Cambridge Film Festival

What Cambridge Film Festival does

Cambridge Film Festival is a UK nonprofit organisation operated under the Cambridge Film Trust (registered charity number 1120059), running an annual 11-day autumn festival of independent and international cinema in Cambridge. Founded in 1977 and now in its 45th edition, it is the UK's third-longest-running film festival and holds BAFTA, BIFA, and Grierson qualifying status. The core product is the main festival itself, complemented by year-round education and outreach programmes including CFF Youth Lab (ages 16-24), Reel Voices (ages 16-30 in partnership with Anglia Ruskin University), Industry Day, Community Screenings in neighbourhood venues, and a Family Film Festival strand.

Revenue is generated through five diversified streams: ticket and event sales at the Arts Picturehouse and Cambridge Junction venues; corporate partnerships tiered at Platinum (The Technology Partnership, Studio24), Gold (AstraZeneca, Alchemie Technology, Cambridge BID), and Silver; a Friends & Patrons subscription scheme (Festival Friends, VistaVision Patron, Cinemascope Patron); transactional FilmFreeway submission fees from filmmakers; and donations supporting education, youth, and accessibility initiatives. The principal funder is BFI Fan, with additional support from Cambridge Community Foundation, Cole Charitable Trust, and Cambridge City Council. Filmmaker engagement is global via FilmFreeway, while live audience reach is concentrated in Cambridge and Eastern England, with 8,000+ in-person attendees, 124,000+ annual website page views, and 46,000+ social followers. Operations are run by a small team (11-50 employees) under a Board of Trustees, currently led by Acting Chair Simon Jones following the passing of co-founder Dr. Isabelle McNeill.

Name

Cambridge Film Festival

Legal name

Cambridge Film Trust

Website

https://cambridgefilmfestival.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cambridge Film Festival is a UK registered charity operating an annual BAFTA- and BIFA-qualifying independent and international cinema festival in Cambridge, complemented by year-round youth, education, and community screening programmes since 1977.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Festival Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Film Festivals & Festival Organizers (MPADAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Screening Rooms & Cinematheques (Nonprofit/Institutional) (MPADAKAF), Community & Cultural Screenings (Museums, Cultural Centers) (MPADAKAH), Performing Arts Camps (Theater, Musical Theater, Dance) (EDAMALAI)

Keywords

• Film festival
• Independent cinema
• Film education
• Community screenings
• Filmmaker submissions

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from festival screenings, special events, and gala screenings at Arts Picturehouse and partner venues
2. Corporate Partnerships: Partnership tiers including Platinum, Gold, and Silver levels with benefits such as brand visibility, event invitations, and hospitality opportunities
3. Friends & Patrons Scheme: Membership programs including Festival Friends, VistaVision Patron, and Cinemascope Patron with benefits like advanced notifications, special invitations, and on-screen recognition
4. Film Submissions: Submission fees from filmmakers applying to screen at the festival, with waivers available for Cambridgeshire-based filmmakers and returning directors
5. Donations: Charitable donations supporting educational programs, Youth Lab, community screenings, and accessibility initiatives

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Cambridge Film Festival is an annual 11-day film festival held each autumn in Cambridge, UK, showcasing independent and international cinema with BAFTA and BIFA qualifying status. The festival is augmented by year-round educational and community programmes including Youth Lab (film education for ages 16-24), Reel Voices (mentoring for aspiring film critics aged 16-30 in partnership with Anglia Ruskin University), Industry Day, Community Screenings, and a Family Film Festival strand. The festival is operated by the Cambridge Film Trust, an independent registered charity.

Product overview

Cambridge Film Festival is a single unified event (the annual autumn film festival) augmented by year-round education and community programmes. The core product is the 11-day Cambridge Film Festival featuring independent and international cinema with BAFTA/BIFA qualifying status. Supporting this are Youth Lab (film education for ages 16-24), Reel Voices (film criticism mentoring for ages 16-30), Industry Day (filmmaker development), Community Screenings (free outreach screenings), and the Family Film Festival (half-term screenings). Submissions are managed via FilmFreeway. The festival operates as a charitable initiative under Cambridge Film Trust.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cambridge Film Festival (Annual Event)

Quantifiable outcome

• CFF43 alumni films received Oscar and BAFTA wins including Best Picture for ANORA
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, major, supporting and minor.

