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Student technicians using lighting deck at the Mark Hillery Arts and Music Centre

Durham Film Festival is back for 2023 to champion student voices from across the globe. The festival will take place on 12 and 13 June at the Gala Theatre and Cinema in Durham city centre.

By students, for students

In partnership with the British Film Institute (BFI), this year’s festival will celebrate short films made by our students, featuring Philip Ilson, Artistic Director of the London Short Film Festival and short film programmer for the BFI London Film Festival on the judging panel.

Monday 12 June

  • Panel and Q and A with judges and filmmakers
  • Category 1: Suspense
  • Category 2: Turbulence

Book your tickets for Monday here

Tuesday 13 June

  • Panel and Q and A with judges and filmmakers 
  • Category 3: Bonds 
  • Category 4: Character 
  • Awards ceremony

Book your tickets for Tuesday here

In addition to our film screenings on 12 and 13 June, the festival will also accompany a series of free events led by industry professionals to explore and celebrate filmmaking.

Study Visual Arts and Film

We offer undergraduate and postgraduate options at Durham so you can explore the vast world of visual art and film with no previous study of art required. The BA in Visual Arts and Film spans historical periods from classical Rome to the present and is almost global in its geographical reach. The MA in Visual Culture invites students to develop their knowledge of visual culture in cultural institutions.

With Complete University Guide 2022 as high as 3rd for Arabic, Chinese and Japanese Studies and 5th for Italian, German and Hispanic Studies, the School of Modern Languages and Cultures offers expertise in a wide range of subjects, including language, literature, cultural history, cinema and visual culture, and translation.

The School also forged a ground-breaking partnership with the BFI bringing students the unique opportunity to learn from industry experts along with University-wide access to the BFI Player. Feeling inspired? Visit our Modern Languages and Cultures webpages for more information on our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

Find out more

  • For more information on this event, please visit the Durham Film Festival website
  • If you’re a student and interested in submitting a film next year, you can find full details here