Earth Stories

Young filmmakers aged 14-25 years old are being invited to submit their work for an international film festival and competition run by Keele University staff and students.

The Earth Stories Film Festival will be taking place on the evening of the 22nd of April 2024 from 6:30-8:30 pm, at the Michell Arts Centre, Hanley. All will be welcome to join us in celebrating Earth Day. We will be screening a range of the 2024 nominations and announcing this year's award winners. Book a free ticket now at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/earth-stories-film-festival

Earth Stories Film Festival is a Keele University based environmental film festival aimed at young filmmakers (14-25 years old). The festival is a student-led initiative that provides a platform for students and young filmmakers from across the world to showcase their filmmaking talent. The event is managed by students from across the university and supported by staff from across academic disciplines. The festival will present new and inspirational stories addressing the climate crisis, natures degradation, and highlight pathways for sustainable futures through human-natures reconnections. This festival was originally funded by former Keele University students through the Alumni Keele Key Fund. 

The following prizes will be awarded at the Earth Stories Film Festival: 

  • Animation Award £100 
  • Experimental Award £100 
  • Documentary Award £100 
  • Fiction Award £100 
  • Young Film Award (14-16 Years old) £100 
  • Keele Student Film Award £100 

2024 Nominations will be posted Monday 22 March 2024. 

Rules and terms 

Submission criteria 

  • Entrants must be between 14 and 25 years old. 
  • Submissions must be sent via the FilmFreeway Site. 
  • Any genre is accepted. However, any film containing a strong adult element (profanity, sex, gore, drugs & violence) will be rejected. 
  • All submissions are not required to pay an entry fee. 
  • Submission deadline 1 February 2024. 
  • Films must be between 1 minute and 10 minutes. 
  • All films must be in English or with accurate English subtitles. We encourage the use of British Sign Language interpretation.  

Terms and conditions 

Our terms and conditions apply to all competitions unless otherwise stated. By entering Earth Stories Film Festival, you agree to the following conditions: 

  • Entrants must be between 14 and 25 years old. 
  • The organizers reserve the right to amend the end date at any time. 
  • Competition finalists/winners will be notified after the closing date. 
  • By entering the competition, the winner agrees to participate in the promotional activity where required. 
  • Prizes are non-transferable to another person.  
  • If the advertised prize becomes unavailable the organizers reserve the right to offer an alternative prize of equal or higher value.
  • By entering competitions, you agree to be contacted for promotional purposes. 
  • No personal data will be shared with third parties unless stated otherwise. 
  • The organizers reserve the right to amend or withdraw competitions at any time. 
  • Competitions hosted on social media are in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by Facebook or Twitter. 
  • You agree to submit contributions which are your own original work. You must be the copyright holder. You must not violate, plagiarise, or infringe any copyright, trademark, trade secrets, privacy, publicity, or personal or proprietary rights. 
  • If you submit a contribution, you agree to allow the organizers to use the material in your contribution in any way it may reasonably choose on a free-of-charge basis in any media throughout the world. 
  • Any copyright in your contribution will remain with you and this permission is not exclusive, so you can continue to use the material you contribute in any way, including allowing others to use it. 

Submission requirements

  • Entrants must be between 14 and 25 years old. 
  • Online submission only (DVD, Blu Ray and flash drive submissions are not accepted). 
  • Video format must be Apple ProRes 422, ProRes 4444 or H.264. Video file size cannot exceed 10GB. VR/360 videos are not accepted. 
  • Submitter must provide a still image from the film (minimum image specifications: 300dpi, JPGs or JPEGs only).  

Venue

Mitchell Arts Centre 
Broad Street 
Hanley 
England ST1 4HG 
United Kingdom 

Opening date:  Monday 25 September 2023.
Regular deadline: Thursday 1 February 2024.
Notification date: Friday 22 March 2024.
Event date: Monday 22 April 2024.

Categories

  • Experimental 
  • Animation 
  • Documentary 
  • Fiction 
  • Keele Student 
  • Young Filmmaker (14-16)

Organisers

Aaliyah Gardner - Director
Emily Stevenson - Assistant Director
Charlie Beale - Technical Director
Charlotte Knott - Design Lead
James McAteer - Founding member
Liam Salmon -  FilmFreeway Management
Joseph McLeod - Social Media
Connie Bradwell- Moore - FilmFreeway Management
Amelia Walton - Chair of the Senior Judging Panel  
Josh Patterson - Member of Judging Panel
Holly Martella - Design and Social Media
Katherine Chapman - Assistant Chair