Glowflare Short Film Festival is an independent short film festival founded in 2024 by Daniel Smales. The festival celebrates the art of short filmmaking, offering a platform for independent filmmakers from the UK and abroad to showcase their work. The festival is set to take place in Beverley, United Kingdom. The events are hosted at Parkway Cinemas an independent cinema known for its modern facilities and support for independent film events.
The festival welcomes short film entities of all genres that are under 40 minutes. Submissions are managed through FilmFreeway, a platform that simplifies the process for filmmakers to submit their works to festivals.
History.
Founded in 2024, submissions for the inaugural event were opened exclusively through FilmFreeway on 11 August 2024. Filmmakers were invited to submit their short films in genres such as narrative, animation, documentary, music video and experimental works. The festival was announced publicly by Daniel Smales, the festival director, in October 2024. In November, it was announced that its inaugural event would be held on 25 January 2025 at Parkway Cinemas. Tickets for the first festival were made available through the Parkway Cinemas website on 11 November 2024. A final call for submissions was issued in early December 2024, with submissions closing on 13 December 2024. Submissions have included works from both local and international filmmakers, with entries from the United States, Canada, and Europe, highlighting the festival’s openness to international participation. The official line-up was announced on 30 December 2024. Selections were announced on 20 December, with award nominations announced on 6 January 2025.
Submissions opened for its 2026 season on 1 January 2025, reflecting its intention to become a recurring event on the film festival calendar.
Official Selection.
The following is the list of films selected for the inaugural Glowflare Short Film Festival in 2025:
Awards.
The festival recognises the achievements of filmmakers in variety of the following awards.