Factual Animation Film Festival

Event Description: The annual FAFF short film programme is screened at physical events, typically in London and Berlin, before being distributed as a global online festival. It is occasionally presented as a special programme at other film festivals. At physical screenings, FAFF hosts Q&As with the filmmakers, and each year a jury of experts awards a trophy to the best film and best student film.

Note: Factual Animation Film Festival (FAFF) is the world’s longest-running film festival dedicated to championing short animated documentaries and factual animation. 

Factual Animation Film Festival Call for Entries

There are currently two categories to submit to:

1. Animated shorts of 1-20 minutes.
2. Animated shorts of under 1 minute.

Both categories will be subjected to the same selection process, so the main difference is that it costs less to submit a film that is shorter than 60 seconds.

Eligibility:
Example of a "factual animation" would share some of these qualities:
- They are about a factual subject, events that happened, real people or lived experiences.
- They follow the codes and conventions of documentary practice, science communication, journalism, educational films, explainer videos, or public service announcements.
- They are about the historical world that we all live in rather than an invented world of fiction.
- They feature representations of real people and their lives.
- If they do feature fictional characters, the emphasis in the film gives a strong impression that the characters are mere rhetorical tools that allow the film to draw focus on events that are grounded in fact, such as social or political issues.
- They tell biographic stories based in fact or autobiographical stories based in lived experience
- They visualise subjective experiences that are otherwise invisible, such as mental health difficulties, dreams, or hallucinations that felt real to those who experienced them.
- They address folklore, spirituality, or religion in a way that sheds light on a real world person, community, or culture, past or present, rather than presenting belief systems as truth.
- They visualise abstract concepts, or present authentic statistics/data. 

• Regulation and Submit via FilmFreeway
• Deadline: 24 April 2026 (super early-bird), 22 May 2026 (early-bird), 26 June 2026 (regular), 18 July 2026 (final)

NB: 2027 Festival Dates are Tentative