The Bermuda International Film Festival has been inundated with Bermudian short films this year as organisers prepare for the 20th annual event.

As part of this year’s event, the BIFF will be hosting BerMovie day on May 7, featuring films made by Bermudians and Bermuda residents, inviting the public to submit their own short films.

With the deadline for entry today, Patrice Horner of the BIFF purpose trust said: “The response from Bermudian film-makers has been significant. We will start reviewing them for the programme on Monday.

“We had to limit the length to 30 mins in order to show as many as feasible. It should be a blast.”

Meanwhile, BIFF chairman Rod Ferguson commented on how far the festival has come over the past 20 years, noting that this year’s event will be all digital.

“We no longer have to receive these heavy reels, as BIFF has gone digital,” he said. “We have escaped the dark ages.”

BIFF’s weeklong celebration of cinema consists of a slate of both narrative and documentary feature films, programmes of short films and provocative late night shows.

In addition, there is the BIFF Kids programmes in the mornings for both primary and secondary school students.

This year’s festival runs from May 1 to 7, with screenings taking place at the Earl Cameron Theatre in City Hall.

BerMovie entries can be submitted to programming@biff.bm by Vimeo or Blu-ray before 5pm today.

Entries can also be submitted by hard drive or DVDs, which can be dropped off at BIFF headquarters on Front Street.