This year's film festival in London increased its "weekend" to five full days - from the 17th to the 21st of February.

The days were filled with workshops, master classes, screenings and Q & A sessions. Very effective social events were also organized; through which, ambitious young filmmakers aged 16 to 25 years had the opportunity to establish professional contacts. A large number of them were given the chance to get acquainted with experts from the film industry and special guests. Thus professionals were able to provide young artists the necessary skills and know-how order to follow their creative endeavors in film.

The cost to participate in all activities of the festival was only 30 £. This enabled young filmmakers to actively participate in the program; especially the first day of the event was free.

BFI Future Film Festival has evolved over time and now has a complete line of fiction, documentaries and animation. The festival is very useful for fresh producers, writers, directors, screen designers and technicians. Master classes led by celebrities from the fields of cinema, encourage and help young filmmakers to start their career from scratch. A new program called RAW Shorts, designed to help them make fantastic short digital films with small budget, became a very important part of the festival.

The BFI (British Film Institute) will continue to support emerging young directors in subsequent editions of the festival.

Photos: Elma Neykova