24 January 2023

Watch it here first! Festival Premieres🥇

31 filmmakers have premiere screenings at BFMAF, including world festival premieres of new films from Jenny Brady (Ireland), Éiméar McClay & Cat McClay (UK), Basim Magdy (Switzerland),  Sophio Medoidze (UK), Anya Tsyrlina & Sid Iandovka (USSR, Switzerland) and Christopher Ulutupu (New Zealand, UK). We can’t wait to share these films with you. WORLD FESTIVAL PREMIERES […]

24 January 2023

Encounter film across Berwick in our Exhibitions programme📍

Creating productive frictions inspired by buildings’ current and historic use, artists present new moving image works in Berwick’s Gymnasium Gallery, Town Hall, Visitor Centre, an 18th century ammunition store and a former Thorntons shop on Marygate. All exhibitions are free, open daily 10:00-17:00, 3-5 March.   Cultuur • Dir. Fairuz Ghammam • Belgium • 2022 […]

24 January 2023

Presenting the Berwick New Cinema Awards 2023 🏆

Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival’s New Cinema Awards celebrates some of the most distinctive works of new cinema and artists’ moving image being made around the world today.

24 January 2023

2023 Festival Programme is now live!

18th Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival announces its full programme in Berwick-upon-Tweed 3 – 5 March. The UK’s Festival for New Cinema and Artists’ Moving Image returns to their home town Berwick-upon-Tweed, championing films and filmmakers who push the boundaries of genre, form and convention to surprise expectations and enliven audience relationships with cinema.

16 December 2022

Festival Passes now available!

Festival Passes are now on sale for the 18th edition of Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival, 3 – 5 March 2023. Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival (BFMAF) has today announced that passes for the 18th edition of the festival have gone on sale. Festival Passes provide access to the full programme of events […]

7 November 2022

BFMAF receives funding from Arts Council England’s 2023-26 Investment Programme

We are very grateful that Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival will receive support from Arts Council England as part of its 2023-26 Investment Programme, providing essential baseline funding to continue our work. An uplift in ACE investment from 2023 means that we can employ a new staff member to work year-round, with a focus […]

27 October 2022

New Opportunities at BFMAF

Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival has created four new job roles which will help shape the Festival ahead of its 18th edition, 3-5 March 2023. This is an exciting time to join a Festival team which puts audiences, artists and filmmakers at the centre of what new cinema can be. For further details on each role […]

28 September 2022

MANIFEST – in person screening at ECA

MANIFEST Edinburgh College of Art, E.22 Lecture Theatre | Thursday 28 September  | 4-6pm BFMAF presents a programme of short films that showcases some of the best new cinema and artists’ moving image work being made around the world today. The screening is free and will be introduced by Festival Director Peter Taylor. The screening is free […]

17 August 2022

Right of Way | 11 September 2022

Right of Way (12a) The Maltings, Berwick | 11 September  | 14.30   We’re told we all have a right to roam in the countryside – but does that apply to everyone equally?   Right of Way, is a special preview screening presented by Independent Cinema Office and LUX Moving Image. It mixes stunning new […]

21 July 2022

Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival is Changing!

After 18 years the annual Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival (BFMAF) is moving from its regular autumn slot to a new date, 3 – 5th March 2023.

21 July 2022

A New Season: Renewing & Rewilding BFMAF

Since 2005, Berwick Film and Media Arts Festival (BFMAF) has taken place annually each September in England’s most northerly town, bringing visitors to North Northumberland and working year round with artists, filmmakers, local audiences and schools. Longer term work in progress has culminated in a decision to shift BFMAF’s film festival from its established Autumn […]

21 July 2022

New Appointments

Following our date change announcement, we are delighted to welcome and introduce the new team members who will oversee the 18th Berwick Film and Media Arts Festival in 2023. Artists and researchers Dan Guthrie and Ilinca Vanau will bring new perspectives to the fore as this edition’s Programming Fellows. They will join Programmers Alice Miller, […]

25 March 2022

Chris Ulutupu announced as recipient of the Tagata Moana Moving Image Award

Congratulations to Christopher Ulutupu who is the recipient of the 2022 Tagata Moana Moving Image Award. This commission will support Chris to create a new single channel moving image work to premiere at the 18th Berwick Film and Media Arts Festival (BFMAF) in March 2023. This commission is presented by CIRCUIT with support from TAUTAI […]

14 March 2022

Ecological Futurisms programme at Ambika P3 gallery

Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival is delighted to be a co-partner for 2 events launching as part of Ecological Futurisms (EF) at Ambika P3 Gallery this March. Ecological Futurisms (EF) is an emerging collective from CREAM, Centre for Research and Education in Arts and Media that Recognises the damage brought on by global climate […]

26 January 2022

SCREENTIME: Covid Safety Measures

In preparing for our upcoming screenings as part of SCREENTIME, the health and safety of our audiences has been at the heart of our planning throughout. Although restrictions surrounding COVID-19 are no longer a legal requirement, BFMAF remains cautious in our efforts to make screenings accessible and safe for all those returning to the cinema […]

