Experimental fiction filmmaking festival returns to University's MediaCity campus this July

Fresh off its inaugural success in 2023, the International Network of Experimental Fiction Filmmaking (INEFF) festival and conference will return on Thursday 18 and Friday 19 July. 

This year's programme is packed full of screenings, talks, practical workshops and panel discussions around the nature of experimental fiction filmmaking and how the medium is resonating with both filmmakers and academics around the world. 

The newly-established genre consists of films that experiment with both fiction and storytelling. Films must contain an aspect of the latter but could involve elements of technological or methodological experimentation. 

Dr Pavel Prokopic, Lecturer in Film Production and INEFF principal investigator, is one of the three co-organisers for the event alongside Senior Lecturer Alex Lichtenfels and Matthew Hawkins of London South Bank University. 

Pavel said: "After our very successful first year, we wanted to make the festival a yearly event and get film practitioners and academics back to Manchester to engage on this genre of filmmaking.

"We want to build a network of likeminded filmmakers and academics. To cross the boundaries between academic and filmmaking in practice and make an event that puts both of these under the same umbrella whilst also making the genre very accessible to members of the public."

Both established and emerging filmmakers are urged to attend the festival as it seeks to offer them a space to showcase their work and receive recognition for their creative and artistic vision. The festival's sessions are designed to engage all attendees in critical discussions about the creative possibilities and boundaries of experimental fiction filmmaking  as well as the opportunity to connect with industry professionals, artists and fellow filmmakers. 

The 2023 festival attracted over 2700 film submissions from around the world, illustrating the sheer number of filmmakers globally whose work falls within this category of filmmaking. Interest in the festival remains very high this year, with many attendees from 2023 to return to Manchester this month as the network continues to develop. 

Each evening, time will be set aside to showcase film submissions from both the first and second year of the festival. 

This year, the festival is running a competition for both amateur and student filmmakers to submit their own five-minute long experimental fiction films to have a chance of winning a digital film camera. 

Pavel adds: "This competition is about building wider engagement with the festival encouraging practice of the genre. We are really excited to see the entries for it and would be really keen to see films from students as well."

Entrants for the competition need to express their interest by filling out a form and submitting their final film by midnight on Sunday 14 July. The best submitted films will be screened on the evening of Friday 19 July.

View the programme for the festival and register to attend here.