February 20, 2020
Hidden Door is looking for innovative entries as part of the selected short film programme due to take place from 9 – 18 October 2020.
Hidden Door 2020 will see a secret venue transformed into a temporary live music venue, theatre and performance space, alongside a multitude of art exhibitions and installations.
This year we are looking for submissions focused on a specific theme, one which is fitting to the ethos of Hidden Door, that of preservation.
Today the choice of what to leave behind and what to keep and cherish seems to be more important than ever, as the planet faces a climate emergency as a consequence of our previous choices. Preservation on any level – of a personal memory, a family legacy, a cultural heritage, an idea, an object or a place – if it has survived until this day, is already a part of the foundation that secures our path into the future.
Preservation is a central idea at the heart of Hidden Door, a festival that at its core is about the discovery and re-emergence of Edinburgh’s forgotten spaces. Within these spaces new stories are created from the foundations and cobbles of the past. It is with this spirit that we ask for film submissions that celebrate this central theme.
We are looking for short films (30 minutes and under) and welcome submissions from a wide range of genres and filmmaking styles. The selected films will be programmed alongside a series of curated events from invited partners and guest curators.
All submissions will be considered for the Hidden Door Innovative Film Award and a cash prize of £500 will be awarded by a jury to a piece of filmmaking considered to be outstanding.
Apply by 19 April 2020.
Download the Film Call for Entries Guidance (PDF)
When you’re ready, submit your film via Film Freeway.
Hidden Door is an arts organisation which aims to open up urban spaces as a platform for new and emerging artists, musicians, theatre makers, performers, film makers and poets. Through organising temporary events Hidden Door works to showcase new work and create engaging environments for the public to experience, explore and discover.
Hidden Door has steadily grown in size and reputation since it began in 2014, when it cleared out the abandoned Market Street vaults to run a 9-day arts festival focused on showcasing local creative talent. In 2015 the festival moved to a hidden courtyard behind Kings’ Stables Road, and returned there in 2016, attracting over 12,000 visitors to experience a wealth of art, poetry, theatre, film, dance and music. In 2017 the festival breathed new life into the old Leith Theatre, attracting rave reviews and critical praise for its role in resurrecting “Scotland’s best new live music venue”, winning a Scottish Thistle Award for “Best Cultural Event or Festival”. It returned there in 2018 whilst also opening up the iconic State Cinema around the corner, then following a farewell weekender at Leith Theatre in 2019, organisers are now setting their sights on a mystery new location to bring to life in 2020.
Hidden Door will return in 2020 as a 10-day multi arts festival, taking place 9 – 18 October in an as-yet undisclosed derelict site in Edinburgh.