The Film Programme

At the heart of our Festival is an incredible film programme, which we curate from entries as part of the international film competition screening everything from film premieres featuring the world’s greatest athletes to new voices entering the outdoor sphere.

The Film Programme at the Festival honours excellence in adventure storytelling and filmmaking by presenting a diverse array of entries that showcase a rich tapestry of stories highlighting the beauty, challenges, and triumphs of the human spirit in the great outdoors.

Jacqui Scott, CEO, Kendal Mountain Festival, shared:"With an incredible array of film submissions each year, it’s genuinely heartwarming to know that we’re helping lift up this vibrant community of filmmakers, each driven by the shared mission to bring powerful outdoor stories to life."

WATCH THE 2024 TRAILER

INTERNATIONAL Film Competition - ENTRIES NOW OPEN

Each year we hold a world-renowned film competition with hundreds of entrants from across the globe.

Our team carefully watch every entry and whittle these down to a varied programme of 200 films, which we screen in an insightfully curated and jam-packed programme at various Festival venues each November.The films are then viewed by our panel of judges who select the award winners, and we present our prestigious ‘Kendal’ awards at a lively ceremony on Saturday night in the Basecamp. Our Festival audience are also invited to nominate their favourite film to win the ‘People’s Choice Award’.We screen feature length films as stand-alone events alongside short films curated into themed collections. In 2025, we are keen to support and welcome the submission of short, uplifting adventure films to balance the hard-hitting but incredibly important films that focus on climate, and economic and humanitarian issues.

KEY DATES:1 January - ENTRIES OPEN1 September - FILM ENTRY DEADLINE10 October - NOTIFICATION DATE20 - 23 November - FESTIVAL DATES

FEES:Standard film entry - $32Animation film entry - $16Entries are via the platform Film Freeway - visit our Film Freeway page for full rules and other information.

Submit via Film Freeway

Film Collections

Each film collection features a carefully curated selection of short outdoor films that will take your breath away and boost your sense of adventure! 

Watch the best of...on the Kendal Mountain Player

Feature Films and Premieres

Each year we gain exclusive access to the world's greatest outdoor feature films. We have become renowned as a launchpad and international showcase for mountain and outdoor film, premiering or screening such classics as The Bat and the Wicked, Five Days One Summer, Hard Grit, Touching The Void, Free Solo and 14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible.

Explore 2024 films

Accessibility - Shifting the Culture in Sports and Adventure Filmmaking

Sports and adventure filmmaking is a thriving and creative culture with many film festivals and a large online audience; however, this vibrant culture is rarely accessible for disabledaudiences. This open-source document created by Danielle Sellwood (Find It Film) and Coldhouse Collective aims to provide all the tools you need to start making your films and content accessible. This is an ever-changing area, and this document will be updated as required. This project has been kindly supported by Berghaus.

Download the free guidance
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