Lowestoft, Sunrise Film Festival to return this summer

Sunrise Film Festival, earmarked for this summer, will span four days in Lowestoft, with films to suit all tastes and ages.

It runs from Thursday, August 1 to Sunday, August 4.

The event promotes diversity, hosting competition sections including Documentary, Experimental and 'Break the Stigma', aimed at short films centred on mental health or homelessness.

This year, the festival has a special distinction as it has secured an official British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) qualifying status for British short films.

The festival is returning for its fourth instalment this summer (Image: Sunrise Studios)

The implication is significant - all short films selected for the festival are now potential entries for BIFA's esteemed film awards.

Joshua Freemantle, development producer at Access Community, said: "We're thrilled to once again be bringing Sunrise Film Festival back to Lowestoft through our social enterprise Sunrise Studios with our new summer dates.

"This year promises to be bigger and better than ever, with an incredible new venue which will be announced soon, our annual awards for filmmakers, alongside exciting special events and screenings.

“We can't wait to celebrate the magic that is independent film with audiences in Lowestoft, as our now BIFA qualifying annual festival continues to grow from strength to strength."

The festival has previously drawn thousands of attendees, highlighting undiscovered talents and independent films that might not have received recognition otherwise.

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Submissions for this year's festival categories are due to close on May 24.

Interested filmmakers, particularly students and young aspirants, can still submit short films of less than 30 minutes.

Further details regarding each category and submissions can be procured from the Sunrise Film Festival website before the deadline.