A CUMBRIAN cinema festival has encouraged budding filmmakers with short productions on the county to give flight to their work.

Osprey Short Films - the short production wing of Keswick's annual film festival - says it has waived entry fees until the end of this month and is therefore urging submissions for the 2021 event ahead of August.

Submissions must meet the following criteria; that they have a significant connection to Cumbria; that they be no more than 10 minutes long; and that they have been completed after January 1, 2020.

The Keswick Festival, which began in 2000, has not yet confirmed in what form its next iteration, which will take place in early 2021, could go ahead.

However, Osprey has still been proactive in its encouragement of film submissions connected to Cumbria - removing the financial bar for entries.

On one of its social media page last week, the organisation said: "If you've made a short Cumbrian film, now is a great time to submit it for our 2021 event."

It also explained: "Short films have always played an important part of the Festival.

"In 2008 we started running a competition for local film makers which became the Cumbrian Short Film Awards in 2009 and since 2011 have been known as the Osprey Short Film Awards."