North East International Film Festival 2025
Public Relations
Marriott Communications, in strategic partnership with Chrissie Pringle of CgPR, led the PR campaign for the 2025 North East International Film Festival (NEIFF). The campaign positioned NEIFF as one of the UK’s most exciting international film events, amplified the North East’s cultural significance, and showcased independent and international cinema through a programme of premieres, screenings, and red-carpet events.
Over the course of a four-week campaign, we executed a comprehensive, multi-channel strategy encompassing national, regional, international, and trade media, digital influencers, stakeholder engagement, and high-profile talent outreach. The campaign delivered widespread coverage, boosted audience engagement, and reinforced NEIFF’s reputation as an inclusive, innovative, and culturally vital festival.
Background
The North East International Film Festival celebrates creativity, diversity, and innovation in filmmaking, bringing global cinema to Newcastle and the wider region. In 2025, NEIFF sought a PR partner to elevate its profile, drive ticket sales, engage regional and international stakeholders, and position the festival as a must-attend cultural event.
Marriott Communications, in partnership with CgPR, was appointed to deliver this integrated PR strategy due to our expertise in cultural storytelling, national and trade media relationships, and experience amplifying purpose-driven creative projects.
The collaboration with CgPR ensured the campaign leveraged complementary media networks and creative expertise, resulting in a strategic partnership that strengthened NEIFF’s impact.
The Brief
Marriott Communications, in partnership with Chrissie Pringle of CGPR, was appointed to lead the PR campaign for the 2025 North East International Film Festival (NEIFF). Our task was to elevate the festival’s visibility on a local, national, and international scale - driving ticket sales, building audience participation, and positioning NEIFF as a prestigious, inclusive, and carbon-negative celebration of film.
The campaign needed to do more than generate awareness; it had to spotlight the North East as a growing hub for culture and creativity, while reinforcing NEIFF’s commitment to storytelling that challenges, inspires, and includes. We were also charged with securing meaningful coverage across major media titles - from trade and culture publications to national broadcasters - while engaging celebrities, influencers, and thought leaders to amplify the festival’s messages.
A key part of our remit was to ensure that NEIFF’s individual films were given space to shine. Many of the year’s standout entries tackled urgent social issues - from knife crime and LGBTQ+ representation to women’s equality in sport - and our communications strategy worked to highlight their cultural impact and human focus.
However, this campaign also came with challenges.
The UK’s cultural calendar is saturated, with countless festivals competing for attention. Awareness of the North East as an international film destination was limited, and independent productions often struggled to achieve mainstream coverage.
The task, then, was to make NEIFF stand out - not just as another regional festival, but as a platform with global reach and purpose.
The Actions
Our campaign was delivered in three phases: pre-launch, festival week, and post-festival.
In the pre-launch phase, we began by announcing the full NEIFF programme and opening ticket sales through a targeted press release campaign. Regional outreach focused on established outlets such as the Newcastle Chronicle, Northern Echo, BBC Newcastle, and ITV Tyne Tees, ensuring that the local community was at the heart of the story. International, national and trade engagement followed, with tailored pitches developed positioning NEIFF as a festival with global relevance and artistic reverence.
To build digital momentum, we curated influencer partnerships, targeting creators within film, culture, and lifestyle. A dedicated stakeholder pack was also distributed to councils, sponsors, and organisations such as Arts Council England and Northern Film + Media, outlining NEIFF’s value and impact. Celebrity engagement began early, with personal invitations extended to notable North East figures including Sam Fender, Denise Welch, Jill Scott and Andrea Riseborough.
During the festival week itself, our focus turned to real-time amplification. We distributed daily press releases covering premieres, award nominees, and social-impact stories, while coordinating red carpet coverage, Q&A sessions, photo calls, and broadcast interviews.
Influencers on-site shared exclusive behind-the-scenes content, while our team ensured seamless media coordination for interviews and talent appearances.
Several films drew exceptional attention: Cut Short, a powerful exploration of youth violence and hope; Breakwater, a tender LGBTQ+ story; and The Corinthians: We Were the Champions, a moving documentary on women who transformed the future of football.
These narratives were further amplified through human-interest features with Festival Director Lisa-Marie Tonelli, published in UK Film Review, and broadcasted on BBC Radio Newcastle, Heart, Smooth, Classic, and Capital North East.
Post-festival, we focused on sustaining momentum and documenting impact.
Our final press engagement celebrated NEIFF’s award winners and audience highlights, while festival highlight reels circulated across digital channels.
A comprehensive sponsor and stakeholder report was delivered, showcasing media clippings, social performance, and brand visibility. Through engagement tracking, we gathered audience feedback that reinforced NEIFF’s growing reputation as a must-attend event in the UK film calendar.
The Impact
The results of the campaign were exceptional.
NEIFF achieved widespread media coverage across major regional, national, and international outlets, including UK Film Review, Screen Daily, Newcastle Magazine, and Little White Lies. BBC Radio Newcastle, Heart, Smooth, Classic, and Capital North East, while the festival’s feature films enjoyed individual spotlights across multiple publications and online platforms.
For sponsors and stakeholders, the campaign delivered tangible value through increased brand visibility, hospitality opportunities, and digital amplification. Partnerships with local councils, arts bodies, and film organisations were strengthened, while VIP and high profile attendance elevated the event’s prestige.
Culturally, NEIFF 2025 achieved something much greater than numbers alone.
It redefined perceptions of the North East as a creative capital, celebrated inclusive and diverse storytelling, and amplified films that address real-world social issues.
The festival’s identity as both prestigious and purpose-driven was solidified, setting a new benchmark for future years.
NEIFF in Numbers
75M
Audience
Combined total of publication-wide audience figures for all outlets
featuring coverage
16
Pieces of Coverage
Total number of online, offline and social clips in this book
447K
Online Views
Prediction of lifetime views of online coverage, based on audience reach
75M
Online Readership
Combined total number of people that visit the websites featuring coverage
62
Average Domain Authority
A 0-100 measure of the authority of the site coverage appears on
447K
Estimated Views
Prediction of lifetime views of coverage, based on audience reach & engagement rate
184
Engagements
Combined total of likes, comments and shares on social media platforms
184
Social Shares
Number of times the online articles have been shared on social media
NEIFF Coverage Report
The Conclusion
Marriott Communications’ partnership with NEIFF 2025, delivered alongside CGPR, demonstrated the impact of storytelling-led PR.
The campaign not only achieved national and international recognition but helped position the festival - and by extension, the North East - as a vital voice in the global film landscape.
By combining traditional media outreach with influencer marketing, stakeholder engagement, and community-led storytelling, the campaign proved that strategic, purpose-driven communications can transform a regional event into a cultural movement.