Durham Film Festival 2025: Celebrating Student Talent and International Voices

This year’s festival jury featured members from our School: Santiago Fouz Hernández and Yarí Pérez Marín, both of whom contribute to our Visual Arts and Film programme. They were joined by Aleks Dimitrijevic, director of the London Short Film Festival, representing the British Film Institute (BFI). Since 2021, Durham’s partnership with the BFI has been instrumental in enhancing film culture on campus, offering access to the BFI Player and supporting a variety of film-related events and academic initiatives.

The Main Prize went to The Field (Canada, 2025), directed by Davis Homenuck. The Runner-Up Award was claimed by Before You Leave (UK, 2024) by Louise Thomas, while the Audience Award went to On Strings (UK, 2025), directed by Tom Lee.

This year’s official selection proudly included three short films created entirely by Durham students:

Tippy Toes – directed by Jacob Cordery

One-sided – directed by Tilottama Chowdhury

Rowan Smith Does Not Exist – directed by Tom Oakes

As part of the festival’s media coverage, FRED Film Radio, the Festival Insider, is streaming an interview with student filmmaker Jacob Cordery, Festival Director Valeria Moreno, and Deputy Director Nicole Ruf. Hosted by Professor Santiago Fouz Hernández, the segment explored the origins of this student-led festival, the ongoing impact of the BFI partnership, and insights into this year’s selection. Jacob Cordery also shared how a visit to Girona, Catalonia, inspired the narrative of Tippy Toes.

The 2025 Durham Film Festival continues to grow as a vibrant platform for emerging voices and global stories, powered by a dedicated student team and a passionate university community.

Listen to the interview on SPOTIFY

Read more on Fred Film Radio