A festival for people who make & love films.
Short films. 20 minutes or less. Keighley, West Yorkshire. Open to the world.
RATMA is an independent short film festival rooted in Keighley, West Yorkshire. We exist for one reason: to give films a chance to be seen. Not just polished productions with big budgets, but films made by people who love making films. Films that came from an idea, a camera and the determination to see it through. If you made a film, this is a place for it.
Our Story
RATMA started the way a lot of good things start, as a student project. Marcus was teaching at Keighley College when he asked the students what they would like to do as a community project. They chose a film festival.
What began as a college project grew into something real. Marcus contacted Gareth from Clockwork Eye Video, a local video production company, for advice, and together they built a festival that ran for ten years. Ten years of screenings, with over 300 films entered from all over the world every year. Entries from filmmakers of all calibres, novices and experts. Short films, under ten minutes, that deserved an audience.
In 2021, RATMA had its last awards evening. COVID played a part, as it did for so many events and organisations. Personal circumstances added to it. The festival went quiet, but it never disappeared. The idea was too good to leave behind.
The films kept being made. Filmmakers kept getting in touch with us to restart the festival, as they needed somewhere to screen their films. The reasons RATMA existed in the first place hadn't gone away. If anything, they had grown stronger.
The People Behind RATMA
Marcus
Co-founder, RATMA Film Festival
Marcus started RATMA as a student project while he was teaching at Keighley College. The idea was to create a space where independent filmmakers could show their work.
That idea turned into a festival that ran for a decade.
He loves films and really enjoys giving film-makers a platform to show their work.
Gareth
Co-founder, RATMA Film Festival
Gareth joined Marcus in the outset of the festival's life and helped shape RATMA into something that lasted. He brought his own passion for film and for the community of people who make it. Together they built something that genuinely mattered to the filmmakers who came through it.
What We Believe
RATMA exists because creativity should have somewhere to go. Not just the films with crews and colour grades and festival budgets. Every film. The one you shot at the weekend. The short you made for your course. The idea you finally got around to actually making.
We judge films on the quality of the filmmaking, the idea, the craft, the intention, not on the scale of the production. A film made on a phone with a good story will always beat an expensive film with nothing to say.
Our values
- Accessibility — RATMA is open to any filmmaker, anywhere in the world, at any stage of their journey.
- Creativity — We champion original ideas and genuine filmmaking over production scale and industry credentials.
- Community — RATMA is built around the belief that filmmakers are better when they have a place to connect and show their work.
- Encouragement — We particularly want to hear from filmmakers entering a festival for the first time. If that's you: welcome.
RATMA Returns.
Bringing RATMA back wasn't a difficult decision. What was difficult was the years it wasn't running. The festival has a purpose — a real one — and that purpose didn't stop being relevant in 2021. We just had to find the right moment to return.
What hasn't changed: the belief that independent filmmakers deserve a proper festival. The commitment to short films twenty minutes or less. The welcome extended to anyone who makes films, whether it's their first or their fiftieth. The insistence that creativity matters more than budget.
What is different: we are coming back with more energy, a renewed commitment to working with filmmakers and a clear plan to make the May 2027 festival the best RATMA has ever been. It starts here.
Be part of the return.
RATMA is coming back in May 2027 and we want you to be part of it. Whether you have a film to enter, a class of students who need a reason to finish their projects, or you just want to follow along and see what happens — there is a place for you here.