Esports Insider (ESI) is delighted to announce the first esports & gaming short film festival, taking place as part of our flagship event ESI London on Friday 20th October.
The historic venue, BAFTA 195 Piccadilly, has been confirmed as the destination for the inaugural film festival, which aims to showcase the positive difference video games and esports can make to people’s lives via the medium of film, and offers a cash prize pool of £10,000 provided by non-profit partner ESG Gaming.
Submissions are open for the ESI Film Festival which calls for filmmakers to shine a spotlight on the talent behind the screens, and illustrate the meaningful difference video games and esports have had in people’s lives.
Gaming and esports offers a new form of entertainment, creativity and a platform for expression. The festival’s themes this year are digital inequality, diversity, and mental health. The deadline for entry is Friday 15th September 2023, with the winners announced at the film festival on the evening of Friday 20th October, where the top three placed films will be showcased for the first time.
The advisory board will include Gina Jackson OBE, who has extensive experience helping to solve the talent crisis in the games industry. ESG Gaming is a confirmed non-profit partner for the event. ESG Gaming is committed to working alongside the digital entertainment sectors to ensure the experience is open, inclusive and positive for all consumers and stakeholders.
ESG champions lived-experience, working with people from a variety of backgrounds across the entertainment sectors in order to gain insight for research, product development, and evaluation. A full list of judges, advisory board members and partners will be confirmed at a later date.
The £10,000 prize pool, courtesy of non-profit partner ESG Gaming, is split as follows:
- 1st Place – £5,000
- 2nd Place – £3,000
- 3rd Place – £2,000
Submissions can be made via the ESI entry form here.
All submissions must have a maximum run time of 40 minutes, and can be any style or film type (e.g. documentary, animation, comedy, action). Submissions can be from individuals, groups (e.g university societies, friends, colleagues), or companies, and all lead participants must be aged 18 or over.
Films will be judged on originality, creativity, plot, pacing, structure, characters, cinematography and entertainment value as well as on the effectiveness of the message and the ability of the film-maker to reach an audience.
Further submission information and criteria, including submission specs, can be found here.
All those interested in applying for judge, advisory board or partner positions, please fill out this form.
The ESI Film Festival is part of ESI London, the biggest B2B esports event globally that takes place at Wembley’s BOXPARK on October 19th and 20th and will offer two days of deep discussion around esports.
Tickets for the ESI Film Festival are through invitation only. Tickets for ESI London can be purchased here.
