Festival Data:

• Established: 2006
• Genre: General
• Attendance: 1500
• Total Number of Films Screened: 37
• Total Screenings: 14
• # of Shorts Screened: 29
• # of Features Screened: 8

• Retrospective
• Has Panels
• Workshops

Festival Website:

Festival Description:

The Compass Film Festival is arranged by Compass Film in partnership with Swedish-based organization Film International. Compass Film CIC is a not-for-profit community interest company, dedicated to opening up ignored areas of visual culture, and to enabling access to a wide range of moving image and critical debate for the general public, those that currently lack access, as well as dedicated film interests. The organization aims to provide a vital space for skills development, growth and reflection around moving image, and to nurture a grassroots cultural organization that will represent and contribute to the creativity and diversity of the South-West region.

Compass Film uses the imaginative framework of the compass axis to direct audiences across the cinematic globe. Each year, the festival focuses on a different genre or theme; the inaugural 2006 festival featuring horror.

In 2007, the Compass of Resistance International Film Festival took Bristol on a cinematic journey across the globe, presenting a series of encounters, dialogues, events and screenings that will allow a rare, fresh and innovative look at the notion of ‘resistance’ in international cinema. Beyond the main weekend of films and workshops; the compass needle turned to India, Russia, Jamaica, Algeria and England. Beyond the tightly focused directional gaze of the program, a broad range of events took place at city-wide venues including an urban spoken word freestyle competition, amateur film exhibition, celebration of African & Afro-Caribbean film culture, a showcase evening of locally-based filmmakers, live musical performance and D&VJ events.

In 2008, Bristol will experience the Compass Festival of Mystery screening beguiling and enigmatic films of any length or genre. The program will also include the "Five Minutes of Mystery" which will challenge filmmakers to create and submit short films around a theme of mystery. 

Inhabiting a space at the top of Mivart St. Studios, Easton, Bristol, THE COMPASS OF MYSTERY FESTIVAL will transform the venue into a world of creativity, bringing the South-West an exciting month of film, poetry, visual art and theatre. Culminating in a culturally angled program of international cinema over the weekend of 16-19 October, this year's Compass points direct us to an intriguing selection of films from Poland (North), Pakistan (East), Somalia (South) & Argentina (West), utilising the creative wealth of these migrant communities from our shores, as well as from the host countries themselves.

Judged by a panel of industry experts, awards will be for Best Film, Audience Award, Local Film-maker and Youth Award.

Film Submissions:

• Accepts direct submissions
• Submission formats: DVD, MiniDV, Other
• Call for Entry: http:/ / www.sendspace.com/ file/ 6hteku