By Georgiana Watt, Third Year, Film and Television
Over the last two months, I have taken on four volunteering roles at three different film festivals in the Southwest, as well as starting third year. If that sounds like a lot of different numbers, trust me, it felt like a lot of different numbers.
Whilst my experiences at these festivals were wildly different, they all gave me incredible insight into how film festivals are run. Plus, I got to watch a bunch of films for free and met some really cool people!
Here’s what I think you should know about film festival volunteering, from my experience.
Note: My ability to volunteer comes from my privilege in terms of money and time. For me, I decided that the perks I got from volunteering outweighed the fact that I was doing unpaid labour. However, I hope this article highlights the different ways you can get involved with film festivals despite the time and financial restrictions you may face.
How I got involved
I mainly found out about volunteering opportunities through adverts I got on Instagram. Whilst I do have to thank the algorithm on some level, it also helps that I follow quite a few key Instagram accounts. For example, Make Shift, which is run by the Watershed and highlights opportunities aimed at under 25s, and Watersprite Film Festival, the world’s largest student film festival.
Newsletters and online community boards are also really useful, such as SWIF (South West independent Film) here, which shortlists everything film related in the wider South West, and the newly-launched All Set West, which is for South West-based emerging filmmakers.
Moreover, every opportunity will have a different application process, for which the deadlines will be at least a few months before the festival is held.
Film Note Writer for FilmBath
My volunteering journey started with this role, which was fully remote!
As a film note writer, I was assigned two films that were going to be screened at this year’s Bath Film Festival (The Secret Agent (2025) and How To Build a Library (2025)), for which I had to write a few hundred words about how the film was created and the people who created it, as well as a few fun facts and an interesting quote. If you’d like to read some, they’re available online here: https://filmbath.org.uk/film-notes-2025.
The biggest challenge was trying to research these films, as I was only able to (legally) watch The Secret Agent. It’s quite amazing how much you can spoil a movie for yourself just by reading reviews. I also had to strike a balance between writing enough so that people would learn something new about these films, but not too much that I spoiled their whole plots.
However, from that research, I learned so much about what happens after a film gets made; from random jargon like electronic press kits, to film marketing processes and conventions, and about the biggest festivals in the world. This role also made me a lot more confident in my writing style and voice, which resulted in me starting to write more outside of university work, such as for the Epigram. How meta is that?
I also volunteered at Bath Film Festival itself, but I spent most of my time there standing in a doorway doing nothing but smiling at people as they walked into the Little Theatre Cinema.
Steward at Encounters Film Festival
Encounters Film Festival was held in the Watershed in the first week of teaching, so obviously I had to make things more stressful for myself by volunteering as a steward.
For me, Encounters had the best perks. I got a full industry pass, so I could see any event that was held in the Watershed for free, food vouchers for when I was working, and a free t-shirt (that is three sizes too big and is now a designated pyjama shirt).
Moreover, as I was an usher, I also got to sit in on industry talks that I would’ve never have had the opportunity to go to, such as the Artist Masterclass with film composing duo Geoff Barrow (of Portishead fame) and Ben Salisbury, who scored Ex-Machina (2014) and other Alex Garland-directed films. However, I did learn that I suck at handing microphones around in Q&A sections. Who knew it took so much coordination?
The other volunteers at Encounters were also the loveliest, and I had some wonderful chats during our breaks – shoutout to Lucy, Yoyi and Keith!
Steward at MOON FEST
Two weeks after Encounters, I volunteered at MOON FEST, which is a grassroots art and culture festival started by an ex-UOB student aimed at shining a spotlight on East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) creatives and small business owners.
This role was the most hands-on out of all of them, as there were only three other volunteers! I was in charge of the Instagram account for a day, which was great fun, as it forced me to go and talk to people. I also had to manage the projector, which was less fun because it refused to cooperate with the organiser’s laptop!
Being from Hong Kong, this festival solved my homesickness. It was great to see films made by people with similar backgrounds to myself and really inspiring to chat to the musicians and stallholders. At the same time, with MOON FEST being a much smaller festival than Encounters and Bath Film Festival, I had to put in a lot more work than I was expecting to.
river korkmaz
If you are even remotely interested in making films, and if you have the time or energy, I would highly recommend volunteering at film festivals. Film festivals have such a fun, unique atmosphere which makes them great spaces to learn and meet people. However, remember that your passion for film is an asset, and only you should decide how you get to use that asset.
Featured Image: Epigram/ Georgiana Watt
Have you volunteered at a local film festival?
