Bournemouth International Film Festival (BIFF) has announced a new partnership with independent, artist-led post-production company DISAUTHORITY, bringing two major new industry prizes to filmmakers competing at BIFF 2026 for the winners of the short film and feature film categories. The new partnership with Bournemouth International Film Festival 2026 (BIFF) will give winning filmmakers access to professional post-production, distributor deliverables and the potential to build a relationship beyond the festival.
The Bournemouth International Film Festival 2026 takes place on 9 and 10 October at Hilton Bournemouth and surrounding venues, bringing together filmmakers, audiences and industry professionals for two days of screenings, networking and events, culminating in the festival’s awards. Tickets are available at https://bit.ly/4gYPYgu.
The partnership will see DISAUTHORITY provide a £15,000 post-production package for BIFF’s winning short film, alongside a significant professional development and post-production offer for a winning feature filmmaker.
Rather than a fixed package of services, the £15,000 short film prize will operate as a flexible post-production pot, allowing the winning filmmaker to direct the support towards the areas their project needs most.
This could include:
- colour grading
- DCP creation
- audio mixing and finishing
- visual effects
- final mastering and deliverables
For the winning feature, DISAUTHORITY will provide a distributor deliverables package designed to help the film move forward beyond the festival circuit and towards its next stage.
The filmmaker will also be invited to meet with the DISAUTHORITY team to explore the possibility of a post-production equity arrangement for their next project, creating the potential for the relationship to extend well beyond BIFF 2026.
DISAUTHORITY is an independent, artist-led post-production company based in Central and South London, working across film and high-end television. Its facilities and team provide picture finishing, colour, VFX, mastering and delivery services, supporting filmmakers from early development through to final distribution.
For BIFF Festival Director Steve McCarten, the partnership represents exactly the kind of tangible industry opportunity the festival wants to create for filmmakers:
“One of the things we’ve always wanted BIFF to be is more than somewhere you screen a film, collect an award and go home. Recognition matters, but what can really change things for an independent filmmaker is access to the people, facilities and support that help them make the next step.
“A £15,000 post-production package is an extraordinary prize for a short filmmaker, particularly because DISAUTHORITY is giving the winner the flexibility to use that support where their film genuinely needs it.
“The feature offer is equally exciting. Helping a completed film become properly prepared for distributors is hugely valuable, but opening the door to a conversation about supporting the filmmaker’s next project could be even more important. This is exactly the kind of partnership we want to build around BIFF.”
The partnership reflects a shared commitment by BIFF and DISAUTHORITY to support independent filmmakers and original storytelling, while addressing some of the practical barriers filmmakers face once production has finished.
Post-production, mastering and professional delivery can represent a substantial cost for independent productions, while completing a film to the technical standards required by distributors, broadcasters and platforms can present another hurdle altogether.
By placing professional post-production support directly into the BIFF awards programme, the partnership is intended to give winning filmmakers something with practical value to their careers as well as recognition for their work.
Steve McCarten added: “We talk a lot about supporting emerging filmmakers, but support has to mean something tangible. Partnerships like this can put professional resources into a filmmaker’s hands that might otherwise be completely beyond their budget. That can make a genuine difference to where a film, or a filmmaker, goes next.”
This year’s Bournemouth International Film Festival is supported by a growing network of partners, including community partners BCP Film Office, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Bournemouth Town Centre BID, Bournemouth Coastal BID and Pauline Quirke Academy. Senior commercial partners include local company Not Just Travel and Solar Dynamics.
Tickets for the Bournemouth International Film Festival 2026 are available now.
For more information, go to bournemouthfilmfest.co.uk
