Sunderland Shorts Film Festival

The 6th Sunderland Shorts Film Festival is back celebrating short films with big ideas. “What a great festival. Encouraging, supportive and genuine. Highly recommended” Peter Spann (Dir. Zebra) At Sunderland Shorts Film Festival (SSFF) we are dedicated to bringing the best across all genres of film to our audiences in the heart of the North East of England. As well as genre screenings from drama and comedy to horror and documentary, SSFF proudly showcases local talent and work from young & emerging filmmakers. Our festivals have also included numerous industry days, events and masterclasses from film professionals and academics to best provide a valuable experience to our participating filmmakers and audiences with ample networking opportunities. The previous SSFF ran for a 4-day period in May 2019 to great acclaim of critics and audiences alike, bringing local, national and international films to the big screen at the Sunderland Empire Cinema. The 2019 festival also ran special screenings in collaboration with BAFTA and the BFI to bring these acclaimed works to the city. While the originally planned 2020 festival was postponed until Autumn 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the festival enjoyed a successful year online with a series of special events and screenings further showcasing local favourites and previous winners, which helped grow our audiences more than ever before. The festival, first launched in 2015, in collaboration with DC Shorts and with the expert guidance of its founder, Jon Gann, the inaugural festival was supported by the Washington DC Commission on Arts and Humanities and continues to be supported by Sunderland City Council. We hope you enjoy the show!