South London film festival at risk, says founder

The founder of a south London film festival says it "will never happen again" if the local councils insist on rating the films themselves.

Crystal Palace International Film Festival (CPIFF) launched in 2009 and attracts filmmakers to venues including the West Norwood Picturehouse.

Neill Roy, who set up the festival he says attendees call the "world's coolest", says Lambeth and Bromley Councils want to charge more than £6,500 to rate all 132 films - a cost he claims no film festival has the budget for.

Bromley said "there is no change in how the council has treated the film festival in over a decade" while Lambeth said "fees are charged to all organisations that ask us to classify their films".

A petition to save CPIFF, which also shows films at the Everyman Cinema in Crystal Palace, has already attracted more than 1,500 signatures.

One of the previous attendees worked on the Netflix hit Adolescence while another has just graduated from the National Television and Film School, according to the organisers.

The festival has previously attracted big-name comedians including Andy Zaltzman, Kerry Godliman and Mark Steel.

"It's extremely frustrating," Mr Roy said. "You've got a much-loved film festival which is very popular and a launchpad for young creatives into the industry.

"It's such a lovely thing to have in the local area – the community in Crystal Palace loves it and the councils won't listen.

"Hopefully they see common sense so we can start inspiring kids into the film industry."

Mr Roy said he had offered to allow the councils to independently rate a selection of films to verify his judgment as well as proposing to make all of the films 18-rated to enable the festival to go ahead.

"They're draconian in applying their rules - no child has come to harm in 16 years," he added. "They won't even have time to watch all of the films."

"Our proudest legacy of inspiring children into the film industry - it will end. This would be devastating - it's my passion, my love and I'm so proud of it.

"It sells out – we're doing amazing things for independent film. They should be supporting it."

A Lambeth Council spokesperson said: "We have worked closely with CPIFF over many years to help ensure that the event could take place with all its films properly classified.

"But the council, like other local authorities, has a responsibility to classify films which have no age rating certificate from the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) before they can be shown to the public.

"Licensing in Lambeth reviewed the CPIFF films for 2025 to be shown at West Norwood cinema, which included themed films aimed at specific groups on to be shown on separate dates.

"The council issued ratings for each group of film showings, provided individual classifications, and undertook cross-checking as to what films had already received a BBFC classification, as part of our role in ensuring consumers are protected with a focus on the young."

A Bromley Council spokesperson said: "There is no change in how the council has treated the film festival in over a decade, with the only change being that the film festival now want to include children in the audience, where legislation therefore needs to be complied with.

"Under the Licensing Act 2003, any premises licensed for the exhibition of films must ensure that all films shown carry a classification certificate from either the BBFC or the local authority.

"The council currently has serious financial challenges of its own but we have, in previous years, revised application fees to support the festival and remain open to discussion about the way forward but we need to ensure the law is complied with, part of the aim of which is to protect children."