Welcome To Glasgow Tellyfest
Glasgow Tellyfest exists discover, support and celebrate the most exciting Scottish stories for the screen. We think that the traditional development process is outdated, risk-averse and too dependent on the personal taste of a tiny group of gatekeepers. The whole idea is to build as level a playing field as we possibly can, so as to uncover the boldest, most diverse and authentically Scottish stories we can, whether they're to be found in schemes, crofts or creatives you'd never expect.
How it works:
One Minute Pilots
We open submission windows for One Minute Pilots 2-3 times per year.
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A One Minute Pilot is a 60-90 second video in a social media style. Imagine your character is making a TikTok to tell us about their life, and essentially why we should watch them for ten or twenty hours.
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Think:
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Meredith Grey in her car after her first shift as an intern surgeon, recounting how the guy she slept with last night turned out to be her attending physician;
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Roman Roy emerging from the car crash at his mother's wedding to explain how none of this would have happened if his dad had just handed over the company;
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Dana Scully stranded in a remote motel room, recording her account of a supernatural experience as inexplicable noises close in around her.
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Production should be simple. All you need is an idea, an actor and a phone. Shoot in vertical (16:9), and we advise a straightforward talk-to-camera as it's the best way to pack enough character and hints of story to come, but there are no strict rules other than it must be a format native to social media (leave multi angles and fancy cinematography for the next stage!).
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Have fun with it! It should feel a bit like a sketch pad, just getting your idea on its feet for the joy of it.
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The Committee
Our committee is made up of around 25 creatives from every walk of Scotland's arts. We've got podcasters and Still Game stars, musicians and Taggart actors, PR experts, TV directors and digital creatives, to ensure a real cross section of fresh eyes on our submissions. They watch the One Minute Pilots without knowing who wrote it (they might recognise the actor, there's not much we can do about that!), give feedback and vote for any they think should be longlisted. Any submissions that receive a minimum of 3 committee votes goes on the longlist, which we then review together and discuss and debate to confirm a shortlist as a group.
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This means that it's never about one person's taste, nor are we influenced by what else the filmmaker has or hasn't done.
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All submissions receive a summary of their feedback from the committee when they're told whether or not they've been shortlisted this time around . There is no limit on how many times a filmmaker or project can submit: part of the idea is to be able to use the feedback to get cracking on your submission for the next window.
Pick of the Pilots
We then screen the shortlist to the general public at a series of lively, social events called Pick of the Pilots, hosted by fantastic Glasgow comedian, Tia Rey.Â
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Audience watch the One Minute Pilots in sets of three, discuss and decide which they vote for to move forward as a team. The winner of each Pick of the Pilots event will be offered a commission for our Scottish drama channel,  No Mean Drama.
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Every filmmaker will receive an audience report at the end of the season, which they can use for their future development and pitching of the project.
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The season closes with an Industry Night for all shortlisted filmmakers, committee and friends of the festival, at which we announce the projects that have won commissions for No Mean Drama, network and find colleagues and collaborators for the next round!
The next submission window will be open from 6-14 May, 2026
Detailed submission guidelines are here:
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Entry form is here: (please note it will not accept submissions until the window opens!
IIf it's your first time submitting, we recommend submitting early in the window so that if there are any issues you have time to address and get it back in.Â
Get in Touch
We're here to answer your questions about Glasgow Tellyfest.
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Whether you're a filmmaker, an attendee or a prospective sponsor, we'd love to hear from you.