Glowflare Horror Film Festival

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Glowflare Horror Film Festival
Glowflare Horror Film Festival Logo.png
Location Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Founded2024
Founded by Daniel Smales
Awards20
Hosted by Parkway Cinemas
LanguageEnglish
Website www.glowflarehorrorfestival.com

Glowflare Horror Film Festival is an independent horror film festival founded in 2024 by Daniel Smales, is produced and presented by Glowflare. The festival celebrates the art of filmmaking in horror genres, offering a platform for independent filmmakers from the UK and internationally to showcase their work. [1] The festival took place in Beverley, United Kingdom. [2] The event has been hosted since 2025 at Parkway Cinemas an independent cinema known for its modern facilities and support for independent film events. [3] [4]

Contents

The festival welcomes short and feature length films of horror genre and sub genres. [5] Submissions are managed through FilmFreeway, a platform that simplifies the process for filmmakers to submit their works to festivals. [1]

History

Founded in 2024, submissions for the inaugural event were opened exclusively through FilmFreeway on 11 August 2024. [1] The festival was announced publicly by Daniel Smales, the festival director, in April 2025. [6] The festival accepted both short (under 40 minutes) and feature-length films, with submissions categorised under animation, comedy, folk horror, found footage, gore/extreme, monster/creature, psychological, science fiction/fantasy, slasher, supernatural, and zombie. [4] [7] [8] [9] Tickets for the first festival were made available through the Parkway Cinemas website on 4 April 2025. [10] [11] [12] Final submissions was accepted until 18 April 2024. [13] Submissions included works from both local and international filmmakers, with entries from the United States, Canada, and Europe, highlighting the festival’s openness to international participation. [14]

"All This Time," "The Reign of Queen Ginnarra," and "The Cellar" were announced as part of the first official selections for the 2025 Glowflare Horror Film Festival, as reported by the Yorkshire Times. [15] [16] The official trailer for the 2025 Glowflare Horror Film Festival was released on 10 May 2025 on YouTube, offering a preview of the films and events scheduled for the festival’s inaugural edition. [17] The final line-up was announced on 12 May 2025. [18] The 2025 programme featured films produced across a wide range of budgets, from no-budget shorts to feature films completed for up to $350,000 (approximately £280,000), reflecting the diversity of production scales in independent horror filmmaking. [19] Award nominations was announced on 13 May 2025. [20]

The short film "Sour Tooth" by Inverclyde-based filmmakers Scott McIntosh, Cameron McDonald, and Rachael McAlonan premiered at the 2025 Glowflare Horror Film Festival, where it was nominated for Best Editing and Best Film Made for Under £1,000. [21] [22] The festival concluded with an awards ceremony on 18 May, where All This Time won Best Feature Film, Best Director (Rob Worsey), Best Actor (Daniel De Bourg), and the Audience Choice Award for Best Feature. Other winners included Tears of Sorrow for Best Short Film, and Lost Angels for Best Screenplay and Best Editing. [23] [24]

Submissions opened for its 2026 season on 1 May 2025, reflecting its intention to become a recurring event on the film festival calendar. [25]

Official Selection

The following is the list of films selected for the inaugural Glowflare Horror Film Festival in 2025:

