PÖFF Shorts (Black Nights Film Festival) 2026

Festival Description:

PÖFF Shorts is the biggest short film and animation festival in the Baltics, an integral part of the FIAPF-accredited Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF). The festival’s mission is to showcase the best animated and live-action short films of all genres from cutting-edge talents and bold visionaries worldwide. PÖFF Shorts hosts three internationally recognized competition programmes: the international competitions for live action and animation with their respective student competitions called New Talents, as well as the PÖFF Shorts National Competition, designed to provide a platform for Estonian filmmakers and animators.

Alongside the competitions, the festival presents an array of astonishing, thought-provoking, inspiring, and challenging out-of-competition short film programmes. PÖFF Shorts is a European Film Academy (EFA) member and an Academy Award and BAFTA-qualifying festival.

2026 PÖFF Shorts Call for Entries

PÖFF Shorts presents films in the following competition programmes:

- International Competition programmes of short films and animation
- International Competition programmes of short films and animation for students (including a separate competitive section for Children's Short Animation)
- National Competition programme for short films and animation 
- PÖFF and PÖFF Shorts joint competition Rebels With a Cause short film section
- Non-competitive programmes, retrospectives and special presentations

Films should be short or half-length films (up to 45 minutes), and completed after the 1st of January 2025.

Awards:

International Live-Action Competition:
- Grand Prix for Best Film
- Best New Talents Film

International Animation Competition:
- Grand Prix for Best Animation Film
- Best New Talents Film
- Best Children's Film

National Competition:
- Grand Prix for Best National Film
- Best National Live-Action Film
- Best National Animation Film
- Best National Non-scripted Film

Rebels with a cause competition:
- Best Rebel with a Cause Short Film

• Regulations and film submission via FilmFreeway
• Deadline: 1 July (early), 1 August (regular), 8 August 2026 (late). Estonian shorts are submitted for free.

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