Finished uni for the year? Durham Film Festival is a fun, free event for Durham students

Exams are finally over, which means Summer has officially started! It’s more than likely that you’ve got a calendar full of upcoming plans and events that have been getting you through exam season. If that’s the case, you’ve probably heard of the Durham Film Festival.

The DFF established itself in 2012 as a short film festival dedicated to student filmmaking. Here, the DFF prides itself in uplifting student voices and creativity as it showcases films made by students, for students.

Whether you love films, or you know someone who loves films (or maybe you’re just looking for a few days of fun) the DFF is where you should be this summer.

What is it?

The festival follows a week long schedule from Sunday 9th June to Friday 14th June, which means you can pick and choose which events you want to go to.

The first event is the 48hr Film Challenge, it takes place on the 9th of June and finishes on the 11th. The overall gist of this event is that students are taught how to work a camera and write a script, to which they will use these new skills to produce a short film within a 48hr period.

This event is a great new way to get to know people and get those creative juices flowing – and, if not that, at least you get to brag and tell people that you’ve made your own short film. What’s more, the best entries will be showcased at the film social on Wednesday evening, which brings us to our next few events…

What other stuff can I expect?

On the 11th of June, the day the 48hr Film Challenge finishes, the DFF will be hosting a Short Film Screening. Here, short films submitted by student from around the world will be screened, followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers.

As well as this, on the 12th of June there will be the film social, a relaxing evening where students will be able to watch the films created in the 48hr film challenge and socialise with a film focussed pub quiz.

Things don’t stop there – on the 13th of June there will be an open-air cinema at Hild Bede, in which a classic film chosen by students will be showcased on the college lawn, allowing those who come a chance to sit down and enjoy a film in the summer evening.

The final event is the CineConcert. In collaboration with the Hill Orchestra, the DFF has arranged for compilation of famous film medleys to be played in the Masonic Hall.

The music will be played alongside a cinematic display of film clips in the background. Afterwards, there will be drinks in the Masonic Hall gardens to finish the night off with.

So, if you’re looking for something to do before you go back home for the summer, spend a day with the DFF. Tickets can either be for a singular event or all of them, meaning you can spend as much time as you choose with the film festival.

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