Official Selection
ProjectDirector(s)RuntimeTypeCountry
All This TimeRob Worsey1:29:00FeatureFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Blood on the BleachersChase Dudley13:40FeatureFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
CandyGiuseppe Marino16:03ShortFlag of Italy.svg  Italy
Chainsaws Were SingingSander Maran1:57:33FeatureFlag of Estonia.svg  Estonia
DiseaseAlex Masciotra-Milstein4:58ShortFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Evil DinnerJose Murzia10:10ShortFlag of Mexico.svg  Mexico
FirecrowMarkham Samuels19:55ShortFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Goodnight SweetheartKathrin Told28:43ShortFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
GretchenDean Addison18:20ShortFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
How To Kill MonstersStewart Sparke01:35:00FeatureFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
KarenDean Addison & Marc Zammit13:58ShortFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Lady and the ToothShaun Clark8:00ShortFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Lost AngelsPeder Pedersen01:35:47FeatureFlag of Denmark.svg  Denmark
Mother MaryWarren Dudley17:15ShortFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Rip AdvisorLudovic Matthey9:48ShortFlag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland
SanitoriumBruno Martínez14:00ShortFlag of Spain.svg  Spain
Shape in the LakeFalko Jakobs22:00ShortFlag of Germany.svg  Germany
Tears of SorrowJodie R. Tuccio7:47ShortFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
The AbyssOrlando Del Maestro, Josh Flower5:51ShortFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
The AllureJosh Wood13:30ShortFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
The BirdwatcherRyan Mackfall13:40ShortFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
The CellarJamie Langlands2:06FeatureFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
The Dead of WinterStephen Graves11:42ShortFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
The Five Stages of…Glenn L Lisser06:00ShortFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
The Reign of Queen GinnarraLawrie Brewster1:39:00FeatureFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
The XmascistAndy Winward06:58ShortFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Uncanny ValleyDiego Pino9:00ShortFlag of Venezuela.svg  Venezuela

Awards

The festival recognises the achievements of filmmakers in variety of the following awards. [1]

Key
Award Nomination
Award Winner

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Glowflare Short Film Festival". FilmFreeway . Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  2. "Glowflare Horror Film Festival". Parkway Cinemas . Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  3. "Beverley cinema in frame for major UK industry award". Hull Daily Mail. 20 November 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Glowflare Horror Film Festival bringing weekend of scares to Beverley". Hull Daily Mail. 4 April 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  5. "Glowflare Horror Film Festival Brings A Weekend Of Scares To Beverley In May". Yorkshire Times. 8 April 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  6. "Glowflare Horror Film Festival Brings A Weekend Of Scares To Beverley In May". Lancashire Times. 8 April 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  7. "Glowflare Horror Film Festival". Welcome to Yorkshire. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  8. "Glowflare Horror Film Festival 2025". Happening Next. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  9. "Glowflare Horror Film Festival Brings A Weekend Of Scares To Beverley In May". Cumbria Times. 8 April 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  10. "Glowflare Horror Film Festival". What’s On In Hull. 4 April 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  11. "Glowflare Horror Film Festival Brings A Weekend Of Scares To Beverley In May". Northeast Post. 8 April 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  12. "Glowflare Horror Film Festival". Data Thistle. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  13. "Glowflare Horror Film Festival Brings A Weekend Of Scares To Beverley In May". Chimeo. 8 April 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  14. "Glowflare Horror Film Festival is a resounding success for filmmakers". Yorkshire Post. 21 May 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  15. Emily Bennett (19 April 2025). "Glowflare Horror Film Festival kicks off with vampires, sorcery and amnesia". Love Horror. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  16. "Glowflare Horror Film Festival Unveils First Selections Ahead Of May Event". Yorkshire Times. 18 April 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  17. "Glowflare Horror Film Festival 2025". YouTube. 10 May 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  18. "New horror film festival launches in East Yorkshire". Yorkshire Post. 12 May 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  19. "Horror Highlights: Bride Of Re‑Animator 4K, Glowflare Horror Film Festival, Night After Night". Daily Dead. 16 May 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  20. "Glowflare Horror Festival 17–18 May". Just Beverley. 13 May 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  21. "Inverclyde filmmakers premiere short film at horror festival". Greenock Telegraph. 24 May 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  22. "Movie making friends Inverclyde hit". Yahoo News UK. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  23. "Horror Highlights: Jurassic World Rebirth, Bride Of The Living Chad, Glowflare Horror Festival, Arrow". Daily Dead. 20 May 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  24. "Horror Film Festival A Resounding Success For Filmmakers". Chimeo. 21 May 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  25. "Horror Film Festival A Resounding Success For Filmmakers". Yorkshire Times. 21 May 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  26. "Glowflare Horror Film Festival 2025 Awards". Glowflare Horror Film Festival. Retrieved 4 July 2025.