SYKEHOUSE WRITER'S AND FILM FESTIVAL

INTRODUCING ... SYKEHOUSE FILM AND WRITERS' FESTIVAL - OCTOBER 2025!!!  

In 2025 we'll have not one, but TWO, live events. This page is about our second festival which will be taking place in October 2025, in the beautiful city of St Asaph, North Wales. 'We used to live in North Wales,' Festival Director, Samantha Lee Howe says, 'and I loved the place. We have found the most idyllic location for the weekend: a gorgeous hotel in St Asaph! We will be combining a Writing Conference, full of writers and panels and talks, as well as signed copies and special guests; with the Autumn Season Film Festival running along side a writers' conference. So also expect a day of film screenings followed by a prestigious Awards Gala Dinner (three course, sit down) in the evening.'

What we're about ...

The festival will combine a Horror and Crime Writer's Conference with the Autumn Season Film festival and will run simultaneously. 

The conference starts on Friday afternoon 1-5pm, kicking off with panels, where writers, filmmakers talk about their art, giving insight into the worlds of film and the life of authors.

Join us on Friday evening for a filmmaker and author mixer, where you can network over a drink or three! And have your elevator pitches at the ready ... We feel it's important that film producers, directors, writers and actors get to mingle with novelists of all persuasions ... that's how the magic happens!

On Saturday there will be author panels with headlining guest interviews and even a filmmakers' panel. In another room you can chill and watch the autumn season of selected submissions to our Sykehouse International Film Festival or just dip in and out of both. There are even some writing workshops and filmmaker's round tables. It's all included!

The Awards Gala Dinner will take place on the Saturday evening, and consist of a three course meal, with entertainment, and followed by the Awards Ceremony.

As well as the Sykehouse International Film Awards, we will also be presenting The Noose Awards! These awards are open to Horror/Fantasy/Science Fiction and Crime/Thriller writers.

Films and Screenplays will have been judged by a panel of committed film-o-philes, and each round will award a BEST and RUNNER-UP in the twelve categories:

BEST THRILLER

BEST HORROR

BEST SHORT FILM

BEST SCREENPLAY

BEST SHORT SCREENPLAY

BEST ACTOR

BEST ACTRESS

BEST POP VIDEO

BEST ACTION 

BEST COMEDY 

BEST PILOT

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR/ACTRESS

We will also be making some honorary award presentations on the awards night!

For the Noose Awards we have three Chairs who are all crime and horror experts and fans, and they will be assembling teams to read and consider and award the books and stories submitted.

The Noose: Best Thriller Novel

The Slipknot: Best Horror/Fantasy/Science Fiction Novel

The Silken Rope: Best Short Story

 

In Support of ...

PINK RIBBON FOUNDATION

The Pink Ribbon Foundation is a grant making trust with a mission to fund projects and provide financial support to UK charities which relieve the needs of people who are suffering from or who have been affected by breast cancer, or who work to advance the understanding of breast cancer and its early detection and treatment.

There are a large number of such charities in the UK, each as deserving as the next. Many of the charities supported are the smaller ones, which operate on a shoestring. The Pink Ribbon Foundation has very little infrastructure. It relies on the hard work given by Trustees, interested parties and its Patrons. This is done in order to maximise the amount, which goes to the charities that benefit from the funds raised.

AND

ST KENTIGERN HOSPICE

A North Wales charity providing specialist palliative and end of life care to patients. Their clinical services are completely free of charge to patients and their families across their catchment area of Denbighshire, West Flintshire and East Conwy.


DATES

The Writers Conference and Film Festival is taking place:

Friday 24 and Saturday 25 October 2025

Panels from 1pm-5pm on Friday and the evening mixer from around 19:00pm (so there's time to grab some dinner beforehand.)

Saturday is the main day, with a dual programme of films and discussion panels and talks, with a breakaway room for more focussed workshops and filmmaking roundtables.

Saturday evening is the Gala Dinner and Awards evening. From 18:00 onwards.

Sunday would be heading off home day. There are no activities planned for Sunday.


HOTEL INFORMATION

The venue for the Conference and Festival is:

Oriel Hotel
Upper Denbigh Road
St. Asaph
Denbighshire
LL17 0LW


Please contact the hotel direct to book what you need: Please mention the Festival when booking.

P: 01745 582 716
E: reception@orielhotel.co.uk
W: www.orielhotel.co.uk


HOW TO GET THERE

Located just off the A55 (junction 27), the hotel comes with easy access to Chester (35 minutes), Liverpool (60 minutes) and Manchester (80 minutes). We offer free on-site car parking (limited spaces).

The nearest station is Rhyl (6.7 miles) and a taxi from the station would take around 20 minutes.


BOOK

To submit books and stories for the NOOSE AWARD, please see the tab on this site which explains all.

To book for the Writers' Conference and Film Festival, then please visit the booking pages here:

BUY TICKETS

There is one option for ALL ACTIVITIES (ie Friday Panels and mixer, Saturday Conference, Workshops and Screenings, and Saturday night Gala Dinner and Awards)

There is one for JUST THE GALA DINNER ON THE SATURDAY NIGHT

There is one for JUST THE DAYTIME EVENTS ON THE FRIDAY/SATURDAY

Who's involved ...

FESTIVAL DIRECTOR 

Samantha Lee Howe

 JUDGES

The Judges for the 2025 SYKEHOUSE INTERNATIONAL FILMFEST are:

Samantha Lee Howe - USA Today bestselling author and multi-award winning screenwriter Samantha Lee Howe

David J Howe - author and historian, who has been reviewing and writing about film since the eighties. Howeswho

Karen Woodham - proprietor of the multi-award winning blog Blazing Minds.

Rosie Nagaty & John Aaron - self-confessed film addicts! Rosie and John are driven entrepreneurs who have carved their own path in the entertainment industry and now run The Old George Inn and Between Two Rivers glamping site. https://oldgeorgeinnsykehouse.co.uk/

Robin Pierce - Film critic/reviewer, previously of SirenFM, Gorezone and Starburst magazines. Co-host of the Piercing the Veil Podcast. https://robinpierce.online/

Adele Maddison - Self-confessed Film-o-phile, academic and entrepreneur.