submitting your short

site help

submitting your short




how to make a submission
the submission process
our submission criteria
why we need your contact details
crediting your cast and crew
what rights am I giving the BBC?
getting clearances


how to make a submission
If you’ve made a short film that you’d like us to showcase, you can submit your film to Film Network by clicking submit your short on the left-hand navigation or on one of the 'submit your short' boxes or links around the site.

Before making a submission, please make sure that you have read the submission rules and clearance procedures, as any films that we showcase on the site need to have all the relevant rights and clearances before we can put them up.


the submission process
The submission process is as follows:


email confirmation - when you submit your short, you will receive an automated email confirming your submission and contact details.
submissions section on your profile page - a submissions section will appear on your profile page, with a link to your submission. Any submissions that you make to Film Network will appear in this section. The status of your film (‘new submission’) will also appear beneath your submission title. The submissions section is only viewable on your own profile page and other members cannot see what submissions you have made or their status.
send us your film and signed contract - you then need to send a hard copy of your film (on either VHS, MiniDV or DVD) as well as a signed contract to the address that appears at the end of the submission process. (We only ask for a VHS or DVD as part of the initial submission because Digibetas are expensive and we can’t return unsuccessful submission tapes.)
Film Network will contact you – we aim to watch all submissions and make a decision within eight weeks of receiving your film. However we do receive a high level of submissions, so the process can take longer. We will then contact you to let you know whether or not your submission was successful.
successful submissions - if your submission is accepted we will contact you to let you know and to acquire the relevant assets. In order to put your film up, we need a broadcast copy of your film which should be highest quality format available, ideally Digibeta. We also need production stills, details of any music you have used and to check that you own all the relevant rights and clearances. Your submission will then be turned into a film page. We guarantee to return Digibetas by registered delivery.
unsuccessful submissions - if your submission is unsuccessful you’ll receive an email from the Film Network team letting you know and the status will change from ‘new submission’ to ‘declined’ on the submissions section of your profile page. If your submission is declined, you can convert it into a credit by clicking on the link ‘convert into credit’ or delete your submission entirely by clicking on ‘remove’. We regret that due to the high level of submissions that we receive, we’re unable to provide detailed individual feedback on the films that we decline.

If you have any problems accessing the Film Network address, the address to send your signed contract and tape to is (nb - please do not send tapes without having filled in a contract first):

Film Network Submissions
MC1 D6
Media Centre
BBC Media Village
201 Wood Lane
W12 7TQ


If you encounter any other technical problems with the submission process, please send us an email. Please note – we cannot answer any questions on the status of your submission or provide feedback from this address.


our submission criteria
Film Network receives a large number of submissions and we can only screen a small number of these. However, every film we receive is watched by the in-house team who make a decision on whether to include it. Broadly, we look for films that meet a certain standard both in terms of ideas and technically and that are innovative, have a strong coherent narrative and use the cinematic medium effectively.

Film Network is designed to encourage more people to watch shorts and so we have to keep the quality high. This also ensures that your work is seen in the best possible environment. There are also other things we look for which is worth bearing in mind before you submit:


Films must be made in the UK – the purpose of Film Network is to showcase new British filmmakers, so we regret we cannot accept foreign submissions.
Films should be made in the last 5 years – our focus is to showcase new filmmaking talent. For this reason, it is very rare that we accept a film that is more than five years old.
The shorter the better – although we have no limit on length, the longer a film is the better it has to be to hold viewers’ attention. In our experience, users very rarely watch films streamed online for longer than 10 minutes so we tend to select shorter films. We only occasionally stream films over more than 20 minutes if they are of a very high standard.
Suitable for online streaming - we look for films that are most appropriate for online screening. Shorts with dark lighting, split screens, subtitles or constant rapid movement generally do not work well online.
Films that are rights cleared - see our section on rights.
Films that have all the relevant clearances - see our section on clearances.
Films that have done the festival circuit - some festivals and competitions specify that your film must not have been screened in the UK before. As we wouldn't want to jeopardize your film's chances of being premiered elsewhere, we recommend that you enter the big festivals before submitting it to Film Network.


why we need your contact details
As part of the submission process we ask you for contact details (address, email address and a phone number), so that we can contact you to let you know whether or not your submission was successful.

If your submission is successful, we will use your details in order to contact you to acquire the relevant assets and if there is ever a problem with your film (such as a rights query). We will let you know if the BBC, or a third party, is interested in broadcasting, screening or distributing your film. We will not contact you for any other reason, spam you, or pass your details on to anyone outside the BBC.


crediting your cast and crew
When making a submission, feel free to credit as many of your cast and crew as you like – we provide an extra box on the submission form to include anyone who doesn’t fit in to the most common specialisms.


what rights am I giving the BBC?
We ask for non-exclusive rights to use your film free-of-charge online for five years from the date of publication. This allows us to show your film on bbc.co.uk, but doesn’t stop you from giving others the right to show it too. If after your film is published on Film Network you're offered a deal which requires exclusivity, then you can ask to have your film removed from Film Network, which we'll do within seven days. For full details of the rights you are giving the BBC, please see the submission rules and for an explanation of terms, please see our guide on rights.



getting clearances
When submitting your film to Film Network, you need to make sure you have secured all the relevant clearances to allow us to show your film in public. These include music and script clearances, and location and participant release forms. To find out more about what clearances are required, and how to get them, see our clearances guide.

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