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 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 2022 (19th edition) will take place from May 25 to 30, 2022. The festival presents short cinematic forms 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.
2022 Call for Entries
For the VIENNA SHORTS 2022 competitions, films of all genres and formats up to 30 minutes in length and with a completion date after January 1, 2021 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).
Entries can be submitted in four competition categories:
- Fiction & Documentary is devoted to international short fiction and short documentary films.
- Animation Avantgarde is devoted to international animation and experimental film.
- The Austrian Competition is dedicated to national productions.
- The Austrian Music Video Award is 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 awarded as main prizes in the four competition categories of the festival and are endowed with EUR 1,000 to 5,000 each. The additional three prizes of the jury are endowed with EUR 1,000 to 3,000 each. In addition, special prizes (e.g. for the best female director) as well as audience prizes are awarded.
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
- Longer Than 30 Minutes – Non-competitive Section
The category Late Night Movies includes the genres of trash film, horror film, music and/or dance film.
Films of all genres and formats up to a length of 45 minutes and with a completion date after January 1, 2020 are accepted.
SUBMISSION AND FEES
In order to guarantee a high-quality selection process and a 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, 2022 for all submissions.
- The deadline for late submissions to the competitions (II.A) is January 31, 2022.
- Films can be submitted via the festival’s own platform Filmchief or via the submission platforms FilmFreeway and Shortfilmdepot.
2020 Festival Coverage:
Event Dates
- From 25 May 2022 to 30 May 2022