• The Technology Partnership (TTP)flagshipOthersPlatinum Partner providing technology partnership services to the festival. The festival website credits TTP as a key technology partner.
• Studio24flagshipTechnology or IntegrationPlatinum Partner responsible for website design and development as evidenced by footer credit 'Site by Studio24'
• BFI (British Film Institute)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerMain Funder through BFI Fan programme. The BFI is the UK's lead organization for film and the moving image, providing funding and support.
• Arts PicturehousecoreOthersVenue Partner - main cinema venue for festival screenings in Cambridge city centre
• Cambridge JunctioncoreOthersVenue Partner for special events including quiz nights and alternative programming
• Anglia Ruskin UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation Partner collaborating on Reel Voices mentoring programme for aspiring film critics aged 16-30
• Cambridge BIDcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGold Partner supporting Cambridge Arts Festival and Youth Lab events as part of Cambridge's business improvement district initiatives
• AstraZenecamajorGTM or Marketing PartnerGold Partner - global biopharmaceutical company supporting the festival
• Alchemie TechnologymajorGTM or Marketing PartnerGold Partner supporting Environment & Community strand and documentary programme
• Cambridge City CouncilsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerFoundation, Institution & Trust supporter providing civic support to the festival
• FilmFreewaycoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline submissions platform for filmmakers worldwide to submit films for festival consideration
• Gonville and Caius CollegeminorOthersCambridge university college where the CFF44 jury convened to deliberate on the Golden Punt Award

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Raindance Film Festival: Independent UK film festival and film school focused on emerging filmmakers, with comparable industry day, education programmes, and BAFTA-qualifying status. Comparable as an indie-focused UK festival with strong filmmaker development mission.

Direct peers

• Leeds International Film Festival: Long-running UK regional film festival (since 1987) operating as a registered charity with year-round cinema programmes, audience awards, industry events, and family/community strands. Closely comparable in charity structure and regional UK scale.
• Cork International Film Festival: Ireland's longest-running film festival (since 1956) operating as a charity with audience awards, industry programming, and community outreach. Comparable as a similarly sized European festival with parallel education/community strands and BAFTA-qualifying heritage.
• BFI London Film Festival: The UK's flagship film festival operated by the British Film Institute, also BAFTA-qualifying. Directly comparable as the largest UK film festival exhibiting international cinema, with industry days, public screenings, audience awards, and parallel education/community programs.
• Glasgow Film Festival: Annual UK film festival hosted by Glasgow Film Theatre with comparable scale (~40,000+ audience), parallel industry and education programming, and similar community/audience focus. Closely matched regional UK festival peer with BAFTA-qualifying heritage.
• Iris Prize (Cardiff): Wales-based international LGBTQ+ short film prize and festival with charitable status, BAFTA-qualifying, and strong industry/education programming. Comparable as a small UK specialty film festival with parallel charitable structure.
• Encounters Film Festival (Bristol): UK short and animation film festival (since 1995), BAFTA/BIFA qualifying, operating as a charity with industry programming. Comparable as a UK festival with a similar focus on discovery and filmmaker development.
• Edinburgh International Film Festival: One of the world's longest-running film festivals, founded 1947, held annually in Scotland. Directly comparable as a UK festival exhibiting independent and international cinema with industry programming, audience awards, and a parallel educational/community mission.
• Sheffield DocFest: UK documentary and film festival with strong industry programme, marketplace, and year-round education. Comparable as a UK festival with Grierson/BAFTA qualifying status and an integrated industry day and talent development focus.

Regional players

• London Indian Film Festival: UK-based specialty film festival with parallel education and industry events and a multi-city footprint (London, Birmingham, Glasgow). Comparable as a UK film festival with similar submission-driven programming and community engagement model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/camfilmfest
• Facebookfacebook.com/cambridgefilmfestival
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cambridge-film-festival
• Instagraminstagram.com/camfilmfest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cambridge Film Festival