Vienna Shorts Festival 2024
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.
2024 Call for Entries
The 21st edition of VIENNA SHORTS will take place in cinemas in Vienna from May 28 to June 2, 2024. The festival presents short cinematic works in the cinema and online. 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.
Eligibility criteria:
- For the VIENNA SHORTS 2024 competitions, films of all genres and formats up to 30 minutes in length and with a completion date after January 1, 2023, 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:
Entries can be submitted in four competition categories:
- 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 originally submitted.
The VIENNA SHORTS Awards are endowed with EUR 1.500,- to 6.000,- each, depending on the competition. Several prizes are awarded per competition. In addition, special prizes and audience prizes are awarded. 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
- Films For Young People – Non-competitive Section
The category Late Night Movies includes the genres of trash film (Très chic), horror film (Nightmares), and erotic films (Kinky Kino). The films in the category Films For Kids are aimed at people up to 12 years old, and the films in the category Films For Young People are aimed at people over 12. Films of all genres and formats up to a length of 45 minutes and with a completion date after January 1, 2022, are accepted.
- Festival rules and regulations
- Submission via the festival’s own platform Filmchief or via FilmFreeway
- Deadlines: 5 January 2024 (regular), 31 January 2024 (late) - fees apply
ARCHIVE
2020 Festival Coverage:
Event Dates
- From 28 May 2024 to 02 June 2024