibility before paying. Its awards provide industry exposure and festival laurels, but there is no universal cash funding or free travel promise for every selection.
Official calls and submission
Fisheye festival's 2027 competition overview: https://fisheyefilmfest.uk/
Official FilmFreeway rules and application categories: https://filmfreeway.com/FisheyeFilmFestival2027
Checked 24 October 2026. International animation/experimental short films by 21 December 2026; features by 30 November 2026; festival in the UK from 15 April to 1 May 2027.