Vienna Shorts Festival
About the Festival: VIENNA SHORTS is the international short film festival in Vienna. The presentation of short films and the exchange about them are the main focus. The festival is organized by the association Independent Cinema and shows about 300 productions in under 30 minutes. The competition is structured in four categories, for each of which separate entries can be submitted. Other sections include portraits and thematically curated programs. VIENNA SHORTS is a qualifying festival for the Academy Awards ® (Oscars), the European Film Awards (EFA), the British BAFTA Awards as well as the Austrian Film Award and awards prize money of approximately EUR 25,000 annually. The festival sees itself as a political and fair film festival, which is committed to responsible and transparent dealings with filmmakers and all those involved, as well as ecologically sustainable conduct.
2023 Call for Entries
The 20th edition of VIENNA SHORTS will take place from June 1 to 6, 2023 in Vienna at the cinema. The festival presents short cinematic works in cinemas and online. Screenings in cinemas will be carried out in accordance with local regulatory requirements. Rights holders will be informed about the status of the festival in a timely manner.
Eligibility criteria:
- For the VIENNA SHORTS 2023 competitions, films of all genres and formats up to 30 minutes in length and with a completion date after January 1, 2022, can be submitted if they have not been submitted to the festival before (a re-submission is only possible if the film has been substantially altered).
Competitive section:
The competition is divided into four categories. The other sections consist of portraits and thematically curated programs, among others. Submissions are also open for out-of-competition programs.
- Fiction & Documentary (devoted to international short fiction and short documentary films);
- Animation Avantgarde (devoted to international animation and experimental film);
- Austrian Competition (dedicated to national productions);
- Austrian Music Video Award (given to the best national music video).
International productions can be submitted for the two competitions, Fiction & Documentary and Animation Avantgarde. For the Austrian Competition and the Austrian Music Video Award, only productions by Austrian directors or producers or works that were (partly) produced in Austria or were mainly financed by Austrian institutions are eligible. The festival reserves the right to assign films to a different category than the one for which they were initially submitted.
The VIENNA SHORTS Awards are awarded as up to two main prizes in the four competition categories of the festival and are endowed with EUR 1,000 to 6,000 each. In addition, special prizes (including for best female director) and audience awards will be presented. Prizes are awarded in all categories by expert juries. The juries consist of three film industry professionals, who are international and diverse by category and gender. Their expertise is brought in upon invitation. All films are made available to the jury members for viewing in the best possible quality.
Non-competitive section:
Entries are also possible for non-competitive festival sections. (All films that have already been submitted for a competition will be previewed for all festival categories and do not have to be additionally submitted in this category). Films are eligible for this category if they either do not meet the conditions of the competition categories, are not intended for a competition presentation, and can be assigned to one of the following categories:
- Late Night Movies – Non-competitive Section
- International Music Videos – Non-competitive Section
- Films For Kids – Non-competitive Section
The category Late Night Movies includes the genres of trash film, horror film, music, and/or dance film. The films in the category Films For Kids are aimed at people up to 10 years old. Films of all genres and formats up to a length of 45 minutes and with a completion date after January 1, 2021, are accepted.
Submission and fees:
In order to guarantee a high-quality selection process and professional handling, VIENNA SHORTS charges an entry fee.
- This fee is EUR 15 (USD 17) for short live-action films and short documentaries (Fiction & Documentary) and EUR 10 (USD 12) for animation and experimental films (Animation Avantgarde) during the regular submission period.
- For non-competitive films (Non-competitive Section) EUR 7 (USD 8) will be charged.
- During the extended submission period (January 6 to January 31, 2022) the entry fee for all competition categories—including the Austrian Competition and the Austrian Music Video Award—will be increased by EUR 10 (USD 12) respectively.
- The regular submission deadline is January 5, 2023, for all submissions. The deadline for late submissions to the competitions (II.A) is January 31, 2023.
- Films can be submitted via the festival’s own platform Filmchief or via the submission platforms FilmFreeway and Shortfilmdepot.
ARCHIVE
2020 Festival Coverage:
NB: 2024 Festival Dates are tentative
Event Dates
- From 01 June 2024 to 06 June 2024
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