Celebrating 'True-Indie' Filmmaking & Connecting Global Talent
The London Lift-Off Film Festival has run every December since 2010. It’s part of the Lift-Off Global Network, a circuit of city festivals built to put independent filmmakers in front of new audiences, and in front of each other.
It’s made for filmmakers near the start: first and second films, shorts, low-budget features, work that’s bold before it’s polished. If your film has something to say, London is a place to be seen and to meet the people who shape what you make next.
Every selected film screens online to a global audience, and the festival runs alongside in-person and online networking, so you leave with real industry contacts and conversations. Films that stand out in London are shortlisted for the Lift-Off Season Awards at the end of the year, judged across all 12 city festivals. The point isn’t the laurel on the wall. It’s the next project, and the people who help you make it.
London Lift-Off Season #17 screens this December 2026. Submissions are now open on FilmFreeway. Selected films get an online screening to a global audience, and entry to the festival’s networking events. Standout films get a place in the London Network Round, and winners are shortlisted for the 17th Lift-Off Season Awards.
Recent Winners
Festival Events
Each festival hosts a series of online and in-person events, connecting filmmaking talent across the globe
Focus Group Feedback
Meet fellow filmmakers, exchange feedback and discuss your projects. Focus Group participants attend an online meeting to pitch their work before participating in the Feedback Session.
In-Person Networking Speeddate
Join us in the city for a showcase & networking event held in conjunction with the festival’s online screenings. Attendees chat to everyone in the room in a 'speed-date' style networking session.
Online Networking SpeedDate
Pitch your future projects or share previous work. Attendees can screen a trailer or pitch deck before meeting with everyone in a 'speed-date' style network session.