Cinemira Budapest International Children's Film Festival 2026

Event Description: 
Festival, hosts an international competition featuring short films—both live-action and animation—from around the globe, alongside a curated selection of the finest feature films for children.
In the international categories, the awards are decided by a professional jury, while the Best Hungarian Children's Film and Best Hungarian Youth Film will be chosen by Hungary's largest children's jury, consisting of over 5,000 members.
Cinemira hosts an Industry Forum Day, featuring a dynamic Pitch Forum for TV series and film projects tailored to young audiences. The event also includes inspiring lectures from internationally renowned professionals, offering valuable insights into creating engaging and meaningful content for children.

2026 Call for Entries

Eligibility criteria:

• Only works with a release date after January 1, 2025, will be allowed to participate in the competitive sections.
• Cinemira KIDS: Short films of up to a maximum of 10 or 15 minutes in length can participate in the competitions in the KIDS section.
• Cinemira YOUTH: short films of a maximum of 20 minutes in length can participate in the competitions in the YOUTH section. Films made by high school students category: films of a maximum of 7 minutes in length can participate in this category.

Competition sections

a. International Competition of Short Animated films for Children (separately for 4-6,7-9, 10-14 years old)
b.International Competition of Short Live-Action films for Children (separately for 7-9, 10-14 years old)
c, International Competition of Short Animated Films for Teens (14-19 years old)
d, International Competition of Short Live-Action Films for Teens (14-19 years old)
e, National Competition of best Screenplay for Children (Cinemira Pitch Forum)
f, National Competition of best Series Script for Children and Youth (Cinemira Pitch Forum)
g, National competition of Films Made by High School Children

• Festival Regulations and submission via FilmFreeway
• Deadline: 31 March 2026 (early bird), 1 May 2026 (regular), 20 June 2026 (last-minute deadline)
• Fees: required