Film of the Month

Any film. Any genre. Any time of year.

Film of the Month
Film of the Month

Closing date - Ongoing

Enter Competition

At Into Film, we're always looking to celebrate the astounding breadth of young filmmaking talent across the UK. Our Film of the Month competition looks for imaginative and original films made by young people, giving them a platform and bringing them to wider audiences. 

With the proliferation of smart devices and free apps, filmmaking today is more accessible than it's ever been, giving young people a voice and the opportunity to share their stories with others. What's more, the winning film each month will receieve a £100 gift voucher to help support their future filmmaking endeavours!

Film of the Month is open to all young people aged 5-19 across the UK. 

Note: If you are aged 17 and under, you will need a parent or guardian to provide their consent for you to participate.

We accept films of any genre and theme, fiction or non-fiction, live action or animated. If you're an educator, our free guides and resources on all aspects of the filmmaking process will help you support young filmmakers, so that every young person can feel confident in submitting a film, regardless of prior filmmaking experience or access to filmmaking equipment.

At Into Film we are proud advocates of curricular filmmaking. If your students have made a film to support subject learning, then we want to see it! If you're a young person with a curricular film, please ask your teacher to submit it on your behalf. We judge curricular films slightly differently to ensure they are on a level playing field with the purely genre films submitted to Film of the Month. See the entry criteria below for more information. 

Each month the winning filmmaker(s) will receive a £100 gift voucher to support their filmmaking and certificate(s), and have their film and an accompanying interview presented on the Into Film website. Entries that don't win will be showcased on the Into Film YouTube Shorts Channel - one of the largest collections of youth-made short films in the UK. Winning makes for a great addition for any young person's CV or future applications. 

Entries are judged by the Into Film team, and are assessed on their ideas, story, sound, and look, as well as the technical ability on display. 

So, what are you waiting for? If you've already made a great film, enter it now! If not, get filming and make your submission soon! There's a new round every month, so you never need to worry about missing an entry deadline. 

Enter Competition

We recommend you enter using a desktop computer and an up to date browser

Simply use the ‘Enter Competition' button above, and complete the entry form. You will then be able to upload your film (maximum 10mins in length). You'll receive confirmation on the upload page when your upload has been successful.

Films can also be submitted by a parent, guardian, teacher or other responsible adult on behalf of a young person or group of young people.

Note: If you are aged 17 or under, please make sure you ask a parent or guardian to complete the entrant details part of the form.

In order to be shortlisted for the judges' consideration, films submitted must meet the following criteria:

  • Filmmakers must be aged between 5 and 19 years at the time of submission
  • The film should be no longer than 10 minutes in duration, including title and credits
  • Any music, images and video content from a third party must be cleared for use by the copyright holder. We suggest only using free library music that can be easily sourced online. Please see our Top Tips for Young Filmmakers sheet for guidance on how to source copyright free music and otherwise keep your film compliant with our entry criteria
  • No surnames of young people aged 17 or under should be used in the film, including the title and end credits. Into Film are committed to the protection and safety of young people, and the addition of surnames in your films can compromise this.
  • Films submitted must not be currently being graded as part of any film qualification Non-Exam Assessment (NEA), or as coursework on a film qualification course (e.g. A Level Film Studies, etc).

We share many of the films we receive from young filmmakers on the Into Film website and on our YouTube channel for other young people to enjoy. Therefore, it is important that the content of your film is appropriate for all audiences. Please keep the following in mind:

  • Avoid swearing and offensive language
  • Avoid showing risky behaviours, such as drug taking, smoking or excessive violence
  • If depicting risky behaviour is part of your story, consider whether it is necessary to depict the behaviour explicitly on screen for the audience to understand what is happening
  • Try to use your creativity to think about how you can explore these issues in a responsible way.

We will not be judging you on technical ability alone. You don't need expensive equipment to tell a great story! Judges will use the following criteria to decide on the winning film:

  • Idea - the film idea is original and creative and has been delivered well
  • Story - the story is strong and engaging and captures the audience's attention
  • Sound - the music, sound effects and dialogue are clear and strengthen the narrative
  • Look - the use of camera angles, movement, lighting and framing support the narrative

If you are entering a curricular film, we will consider these four main criteria when assessing your film:

  • Curricular objective - the film is informative, well researched, and shows evidence of learning/understanding around a specific theme/topic/learning objective
  • Creative learning idea - the film idea supports the theme/topic/learning objective and/or is creative and has been delivered well
  • Look - the use of camera angles, movement, lighting and framing support the theme/topic/learning objective
  • Sound - dialogue/voiceover/music and/or sound effects is used to strengthen the theme/topic/learning objective

The following are NOT eligible for entry to Film of the Month:

  • Training videos
  • Music videos
  • 'Making of' documentaries
  • Trailers or extracts of longer films
  • Straightforward recordings of arts (or other) events
  • Video diaries or vox pops

View full terms and conditions

Each month, one winning film will be selected, and the young filmmaker(s) will receive a £100 gift voucher to support their filmmaking and certificate(s), have their film showcased on the Into Film YouTube Shorts Channel, and be interviewed for a news story on the Into Film website. 

Each month we highlight one runner-up that we think also deserves special recognition for their filmmaking achievement. The young filmmaker(s) will have their film featured in a news story on the Into Film website alongside the winning film.

Downloads

pdf

Top Tips for Young Filmmakers (2024)

Top tips on making sure your film is compliant before it is completed.

Size: 1.03 MB

Two boys directing a short film

Filmmaking

Start teaching your students to make films with our resources and guidance.

Jeremy Irvine and young people at the Into Film Awards

Into Film Awards

Find out about our awards celebrating young filmmakers and film clubs.

Still from training video - kids in class.

Training

Learn how to make the most of film in education with our training programme.

Secondary students using filmmaking equipment

Competitions

Win filmmaking equipment, DVDs, and other prizes.