Young filmmakers encouraged to enter festival

The festival aims to showcase the talent of young filmmakers

Young filmmakers are being encouraged to showcase their talent as an annual film festival has started taking submissions.

People can enter their short films for the Evolve Film Festival, with winners being announced at a red-carpet awards ceremony at Reading Biscuit Factory on 21 June 2026.

Past winners have won filming kits, BFI vouchers, cash prizes and industry recognition, as well as a personalised letter from the co-founder of Aardman Animations for a stop-motion project.

Gary McDonagh, the founder of the festival which was first held in 2022, said the aim was to give aspiring filmmakers a "true cinema big screen experience" to show their work.

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony next year

"Our goal is to grow this into an annual local event that provides meaningful prizes that helps launch creative careers," he said.

People will be able to submit films they have made between 2024 and 2026.

There will be three age categories, Under 11, 12 to 15, and 16 to 19.

Filmmaking workshops covering script development, sound, camera and editing will also take place from January to March 2026 in Reading, as well as Goring and Streatley.

James Ireland, assistant manager at Reading Biscuit Factory, added the festival will give young creative people a "professional platform to share their work".