Open Call: Short Films for Stories of Belonging: Film Evening at Mayflower Studios
Deadline: 4th January 2025
Screening: 25 March, Mayflower Studios
We’re inviting filmmakers, cultural organisations, community groups and creatives of all kinds to submit short films to be shown in a one-night community film event at Mayflower Studios celebrating the many ways people connect to place, culture and each other.
The event will premiere Belonging – a new Southampton Forward and City Eye short film exploring cultural participation, local identity and what helps people feel connected to the place they live. Alongside it, we are curating a diverse programme of short films that reflect, celebrate or explore life, creativity and community in Southampton and the wider region.
What we’re looking for:
We welcome a broad range of short films, that explore a sense of belonging to place, identity and civic pride. This could include explorations of:
- What makes a neighbourhood, city or landscape feel like “home” .
- How people connect to Southampton or the wider region through memories, heritage, community, environment or everyday life.
- Stories of cultural heritage, traditions, migration and lived experience.
- Expressions of identity (personal, cultural, creative, social) and how these shape a sense of belonging.
- Portraits of people, places, organisations or creative practices that make the area unique.
Films can be:
- Creative or experimental shorts
- Community-made films
- Documentary or interview-led pieces
- Projects capturing cultural activity, participation or local stories
Your film doesn’t need to be professionally produced – we’re interested in ideas, perspectives and stories.
Why submit?
- If shortlisted, your work will be screened at Mayflower Studios as part of a free public event on 25th March 2026
- Your organisation or project will be credited and profiled in screening materials
- Your film will reach new audiences, including sector peers, community members and cultural partners.
- Selected films will also be shared digitally (if permissions allow) with the film maker and any organisations credited.
Please note that due to time and programming capacity, we won’t be able to include every film submitted. A selection panel – including representatives from Southampton’s communities – will review all entries. Films of any length from 60 seconds up to around 20 minutes are welcome for consideration. Final selections will be made with regard to how each film speaks to the themes of belonging and how the programme works as a whole to reflect a broad range of voices and perspectives.
How to submit
Please send us
By email to info@southamptonforward.org.uk
- A link to your film (or file transfer)
- Title, duration, creator/organisation
- A short description we can share for the event
- Confirmation that you own rights/permissions
If you have any questions, please get in touch with us info@southamptonforward.org.uk