In 2009, a group of Cambridge University students set up a film festival called Watersprite. The aim was to highlight international film and put on a weekend of events to increase diversity, inclusion and access within the film industry, and 15 years on, Watersprite is the largest student short film festival, receiving submissions from all over the world. The festival’s influence has grown exponentially from where it first began; last year, films were submitted from over 106 countries, with the number of submissions totalling 1762. But, after I sat down with three committee members to chat about Watersprite on its 15 year anniversary, it is clear that, despite its enormous growth, those initial endeavours from 2009 are still at the forefront of the festival’s ethos.

“It’s a very privileged city, so we reach out to other places where they might not have access to the kind of stuff we have access to just by being in Cambridge”

Zeb Goriely, this year’s Festival Director, explains how the events run by Watersprite are aimed at helping young people work towards careers in film by demystifying the industry. “A lot of people have a sense of the film industry as being pretentious or unwelcoming,” Zeb tells me, “but anyone who comes to our events gets a very different experience”. Watersprite is one of the few film festivals for which submissions are completely free, as well as attendance at the majority of its events. Unlike most film festivals, Watersprite is a registered charity, and supports its international attendees by paying for both their flights and accommodation in Cambridge. Access to the festival itself remains a priority for this year’s committee, as part of their commitment to breaking down barriers into the industry. “You get to do so much, being at Cambridge,” Head of Events Flora O’Neill says, “but that’s not necessarily the people we are trying to target. It’s a very privileged city, so we reach out to other places where they might not have access to the kind of stuff we have access to just by being in Cambridge”.

A key aspect of the festival is its mentorship programme, open to anyone from a disadvantaged background who has submitted a film regardless of whether or not it has been selected. While the festival runs events and talks by keynote speakers, Zeb stresses that it aims to “offer more than just information, to offer opportunities for people to get a step up as they try and enter the film world”. By pairing people up with mentors from a similar background, Watersprite actively provides young aspiring filmmakers with the support and guidance they need to make their way in the industry. “There’s a point at which it’s important to be inspired by talks, but when you want to move forward in your career, having a mentor really helps with that”.

The mentorship scheme is part of what seems to be a cornerstone of Watersprite’s ethos: a supportive, compassionate community that is genuinely dedicated to increasing accessibility to the industry. Flora tells me about the festival’s “film school marketplace” event, through which attendees can chat to people in the industry, build a community and network. It’s clear to Flora that the industry professionals also find the festival rewarding: “industry professionals who come to Watersprite really like it – it’s a really nice community. People genuinely want to help [...] they are quite invested in helping the next generation”. One of Watersprite’s current sponsors is now actively recruiting other sponsors, demonstrating the extent of the festival’s impact on its benefactors as well as those it’s directly aimed at supporting. “Watersprite is quite special in that regard”, says Flora: “loads of people really care”.

“By celebrating filmmaking we’re bringing together all the people who love film”

Alongside the multitude of events and opportunities hosted across the weekend, the festival remains a celebration of young filmmaking talent. This year is set to be the biggest awards ceremony yet, and Head of Awards Ruby Power is excited by the scope for experimentation that the short film format provides. Last year, Maja Kjellstad Aanonsen won the Animation Award and the Neil Gaiman Film of the Year Award for her dark comedy stop-motion animation Death at the Bus Stop. “You never really see much of that”, Ruby enthuses, “you would never see that in the cinema. The person who made it sat in a basement and made it completely alone. That can only really happen at this sort of event”. Maja’s innovative short film won her free entry into other film festivals, which she subsequently went on to win – an evident success story for the sorts of opportunities Watersprite provides for aspiring young filmmakers.

The Cambridge film scene is often seen as secondary to its thriving theatre counterpart, but from speaking to this year’s committee members it is evident that a passion for film and increasing arts access in general is very much alive. “Watersprite is the best kept secret that we don’t actually want to be a secret”, says Flora. “By celebrating filmmaking we’re bringing together all the people who love film”, Zeb adds, acknowledging both the University of Cambridge and Anglia Ruskin University students who are involved in the festival. “That divide seems to have lessened, and it’s bringing the communities together”.

Watersprite 2024 officially begins at its launch event on Monday 16th October with a screening of Raine Allen Miller’s romcom Rye Lane at the Arts Picturehouse, followed by a social. Sponsored by funding through the BFI, Watersprite will be putting on six screenings at the Picturehouse in the run up to the festival. There is still time to apply to the Watersprite committee or to apply to be a judge – check out the Watersprite website for more information.