The Sunrise Film Festival is set to transform Lowestoft town centre from today, presenting 187 short films from 42 countries. Founder Leader of the Festival, Joshua Freemantle explains more
Sunrise Film Festival has fast become one of the UK’s largest celebrations of diverse stories and underrepresented filmmakers since its inception in 2021. And this year’s Sunrise Film Festival in Lowestoft, which starts today (Thursday May 22, 2025), boasts a record number of entries. Running until Sunday, May 25th, the 4th annual edition of the festival will take over two key venues, showcasing a diverse selection of independent film and celebrating the art of filmmaking.
Building on its success as a BIFA qualifying short film festival, SFF 2025 will present 187 exceptional short films from 42 countries. This year’s festival features a rich tapestry of stories across 10 competition categories, highlighting the talent and creativity of emerging filmmakers.
Joshua Freemantle, Founding Leader of the Festival, says: “We’re looking forward to welcoming you back to Lowestoft’s very own Sunrise Film Festival. This year marks our fourth annual edition and 2025 is our second edition as a BIFA qualifying short film festival.
“We’re proud that our festival continues to be one of the most affordable film festivals to access whilst the cost of living continues to rise, as well as opportunities to access culture becoming ever more inaccessible,” said Joshua Freemantle.
“More than ever a platform like ours is needed to make the industry more equal and representative of the diversity of those who work within the film industry. We look forward to welcoming many of our nominees, filmmakers and audience behind our selected films to Lowestoft in-person this May, as we continue to grow this celebration of independent film on the East Anglian Coast.”
This year’s Festival expands its offerings with new additions, including: a dedicated ‘SFF for Free’ programme and support free archive silent film screenings with the Lowestoft Town Hall project Exhibition; Virtual Reality (VR) experiences; and the world premiere of a Lowestoft-based online series, Time Travelling with Myself.
The Festival boasts a record number of entries, totalling 124 hours of film, making the 2025 line-up more diverse, thought-provoking, and bolder than ever. SFF is also proud to announce that its programme is once again F-Rated, with 54% of the short films screening being made by female/non-binary led teams or Producers/Directors.
Lily van den Broecke, Senior Manager at Film Hub South East, which distributes BFI Film Audience Funding in the South East region, said: “Everyone should have access to a wide choice of film, no matter where they live or their circumstances. Sunrise Film Festival makes this possible for audiences across Lowestoft and beyond.
“So, we are delighted to support the festival again this year in their energetic efforts to reach new audiences and to increase access to screen culture for all – a mission jointly shared by the BFI Film Audience Network across the UK.”
The Festival extends its gratitude for its continued support from Lowestoft Town Council, its sponsors, and partners, including Film Hub South East, distributing funding from the BFI Film Audience Network, with funds from the National Lottery to bring the Festival to public audiences.
Sunrise Film Festival starts today (Thursday May 22) in Lowestoft, Suffolk, and runs to Sunday May 25, 2025. For more information about the 2025 programme, ticketing, and festival events, please visit sunrisefilmfestival.co.uk. The programme includes the screening of Memoir of a Snail at the Marina Theatre on Sunday, May 25th at 5:15 PM. From Academy Award®-winning Claymation legend Adam Elliot, this bittersweet tale follows Grace Pudel as she discovers that sometimes the biggest cages are the ones we build ourselves.
Featured image of Festival leading Founder Joshua Freemantle (Credit – Sunrise-Studios). All images supplied by Sunrise Film Festival
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