The Fiver Bird Flies: LJMU MA Short Film Festival Returns for its 5th Year with 5 Awards and a Brand New Look

LIVERPOOL John Moores University is proud to be hosting the 5th annual edition of the LJMU MA Short Film Festival this spring. The festival will launch online from the:- 28 March, with in person events running from the:- 31 March until the:- 4 April 2025.

Since it began in 2021, the festival has been able to build and improve every year, transforming into a multiplatform event with an international reach. MA Film students running the upcoming 2025 edition, under the guidance of Dr Lydia Papadimitriou and Martin Jones, received an astounding 2,691 film submissions from 112 countries, ranging from Ecuador to Taiwan, India to Bulgaria, Kazakhstan to the UK.

The LJMU MA Short Film Festival is distinctly programmed by students for students, helping to highlight the talent, creativity, and remarkable storytelling ability of young and upcoming filmmakers across the globe. Inclusivity is our priority, and we ensure that submission to the festival is free for student filmmakers as is audience access for both the online and in person events.

This year's programme features a diverse selection of 37 films ranging from light-hearted comedies, inspirational tales of overcoming adversity and challenging explorations of sexual violence and grief. The films are programmed into 4 strands: Fiction, Documentary, Experimental and Animation.

1 film from each strand will be chosen by a jury, made up of industry professionals, academics, previous winners and LJMU undergraduate students, to win a coveted Paper Bird Award. Visitors to the festival website will also be able to vote for their favourite film to receive the special Audience Award.

Dr Lydia Papadimitriou says:- "I am so proud to see this unique festival, curated and run by a new group of MA Film students every year, successfully reach its 5 year and grow from strength to strength in terms of film submissions, audiences and the quality of the work behind the scenes."

Martin Jones says:- "Reaching our 5th edition marks a significant milestone, 1 that feels like a true turning point in our journey. It is an opportunity to reflect on how far we've come and to celebrate the incredible talent, hard work, and dedication of both our current and former MA students, as well as the student filmmakers whose work we've had the privilege of showcasing."

Festival goers will have the ability to choose to watch the films on the festival website, from the:- 28 March 2025, or at live screening events commencing on the evening of Monday the 31 of March, with a different strand screening each night until the:- 3 April. The live events will take place in LJMU's own Redmond's Building, followed by Q&As with some of the featured filmmakers.

The festival closes on the:- 4 April 2025, with a live awards ceremony, bringing filmmakers and audiences together to celebrate the films and the success of the festival.

UK CMA clears Iberdrola's acquisition of Electricity North West

THE UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) cleared the acquisition of an 88% shareholding in the electricity distribution network operator Electricity North West (ENW) by Iberdrola, S.A., through its subsidiary ScottishPower.

The acquisition is part of Iberdrola's strategy to strengthen its networks business in countries with strong ratings, such as the UK. Iberdrola, through ScottishPower, now becomes the second largest distribution network operator in the UK, delivering electricity to around 12 million people across a network spanning more than 170,000 kilometres.

Welcoming the decision, Iberdrola's Executive Chairman and ScottishPower's Chairman, Ignacio Galán, said:- "Electrification is powering the UK's growth and competitiveness, as well as improving its strategic autonomy and contributing to national security. Iberdrola continues to increase its investments here in support of the Government's plans to modernise the country's energy system. Network investments are the backbone to this process. As we welcome our ENW colleagues into our business, we further strengthen our joint ambitions to deliver a resilient, flexible electricity network to meet the future needs and demands of Britain. Iberdrola has been a steadfast investor in the UK for almost 20 years. On top of our current assets, worth more than £30 billion, our plans in the country aim at investing £30 billion by the end of the decade, ⅔ in transmission and distribution networks and ⅓ in renewables, mainly offshore wind. These investments will deliver significant jobs, supply chain and economic benefits to the country.”

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