21 January 2022

Presenting SCREENTIME

Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival and Berwick Young Programmers are excited to present the launch of SCREENTIME. SCREENTIME is a new initiative inviting young people aged 18 – 30 to gain first hand experience in programming cinema and producing screenings for an audience. In autumn 2021, the group of young programmers attended workshops ran […]

17 January 2022

Moana Pasifika Moving Image Commission 2022

Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival is very excited to support a newly commissioned single-screen moving image work by a Moana Pasifika artist at this year’s Festival in September In Partnership with CIRCUIT and Tautai Pacific Arts Trust, BFMAF will support a Moana Pasifika artist based in Aotearoa New Zealand to create a new single channel […]

13 September 2021

Online Festival Programme

While the In-person festival in Berwick has come to a close, the festival continues to unfold online with a series of performances, screenings, in-conversations, exhibitions, podcast and commissioned texts until 30 September. Buy your Online Pass here for £10 (or £15 with catalogue). Please note: Online passes are geoblocked to the UK. If you are an […]

31 August 2021

Screen Time: Run your own film night!

Aged 18-30 and interested in film? Ever wanted to run your own film night? Or got a story to tell? We’re thrilled to announce the launch of Screen Time a new scheme for those interested in cinema. Through a series of free online workshops weekly on Thursdays from 23 September – 21 October, you’ll work with 2 […]

19 August 2021

BFMAF 2021 Programme Announced!

On behalf of our programming team Christina Demetriou, Jemma Desai, Alice Miller, Myriam Mouflih, Herb Shellenberger and Peter Taylor, Berwick Film and Media Arts Festival is proud to announce the programme of its 17th edition, taking place in Berwick-upon-Tweed from Friday 10 to Sunday 12 September 2021 and also available digitally via our website unfolding […]

19 August 2021

Guiding Thoughts

What is the Fate of the Middle Place? This title of our Young Filmmakers’ new short film refers to their future vision of Berwick-upon-Tweed. The question could be asked of the festival itself, where it acts as a middle place, a meeting between our local communities and the international communities of artists and filmmakers, and […]

13 August 2021

Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival returns for 2021!

We are excited to announce that Berwick Film and Media Arts Festival will return to Northumberland and home town Berwick-upon-Tweed for its 17th edition from Friday 10 to Sunday 12 September 2021. As we begin to gather again, our reflections on last year have deepened our commitment to creating a more safe and caring space […]

22 July 2021

BFMAF are on the look out for young local filmmakers!

Ever wanted to make a film? Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival are running a FREE filmmaking summer school for 12-16 year olds, open to anyone, no experience required. Work with an artist and filmmaker to learn filmmaking techniques and create a new collaborative film to be shown online.The workshops will take place at The […]

15 April 2021

Announcing Jemma Desai as Head of Programming

Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival (BFMAF) is thrilled to welcome Jemma Desai as its new Head of Programming. Jemma Desai is a programmer, researcher and writer based in London. Her practice engages with film programming through research, writing, performance, as well as informally organised settings for deep study, and her work experience spans distribution, […]

24 March 2021

New board members, people on the move and regular deadline

We are delighted to welcome Dawn Bothwell, Yvonne Smith and May Adadol Ingawanij as new members of the festival’s board. Dawn Bothwell, a curator, writer and musician, is co-director of CIRCA Projects and has curated an array of projects in Gateshead and Newcastle upon Tyne. Yvonne Smith is Head of Cinema Operations at Centre for the Moving Image (CMI), incorporating Edinburgh […]

24 March 2021

Early Career Critics Workshop

The Early Career Critics workshop’s took place during the 16th BFMAF digital edition and we are thrilled to present the writings that came out of this process. Six young critics from different academic and professional backgrounds came together to discuss and write about the festival’s programme, under the mentorship of critics and curators Tendai Mutambu, […]

11 February 2021

BFMAF seeks new Head of Programming + Films and people on the move

BFMAF is on the hunt for a new Head of Programming. For its 17th edition, the UK’s leading festival for new cinema and artists’ moving image is looking for an experienced film programmer to guide its selection process together with Festival Director Peter Taylor. Applications are welcome until Thursday 11 March – visit the opportunities […]

28 January 2021

Submissions for the 17th Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival are now open!

Submissions for the 17th Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival (BFMAF) are now open! The festival is looking for moving image works that disregard boundaries set by genre, form, convention and expectation. Feature, medium and short-length films are all welcome. The 17th edition is planned to take place in Berwick-upon-Tweed from Thursday 9 to Sunday […]

5 January 2021

2020 Press Coverage

Welcome to our press page! Here you can find a selection of the coverage produced in occasion the 2020 Berwick Film and Media Arts festival. Read about the experience of writers and critics during the festival’s first online edition and take a peak on reviews about the artworks and filmmakers selected at the 16th festival. […]

15 October 2020

16th Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival wraps-up: Thank you and see you in 2021!

The 16th Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival (BFMAF) took place from 17 September to 11 October 2020 as its inaugural online edition. In response to current global circumstances, the festival reimagined its 4-days physical event to three weeks of online screenings, live discussions and extended resources available on demand 24/7 to ticket-holders in the […]