Make a festive short film in 48 hours & see it on the big screen! Join Framespotting Films for Deck the Reels. Win top prizes! #Reading

Think you can make a holiday movie in just 48 hours?

​Join Reading Biscuit Factory and Framespotting Films for Deck the Reels—a festive, high-speed cinematic sprint! Whether you’re an experienced crew or a first-time filmmaker, this challenge invites teams to write, shoot, and edit a Christmas short film over one weekend. Every eligible film submitted on time will be screened on the big screen at Reading Biscuit Factory!

​How It Works

​Register Your Team: Lock in your spot on Eventbrite (£50 flat team entry covers your registration + 4 Premiere Tickets for screening night!).

​The Online Launch (Fri, 4 Dec @ 20:00): The secret prompt, required prop, and line of dialogue will drop online via email at 8:00 PM sharp.

​The 48-Hour Sprint (4–6 Dec): You have until Sunday, 6 Dec at 20:00 to write, film, edit, and submit your short film (maximum runtime 10 minutes).

​The Red Carpet Premiere (Mon, 14 Dec): Watch your work on the big screen, celebrate with Reading's creative community, receive judges' feedback, and compete for top awards!

​The Brief & Prompts

​Prompt: TBA via email (Open to any genre: comedy, drama, festive thriller, romance, or sci-fi!)

​Required Prop: TBA via email (must play a active role in your scene).

​Required Line of Dialogue: TBA via email

​Validation: Must include a shot featuring Reading Biscuit Factory (interior, exterior, or logo/signage) and your assigned 3-digit Team ID code.

​Awards & Prizes

​The Golden Biscuit (Best Film) – Grand Prize: Year-Long Cinema Memberships at Reading Biscuit Factory for the team.

​Audience Choice Award: Voted live by the audience during Premiere Night.

​Technical Awards: Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay, Best Performance, Best Editing & Sound Design.

​Special Category: Best Holiday Spirit / Seasonal Twist.

​Key Rules & Ethos

​Team Size & Age: Open to teams of 2–6 core members (All participants must be 18+).

​Diversity & Inclusion: In line with our ethos, we strongly encourage teams to bring together diverse perspectives across gender, ethnicity, disability, and background.

​Locations & Conduct: Respect local shooting spaces, ensure safety, and keep content free from hate speech or discrimination.

Music & Copyright Licensing: All music, sound effects, stock footage, and artwork used in your film must be 100% original, in the public domain, or properly licensed for festival and online screening (e.g., Creative Commons, Epidemic Sound, Artlist). Unlicensed commercial music is not permitted and will disqualify the entry from screening.

Filmmakers retain full copyright to their work, while granting Framespotting Films and Reading Biscuit Factory non-exclusive rights to screen the film at the premiere gala and use clips or stills for event promotion.

Description supplied by the event organiser.